When I moved to Los Angeles, I was straight out of grad school, and I didn't have a single credit to my name. I knew one person in town - another actor whose name is John Billingsley. I just had to audition and audition and audition. I was plugging away for 15 years. So I earned my stripes!
When I'm grateful for all the blessings, it puts away all the stress about things not in my control. Things like long hours, aging, pollution, scandals... it helps me create perspective by just focusing on being grateful. Take that moment twice a day with yourself.
I would rather be working than be on vacation. Always.
I get homesick for snow and for winter and for seasons and, really, for weather patterns. But L.A. has some of the best weather, so who can complain when it's 80 degrees and sunny?
My dad was a crab fisherman.
The biggest scandal I was ever involved in was - in high school, at a basketball game, I shot and scored for the other team.
From a personal standpoint, playing someone judged negatively by her friends is not difficult.
If I have a preference, I'd rather have a home-cooked meal than go out to the fanciest place.
I am an avid NBA fan.
I'm really attracted to playing strong, outspoken, sassy women. And I love playing characters who have a little bit of conflict or who can be controversial.
I'm a very private person, so I didn't like this idea of tweeting about me. And then I realized, 'Oh, this is actually a brilliant device in terms of interacting with the fans.'
Over at the Olivia Pope & Associates set, we're like middle school children. Every time there's a cut in the action, we joke and dance around; there's show tunes and fart noises.
I was born in Kodiak, and I was raised in a place called Dutch Harbor out on the Aleutian Islands. There's a show called the 'Deadliest Catch' on the Discovery Channel. And they film it on Dutch Harbor where I grew up.
I'm a very private person, so I didn't like this idea of tweeting about me. And then I realized, 'Oh, this is actually a brilliant device in terms of interacting with the fans'. It's a lovely way to just get back, to thank the fans for watching the show. And to live tweet is kind of like getting the rewards of doing live theatre.
I like to be very consistent with workouts and getting a good amount of sleep. I've really been enjoying Pilates lately. It's actually really tough to fit in my schedule, but if I can get in a workout three times a week while we're shooting, that feels right. Any more seems to deplete my energy.
When I get ready for a high-profile event, it's really about sleep and making sure I'm eating something healthy, and then it's always important to stretch to stay limber. No matter what, you want to feel as loose as possible, because it's easy to get full of excitement or tension with all that's going on.
As a kid, we had one television channel and a sad little roller rink. And there was not much else to do. So I used my imagination all of the time growing up. That's the main way I played. When we moved and I went to high school, I did my first play, and I was completely addicted to theatre. It felt like home; it felt natural.
I'm like one of the tallest ones on 'Scandal.' If I'm wearing my four-inch Abby Whelan high heels, I hover over everybody. I literally have a lower pair of high heels that I wear when I do one of the scenes with the guys.
My favorite cast member of 'Scandal' is Josh Malina.
When I met Oprah, the first thing I thought was, 'She is the most amazing hugger ever.'
