Sarah Shahi

“Honestly, as an actor, all I need to know, the way I kind of look at a scene, is like a puzzle. There are certain puzzle pieces that are bigger than others, and all I need to know is if this is going to fit here to make this part of the puzzle work.”

“My role is to just tell the highest degree of truth with every character and every story. From there, I have no clue whatsoever how things are going to turn out.”

“It is therapeutic for me to act, to be able to slip into somebody else's skin, and know it's not you, but know that you bring a lot of yourself to it. At times in my life it's provided me with a lot of confusion. It's also provided me with a lot of discovery.”

“Cheerleading was my way in. It was one of the most rigorous audition processes ever. It definitely groomed me for Hollywood.”

“To be beautiful in Texas, you had to be blonde and blue-eyed and have a name like Ann.”

“Right when I finish a workout, I feel pretty sexy. Even though I'm sweaty and I don't smell like a rose, I feel strong. It does a lot for me mentally and physically.”

“My views on equality are pretty obvious. I mean, I did play a highly complex lesbian techno DJ on TV, but I know it's not always easy to come out and tell the world where you stand.”

“You know, I never really paid attention to sports, which, coming from the mecca of football in Texas, is kind of odd. I played sports, but I was nerdy. Having a single mother, the pressure was on me to get good grades and a scholarship and go to college.”

“As a parent, you experience the most of everything. The most love, the most fear, the most hurt and the most tired, the most of every emotion.”

“I'm used to a lot of love scenes. I'm used to something that requires me to kick up my heels and wink-wink, flirt-flirt with a twirl of my skirt.”

“My great-great-grandfather was a shah back in the 1800s. Unfortunately, I don't have any gold coins or jewels to show for it.”

“Once you're sort of pigeonholed into something, it's quite difficult to get out of it. I have no aversion to playing a gay character again, but it would definitely have to be the right role.”

“I did a lot of theater growing up, and in college I was in the musical 'Chicago.'”

“I've learned a lot with every character, everything from being a cop, to a lawyer to a tattoo artist. And underneath that stuff, I've been really able to find myself through the characters. It's served as a cheap form of emotional therapy.”

“You can get a man's attention if you got a pair of boobs and a butt. I hate to simplify them down so much, but I think it's true.”

“I know it sounds weird, but my definition of 'sexy' has changed as I've gotten older. And being smart and informed makes me feel sexier than any outfit.”

“To sit next to Walter Hill, and to be able to exchange ideas back and forth, and for him to be able to tell you that he likes what you're doing - I don't know. I kind of pinch myself.”

“I did karate for about three years. When I was going into Miss Texas, my mom said, 'Let's not do karate this year. Let's not have any knocked-out teeth on the stage.'”