“I think so much of what we learn when we get older is being comfortable in our own skin and learning what looks good, and not being so trend-centric.”

I’m really big on day dates. If you go for a stroll, have a picnic or lunch with a glass of wine – it doesn’t get better than that.

Catty is not cool. I can’t think of anything less becoming than a man who talks about people behind their backs.

I was not a girl who grew up buying $100 candles. I was the girl who ran out of gas on her way to an audition.

If you have an Ina Garten-level roasted-chicken recipe, it’s a game changer. I bring that to dinner parties and make a lot of friends.

I love connecting with the fan base and sharing my experiences.

It was the late ’70s when my parents met. My dad was a lighting director for a soap opera, and my mom was a temp at the studio. They moved into a house in The Valley in L.A., to a neighborhood that was leafy and affordable.

Food makes travel so exceptional, because you get to taste what it’s actually supposed to taste like. To eat the real Pad Thai or finally have a proper curry is something pretty amazing.

While my life shifts from refugee camps to red carpets, I choose them both because these worlds can, in fact, coexist. And for me, they must.

I’m an actress, a writer, the editor-in-chief of my lifestyle brand ‘The Tig’, a pretty good cook, and a firm believer in handwritten notes.

Who you are as a person will only be amplified once you are ‘famous,’ so if you had a good heart, then I would imagine you’ll have the same good heart but the means to do even more with it.

I do think there’s some value to really throwing yourself into food and embracing where it comes from.

To describe something as being black and white means it is clearly defined. Yet when your ethnicity is black and white, the dichotomy is not that clear. In fact, it creates a grey area.

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.

On a normal day, I love a shift dress with flats and a little cropped jacket. That, for me, is my travel wear if it’s not too chilly – you can throw a scarf over your legs if it’s cold on the plane!

Be able to delegate, because there are some things that you just can’t do by yourself.

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.

I am a big foodie, so much so that I eat in every half an hour. This is the secret of my glowing skin.

While I believe that when you are in the glamour industry, you have to look your best, I also believe being skinny is not ‘hot and happening.’

I think it’s so cool to be tall. Even when I’m not wearing heels people tell me I’m tall and I always take it as a complement. The good thing is I can always see everybody in the room.

Don’t be negative. It shows on your face.

I eat only simple Indian home food – sabzi, roti, dal, chawal, ghee. There are so many benefits of having ghee. My grandmother is 84 and she is still fit and looks beautiful.

Say Good, listen good, look good.

We are all somewhere or the other a little grey, not black and white. We have our imperfections.

We really shouldn’t look like a church.’ I’ve heard that so much I want to vomit. ‘Why?’ I ask. ‘Do you want your bank to look like a bank? Do you want your doctor’s office to look like a doctor’s office, or would you prefer your doctor to dress like a clown?’