Where I come from, out in the suburbs, I didn't know anyone who was a professional actor. And girls that looked like me? No girls like that were on TV.

I was planning to go into law or politics. I was well known for my public speaking. I went to an all-girl boarding school with uniforms. It was very posh for someone like me who came from a world where my parents showed beagles and sold dog products out of a yellow caravan.

I had a great career in Australia, so it was a hard decision to move to America. But in 2010, I was asked to audition for the part Melissa McCarthy ended up playing in 'Bridesmaids.'

I studied law at university and was sort of grooming myself to go into that kind of career. I filmed 'The Wedge' while studying, which was very difficult, but I'm proud I completed my degree.

Mom was always doing something for somebody. She came from a Czech background, one that made her a devout Catholic and gave her a strong belief in the family.

With 'The Humans,' I've found that because it's related to very familiar forms - the family play and the thriller, almost a genre-collison play - some people want it to be one or the other. Either less dark and more of a family comedy or a full-fledged thriller with blood and ghosts jumping out of closets. Everyone's taste is different.

What does it feel like to be a parent? What does it feel like to be a child? And that's what stories do. They bring you there. They offer a dramatic explanation, which is always different from an expository explanation.

I come from a pretty positive family and positive environment, and in that sense, I'm very fortunate and grateful; that has kept me grounded.