I was my parent's first child, Joanna Catherine Going, named for my great-great grandmother Catherine, and my father's maternal aunt Johanna Burke, and bearing the initials of my father's father, John Christopher, who passed away just months before I was born.
I was born in Washington, D.C., where my father was working for the Federal Trade Commission, and my mom was editor for the National Council of Catholic Women, but my parents were simply awaiting my birth before moving back to their roots in Rhode Island to raise their family.
My first flight was in my early 20s, from New York City to Los Angeles, to shoot a Cherry 7-UP commercial.
Soap operas were my first professional experiences, and I always knew I was eager to explore a lot more work in a lot more arenas.
I had a wonderful time making 'Dark Shadows.'
My favorite scene that we shot in Season 1 of 'Kingdom' was the 'dance party' the boys and I had after we had gone thrift shopping, and then a lovely family dinner together.
When I was 18, I took it for granted and was eager to move on to the bigger cities like Boston and then New York. But I've been to enough places to have gained a greater appreciation for the beauty and rich culture of all of Rhode Island. I am grateful for all that it offered during my childhood.
I've struggled with depression in my life and sort of the way that the depression itself becomes an addiction.
I love hotels. I generally prefer smaller boutique hotels to large chains, especially when attention and wit has been given to interesting design elements and beautiful bathrooms.
I'm always looking for what there is to see that's weird and wonderful and off the beaten path.
When I attended Emerson College in Boston, it was confined to the Back Bay, but now it has taken over a lot of Boston, which is great.
I grew up in Newport, so I went to Boston growing up. The city holds a lot of special memories of my childhood, like the Swan Boats and Make Way for Ducklings.
When I went to school at Emerson, I was completely charmed living there and loved the architecture of the Back Bay.
'House of Cards' was amazing to work on. I couldn't believe I landed there.
I am of Irish, Italian, and French Canadian descent.
My mom's father came from a family of 11 children who came over from the island of Ischia, Italy, and settled in Providence, RI. Her mother was part of the large community of French-speaking Canadians who settled in Woonsocket, RI.
I was on 'Search for Tomorrow' for about nine months, then 'Another World' for two years.
As bad as it feels, it's familiar to you. And the depression itself is making you unable to reach out. So, I've definitely experienced that in my life.
I have had struggles with some eating disorders, just eating issues.
For me, yoga is like a moving meditation, and I do believe in a mind-body connection.
