I kind of understand now why people freak out when they see celebrities that they love, because that's how I feel about every single Muppet.

In 2002 Mom and I got a chance to act together in a play called 'Pitching to the Star,' with her brother, Robert Lipton. The three of us on the same stage - that was such a special experience for me.

My activities tend to revolve around crossword puzzles, reading and playing piano and games with my friends.

I'm lucky because I have so many clashing cultural, racial things going on: black, Jewish, Irish, Portuguese, Cherokee. I can float and be part of any community I want. The thing is, I do identify with being black, and if people don't identify me that way that's their issue. I’m happy to challenge people's understanding of what it looks like to be biracial, because guess what? In the next 50 years, people will start looking more and more like me.

I know that in life there will be sickness, devastation, disappointments, heartache - it's a given. What's not a given is the way you choose to get through it all. If you look hard enough, you can always find the bright side.

You can't be an openly gay movie star. You can't be an openly gay pop star, really - minus Ricky Martin.

I probably wouldn't be acting if I didn't grow up in Hollywood.