Jordana Spiro

“I used to play chess when I was a kid and participate in national-level tournaments with the geekiest guys. This one time, I was losing terribly, so I batted my eyelashes and flirted as I asked for a draw. My dad just couldn't believe it. He thought, 'What have I created, a floozy?' But it worked!”

“It's just a given that women are working and are ambitious and have things they want to accomplish, and that stymies the amount of time they have to look around for a perfect guy.”

“For me, it's nice to have a character who can never find love and have that be the running theme, but I think when you open the door to a story line about relationships, you open the door to another realm of comedy.”

“I don't think you always get to see a woman on TV who is relatively neurosis-free and, while looking for a relationship, isn't man hunting and isn't cloying and isn't a fashionista.”

“I think there's really no rhyme or reason as to what keeps a show on air. Surely it's a numbers game, but some of the best shows get canceled, and some shows where you don't totally understand why they're on the air stay on for 15 or 20 years.”

“I'm one of five; I have three sisters, so I've always had three best girlfriends. Actually, I'm the middle child, so it's no surprise I went into acting! There's a need to be seen.”

“I'm in awe of the AIDS workers in Africa who teach there, year in and year out.”

“I'm passionate about travel.”

“Women now have to put so much attention into their careers, and not many families can pull off a single income.”

“The 12-hour workday is not uncommon to anyone anymore.”