I was a dancer, growing up, and I definitely thought that was going to be my profession.

Growing up in North Carolina, my mom was always just sort of my mom to me. I never really recognized her as a famous actress. I'm always thrilled when she's cleaning out her closet. Last time, I got a pair of boots that she bought in Paris 20 years ago. I have completely worn them out.

I think gender parity is a crucial part of any healthy society. It's applicable to the entire world.

The goal is to not be patted on the back for hiring a woman, because it shouldn't be an exceptional thing. It should just be commonplace that women should have equal opportunities as men.

Before running for Congress, I was an innovator and entrepreneur who founded several high-tech businesses that created hundreds of jobs and schools that found ways to serve those children that traditional schools couldn't.

Now, if I speak to people who want to act, I say, 'Don't give yourself a back-up.' If I had gone to university, I wouldn't be doing this job now. Having that pressure and no other option just made me work that much harder for it, because you have no other choice.

It is possible to have a pretty good life and career being a leech and a parasite in the media world, gadding about from TV studio to TV studio, writing inconsequential pieces and having a good time. But in the end you have a great sense of personal dissatisfaction.

I want to do a show about a woman who's juggling a career with a relationship.