“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.”

I’ve always shopped on the sale rack, and I’ve always been the girl flipping through the hangers trying to find the best deal.

I would love to do anything from a really gritty, interesting, indie type film, to that commercial, bigger stuff.

Be kind to yourself.

I can’t stand it when men are snarky.

Throwing on a black dress with black tights, cute booties, a great coat and throw a scarf over it. I think simple accessories and, if you want to make a pop, a great red lip.

My dad is Caucasian, and my mom is African American. I’m half black and half white. Being biracial paints a blurred line that is equal parts staggering and illuminating.

People don’t need to feel scared about a leather pant. Think of it as a jean alternative: it’s the same thing. It’s almost like they’re your yoga pants, but they look chic.

Curl the lashes, concealer under the eyes, blush, ChapStick, and highlight in the inner corner of the eye.

I did calligraphy for the invitations for, like, Robin Thicke and Paula Patton’s wedding.

I had always been the theater nerd at Northwestern University. I knew I wanted to do acting, but I hated the idea of being this cliche – a girl from L.A. who decides to be an actress.

Reflecting on where I came from helps me to appreciate and balance what I have now.

For work I get so dolled up that it’s nice to wear boyfriend jeans and a sweater.

I don’t tend to go totally bare, but on non-filming days, I will only wear tinted moisturiser, mascara, blusher, and a ChapStick for my lips.

I knew I’d end up in show business in some capacity, eventually.

Put on a sweater and really great sneakers with a big scarf, and you’ll look so stylish. For me, they are an everyday essential.

I’m a California girl, right? I grew up with that farm-to-table dining before it was sweeping the nation.

I didn’t think I had a voice at all, and I still think of myself as an interpreter of songs more than a singer. I thought it was too deep; people thought I was a man. I had a very strong Jamaican accent, too; the accent really messed me up for auditions.

The Falling’ was a big, flashy, bizarre experience. I kept on saying at the time it was a fluke because I did the audition, and I didn’t think anything would come of it.

I’ve done auditions where the casting director is taking the paper out of my hand in the middle of reading.

It’s weird, but I don’t feel like think I deserve any of the attention. There’s really nothing but one audition for a Disney Channel movie that separates me from 2,000 other brown-haired, blue-eyed guys in L.A., you know?

Amanda Bynes and I have become close since filming ‘Hairspray.’ It’s so weird because I grew up watching her.

Whether it’s going out and auditioning for the play or trying out for the basketball team, you have to explore your boundaries and see where you really want to go and the only way you can do that is to break out of your shell.

If you’d have asked me when I was auditioning for High School Musical if I ever thought I was going to play a Marine.

George Harrison: The day after the Blue Angel audition.