JESSALYN GILSIG

When you're not playing the hero of the story, then you have to know that you're always a foil for the good guy. I love playing that. I think that's always an interesting place to be.

I remember before I did 'Boston Public,' I couldn't get seen for drama. Once I'd done 'Boston Public,' I couldn't get seen for a comedy.

I think Forever 21 is a great way to get in on the trends without spending a lot of money.

I think that everybody's worked on shows where you feel like maybe a divide has happened between the talent and the crew. Those are the hardest jobs to do your best in, because as you're performing, you're aware that the people around you, because they haven't been afforded the respect that they deserve, they're not as invested.

Since I've become a mom, I'm more about comfort and simplicity. I'm essentially a jeans girl, and I dress them up or down with accessories.

I love painting. I went to college in fine arts, and I still do it all the time.

Everybody feels good in their skin for about a minute a day, and the rest of the day, you're just trying to navigate your way through the sea of terror.

My best beauty secret is simple: Have the right palette and the right colors and remember, you need so much less makeup than you think.

I sketch while I'm on set, and it's a way for me to record all of the locations I've been to. I don't keep a diary but a sketchbook.

It's much more fun to be the person who comes into the room and lights the match. I get to be the force, the girl who always says or does something completely outrageous, and leaves everyone thinking, 'What was that?'

I love painting. I went to college in fine arts, and I still do it all the time.

I sketch while I'm on set, and it's a way for me to record all of the locations I've been to. I don't keep a diary but a sketchbook.

I think Forever 21 is a great way to get in on the trends without spending a lot of money.

For me, it's ultimately about a great pair of shoes.

I think that everybody's worked on shows where you feel like maybe a divide has happened between the talent and the crew. Those are the hardest jobs to do your best in, because as you're performing, you're aware that the people around you, because they haven't been afforded the respect that they deserve, they're not as invested.

I remember before I did 'Boston Public,' I couldn't get seen for drama. Once I'd done 'Boston Public,' I couldn't get seen for a comedy.

Everybody feels good in their skin for about a minute a day, and the rest of the day, you're just trying to navigate your way through the sea of terror.

Motherhood has taught me the meaning of living in the moment and being at peace. Children don't think about yesterday, and they don't think about tomorrow. They just exist in the moment.

It's much more fun to be the person who comes into the room and lights the match. I get to be the force, the girl who always says or does something completely outrageous, and leaves everyone thinking, 'What was that?'

For myself, anyway, I think that recurring has been such a gift, because I've been able to work on a lot of shows that I've really had a lot of respect for before I went in, shows like 'Friday Night Lights' and 'Nip/Tuck,' for example.

When you're not playing the hero of the story, then you have to know that you're always a foil for the good guy. I love playing that. I think that's always an interesting place to be.

Since I've become a mom, I'm more about comfort and simplicity. I'm essentially a jeans girl, and I dress them up or down with accessories.

I'm essentially a jeans girl, and I dress them up or down with accessories. For me, it's ultimately about a great pair of shoes.

In reality, anybody who's a woman knows that you've got your good days and bad days, just like anybody else. I've been lucky with a lot of shows that I've worked on, where they are comfortable with the idea that women are not just one thing, and we can be contradiction.

It takes someone pretty persistent to stick it out with me.

My best beauty secret is simple: Have the right palette and the right colors and remember, you need so much less makeup than you think.

It's always exciting when you work on a show that's written by one person because you know that their vision is so specific. I need to find out why this person has chosen these words to communicate this thought.