I would hope that people didn't think I was anything like Joan! It's very hard for me because Joan says such cruel things all the time. It sort of makes me cringe every time I read them because I think, 'Who could be so horrible?' To be able to deliver those lines and do them with a coolness, yet still make her likable, is a bit of a challenge.
I met a lot of young girls modelling and they were like, 'Oh, I'm running around town and people are taking my picture', while I was saving receipts and learning how to be self-employed.
I dyed my hair about 42 different colours, and kids can be pretty judgmental about people who are different. But instead of breaking down and conforming, I stood firm. That is also probably why I was unhappy.
It just seemed so odd as people had never commented on my body before. Every woman obsesses over her figure, but I was happy, I felt sexy - I never thought about it. I know this sounds naive, but I honestly never expected this kind of attention.
We were probably the last people in the country to get a VCR and we didn't have cable. There wasn't any admiration of glamour, no, 'I want to look like them or have that lifestyle', because everyone in my town had the same lifestyle. So I didn't think, 'Ooh, a movie star's birthday!' I just thought, 'What?'
Some of the things people have said about me, well, they're unbelievable.
I'm an ambassador for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and one of the children, his wish was to go to the Emmys, so he's going to be my date, along with my husband, and my dad and his girlfriend. So we're going to have a really fun night and it's going to be really exciting. I'm really excited for him to experience that.
I adore the incredibly tight clothing! My own wardobe's changed - I've streamlined a little bit and definitely learnt from Joan's sleekiness and tailoring.
As for the herbal cigarettes, for the most part I don't smoke as much as the guys do. I'm usually just strutting around a bit more so I don't actually have to be inhaling it. I'm lucky because I do have scenes where the cigarettes work beautifully to punctuate certain things I'm saying.
Everyone assumes we're always going to have a cocktail and a cigarette in hand. Fans expect us all to be dressed up all the time. They always say to me, 'You look so young. You don't seem as tall!'
We have defined these characters - people always expect to see me in a pencil skirt. When they see me out of one - much like when they see Jon Hamm's hair when it isn't slick - they say, 'Wait a minute, you're all 2010!'
I think Joan's advice would be: always know more than anyone else, always be discreet as possible. And never cry at work.
I just keep praying for Joan to get her power back. To resolve her problems and rise to the top. To fight back!
I tend to take things personally. But I can only take so much, and then I jump back. I have strong survival skills.
I had been on several shows that were meant to be the big ones, that would go on forever, and they didn't.
I know plenty of people who don't have children. And I also get a lot of people who say, 'Thank you for speaking out; my family don't understand why I don't want kids.'
As women, we feel we can't ask for things. There's been a lot of research done recently and, more often than not, if a woman goes in to ask for a raise, she'll get it. But she's thinking, 'Do I deserve it? I've got to give a list of why I deserve it.' Whereas a man will just go in and ask for a raise. It's so scary.
I just thought I would work in a hair salon and do community theater.
Getting to wear beautiful fashion is the most fun part of the job that has nothing to do with the job.
Caftans are just the perfect solution to what to wear at home. I love Camilla Franks', but I also get great vintage ones on eBay.
