questions

Whose career would you like to model yours after? I admire beautiful actresses who aren’t afraid to make fun of themselves and who are able to do a wide range of roles. People like Goldie Hawn, Debra Messing, Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Meg Ryan and Reese Witherspoon.

What was your favorite academic subject in school? I actually liked math. I loved problem solving and it was my favorite subject until I hit high school and ran into a teacher that destroyed my interest in it. "One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch" was never truer.

What was your first paid acting gig? My first paid job was in the national Broadway tour of "Showboat" and my first paid television commercial job was for Travelodge. The other girl that was cast with me happened to be Vanessa Hudgens! What a small world!

Who was your first on-screen kiss with? My first on-screen kiss was with Jesse McCartney in the pilot of "Summerland." Heavenly.

What has been your favorite role so far? I really enjoyed playing Meredith in "Bratz." When I was cast in the part, I had only seen the pages that I auditioned with… so I thought I just had a couple of student body president speeches and wasn’t too concerned since I had a little experience in that department. But when I got the script and saw that I had two song and dance numbers, had to ride an elephant, work with a dog, do stunt work into a cake and a swimming pool and have an onscreen kiss… well, that was a lot of firsts and quite a challenge for me! But Meredith was a blast of a role.

If you weren't in entertainment, what would you do? If I hadn't followed the entertainment path, I think I might have gone into oceanography. We took a school field trip in sixth grade to the Catalina Island Marine Institute and I was fascinated. And some of my favorite family trips were to Sea World and different aquariums. I have always been interested in sea life.

Describe the ideal day off. My ideal day would have 48 hours so I could fit in all the things I wanted to do, starting off with sleeping in late. Then I'd love to linger over coffee and conversation with friends before heading to the beach to stretch out on the warm sand and get lost in the sounds of waves and seagulls and the thump of beach volleyball. After a steamy shower, I would put on some tunes and get dolled up, then meet more friends for dinner before hitting a local venue to groove to my favorite live bands. The perfect finish? 2am breakfast with the musicians afterwards. Nothing like it.

How do you stay in shape? It's fortunate that I like healthy foods. Veggies and fruit and fish are my favorite things. But I also LOVE desserts and bread and pasta, so I try to exercise when I can. My main exercise is walking. I have a favorite 5 mile path that I walk at least 4-5 times a week. I also do sit-ups and push-ups, yoga and stretching. I love dance classes, but it's difficult to make myself go at the end of a long work day.

What do you do to relax? I love a hot bubble bath and a book! I've also been known to lay a blanket on the floor and put on headphones and turn off all the lights and just zone out to some great tunes.

Where do you like to hang out with your friends? We have a favorite hole-in-the-wall coffee house with comfy couches, music and pool tables. We also like to stare out at the endless horizon of the sea, or just hang out in my apartment and listen to music.

Do you have any hobbies? I love to travel, paint, write, take photographs and do scrapbooking projects.

What is your greatest strength? Bouncing back. When things go wrong, I have a great ability to push it out of my head and stay focused on the task at hand and deal with it later.

What things do you want to improve on? Not being such a perfectionist. I worry about a lot of tiny details that aren’t really important in the big picture. I would like to gain back some of the hours that I spend sweating about the small stuff.

What do you look for in a guy? Describe your ideal date. A sense of humor is one of the most important things I need in a guy and I love sexy eyes that look right through to my heart. My ideal date is anything that he has planned for us to do. I love when the guy makes all the arrangements and just tells me what time to be ready. My favorite nights have been when he arrives at my door with flowers or a thoughtful little gift, then whisks me away to a romantic, candlelit dinner followed by a concert or a play or simply walking and talking and holding hands.

What would you say to kids who want to get into the business? My advice about getting into show business is to do everything you can - whether its school plays, community theater, talent shows, church choir or dance recitals – just find any opportunity to perform. I grew up doing musical theater in Arizona, and I can’t tell you how much having that experience and those credits on my resume helped when I decided to pursue this as a career. Theatre is so much fun, and you’ll learn blocking, timing, memorization and working with other actors plus find out quickly if this is something you truly love to do.