I seek out hard things. I tried to imitate other singers. It was a self-discovery for me to move from imitating others to me growing to sing in my own voice. The opera was difficult and it felt like a personal conquest.

I faced a certain amount of violence. It taught me that I had to learn to protect myself - and it made me stronger. It could have made me step backwards with my self-discovery. Instead, it pushed me further.

I wanted to be a woman, first. And then singer. And then actress. For me, to me it's not as important what you do so much as who you are.

Actors incorporate certain emotions from our own lives in order to create characters, and emotions come from experience.