Especially in this industry, women challenge men much more now because we're saying, 'We can do it, too.'

I love my city and I feel like the majority of the people that are in the city are people from other cities. So I think that L.A. sometimes might get a bad rap because it's known to be so Hollywood-oriented and then underneath that you have crime. But that's really the case in pretty much any major city that you go to.

I create my own backstory regardless of if I'm told something about the background or not. There's always more that you can develop in your head that makes a character more layered, more honest.

I'm just really thankful to have the chance to portray a character you don't see every day.

I never really loved school through junior high, but then I started running track my freshman year, and I was just like, 'Wow, this is cool!

My mother was a single mom, and most of the women I know are strong.

But, once again, when I said I'm so grateful for my mom just being adamant about me staying in public school - that is what allowed me to be exposed to so many different types of people. I went to a high school that was by the beach. I elected to do bussing my junior high school years. And my first year of high school, I would take the bus from my neighborhood to the beach schools. And at those schools, you had such a mix of so many types of kids.