Being 'ethnically ambiguous', as I was pegged in the industry, meant I could audition for virtually any role. Morphing from Latina when I was dressed in red, to African American when in mustard yellow, my closet filled with fashionable frocks to make me look as racially varied as an Eighties Benetton poster.
I like it when a man puts thought into the kind of restaurant we're going to. That doesn't mean it needs to be fancy - some of the best meals of my life have been having a taco on a street corner.
I love Ralph Lauren. As I travel so much, I prefer to shop online.
Once you develop a comfort level with someone, that translates on camera.
I never thought I would become an actress. I always wanted to get into politics, and I moved to Argentina and worked for the U.S. embassy for a bit. It sort of happened upon me when I was home for the holiday - acting, that is - and I stuck with it.
By the time 'Suits' had come around, I had been acting for maybe six years. 'Deal or No Deal' - I like to call it my very lucrative waitressing job. Most actors find a way to make a living while they're auditioning, and for me, holding a briefcase was an incredibly lucrative means of being able to pursue what I really wanted to do.
I think my dad always saw how happy I was on set.
For dinner parties, I love making an easy cioppino using shrimp, mussels, clams, and a hearty fish that won't fall apart easily.
I'm the person friends come to when they want to find the perfect restaurant or boutique hotel on the outskirts of Paris. As opposed to scouring the Internet for a travel guide, wouldn't you rather ask the people who are really cool who go there? That's what I do.
I love getting into people's brains and understanding the creative impetus for something.
I grew up in L.A. in a school that was diverse, but it was not really integrated, so I didn't ever fully fit in with the black girls or the white girls or the Latina girls.
It's really important that young women be reminded that their involvement matters and that their voice is heard. Even if it feels like it's small, it really can make an impact.
I knew I'd end up in show business in some capacity, eventually.
It's all about balance, and I have so much happiness in my career and am fortunate to travel the world and see so many amazing things - it will also be nice to be anchored to something grounded and in the same place. Raising a family will be a wonderful part of that.
My life has changed because my access has changed, and so has the level of privacy in my life, but these are champagne problems, because I wouldn't rather be back auditioning. And change can be really good - as long as your character is intact.
I'm consistently asked how I keep a foot in two contrasting worlds - one in the entertainment industry, predicated on wealth and indulgence, and the other in humanitarian work. To me, it's less of a question of how can you do this, and more a question of how can you not?
Make a choice: continue living your life feeling muddled in this abyss of self-misunderstanding, or you find your identity independent of it. You push for colour-blind casting; you draw your own box. You introduce yourself as who you are, not what colour your parents happen to be.
My parents always told me if I believed something was wrong, I should try to fix it.
When I was 13 years old, my mom had me start getting facials in my hometown of Los Angeles.
There is nothing like a hair flip!
