Monica Raymund

“Don't be afraid to fail. For the love of God, don't be afraid to fail, because you're going to fail. So try to fail as hard as you can is what I would say, because you're always going to get up and you're going to learn something from it.”

“Actors are no strangers to self-doubt, fear, and rejection.”

“There is nothing more noble than putting yourself in the line of fire to save a life.”

“Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender teens are bullied and ostracized in epidemic proportions. It's disgusting, and it must change.”

“Doing well in school was a cool thing to do when I was in high school, so I had a blast.”

“One thing my parents always taught me was to maximize my options.”

“Race, to me, is a very blurry thing.”

“Obviously I would love to work with all these great directors like the Coen Brothers, Tarantino. Robert Rodriguez is a dream director of mine.”

“Sometimes, growing up, I tried to be very Latina; I would change my voice... experiment with my hair a lot, trying to figure out who I was in a primarily white school.”

“I am Dominican American. My father was born and raised in the U.S. and his heritage is German and Eastern European, and my mother hails from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.”

“I have a lot of things I want to do. I have a lot of fire. I want to do film. I want to do action movies. I want to do period pieces.”

“Lying is not only a defense mechanism; it's also a coping mechanism and a survival technique.”

“Unfortunately, as much as I am gullible, I also hate lying. I tend to tell the truth a lot... lying just isn't worth it. But I think I'm guilty of telling people that I'm 5 minutes away when really I'm about 45 or an hour away.”

“I was always involved in the arts from a young age. I started studying classical piano at age four as a student of the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music.”

“Performing is my passion. Being onstage is at once exhilarating, beguiling, and fulfilling. But it's hard.”

“If you tell me that the sky is red, I will look up.”

“If I'm not working, I'm either sleeping or preparing for the next day of work.”

“I read that a lot of people think I'm gay. I don't care. My boyfriend and I are not really phased by what people say.”

“I know it sounds silly, but it takes some time getting used to all the cameras in your face. I think it's like playing jazz. After I learn the rules, I can have fun and play a little bit.”

“The love, support, and respect the members of the theater community have for one another is unparalleled. Say what you want about us wacky drama-types, but one thing that makes our business special is our loyalty, our fierce commitment to one another, and our mutual respect.”