Nina Arianda

“I had a year at 3 when I wanted to be a conductor in the opera.”

“I've had a very supportive mother my entire life, so I've had strong women around me.”

“If I'm having a bad day in rehearsal, I'll sleep with my script.”

“When I was a kid, my daily routine was playing make-believe, and I kind of created these stories throughout the day. And when it came time to go to preschool, my English wasn't really so great because my mother wanted me to learn Ukrainian, so she signed me up for these children's theater groups.”

“Going to the theater or having the honor of performing in theater reminds you of your humanity in a very different way. It's a real release and an incredible challenge. But the stage is a dangerous place. You gotta be trained. Plus, crowds like when things go wrong. I think that's part of the thrill. Anything can happen.”

“I'm mildly obsessed with skin care. I do a lot of masks at home, like Elisha Coy's Korean Collagen masks. I also use an embarrassingly wide variety of facial creams.”

“I see something new in 'Gosford Park' every time I watch it.”

“When I was 3, I recited a poem at a festival in Passaic, New Jersey. The applause was tremendous, and it hit me that I could affect people positively by performing.”

“I never approach a character from a negative place.”