A lot of people my age, they grew up with me onscreen. I think that's helped keep a certain amount of longevity. When you grow up with a person, you feel like you know them.

I was always in and out of school. What I learned in high school is that female friendships are so much more important than worrying about having a boyfriend or looking good or things like that. I had such a good girlfriend growing up that we didn't need anything. We had such a creative world of our own imagination together. For me, if I have a child, I would say, "I hope you find a best friend that makes it so you don't really need much but each other." Learning about that type of friendship and trust is one of the best things I ever got out of school.

You don't really know who you're going to fall in love with at what time in their life. They can be the worst off they've ever been in their life, but you can't help who you fall in love with. That's part of the excitement of life - new people, new experiences.

I think it's best to date someone who doesn't do what you do.

The more I see and know about life, the more ideas I have and the more I want to make art.

As an actress, there's a lot of waiting. You wait for a script to come in that you want to do. You get to a point where you decide that if you want good things to be made, you're going to have to start making them yourself as an actress. You can't just wait around for it. But you can also just enjoy the breaks, and use them to kind of refuel. I've been working so long at this point that I don't mind the breaks. I think they make me better, actually.

If I'd trusted myself and listened to myself all the times that I ignored myself, I would have been fine. But everyone has to learn their lesson, and now I've got it.