In school, I was always being cast as the clown. And then I did The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), and once people hear you scream, they can't un-hear it. But I don't mean to say that I've been typecast, either.

When I first got to L.A., I was stretching $20 a week, waiting tables, and I did that for about six months. I didn't mind it at all, I was really happy for that experience, but it made me really get aggressive about what I want. I've been doing this since I was eight, and never considered doing anything else, so I really had to kick it into gear.

I usually spend the hiatus of 'Dexter' in New York in a way to balance things.

Practice being in the moment when you are running, whether you are on your own or in the race.

Sometimes when I pick up a book off the shelf, when I'm buying a new book to read, I'll look at all of them and they all have the exact same words inside, but I'll think that one is meant to go home with me. I'll never pick the first thing off the shelf, I'll always go one behind.

My laundry list of wants in a partner is basically kindness. I want someone who is kind, and that's kind of where it begins and ends. I'm open to being surprised.

I went to school. I went to Juilliard. You spend 13 hours a day on voice and speech. Now I realize why.