You're never safe in 'Jane the Virgin;' that's what I'll say. You're never safe on a telenovela, that's for darn sure, and you're never safe on 'Jane the Virgin.'
When I can see things through the lens of the director, it's like being able to see the whole puzzle - it's not just about my role, but the whole script.
Wayfarer is built on the idea that we can actually make a huge difference by creating entertainment and television and digital and branded content with a message. It doesn't always have to be really, really inspiring or really earnest. We call it chocolate-covered broccoli.
Sam was helping animals long before he was Sam Simon. He lived what he believed; his thing was making the world better and having rights for animals, and every area of his life reflected that.
I've always been so curious about death. With my personal beliefs as a Baha'i, we believe that birth and death are very similar and that we're here on this Earth to develop all of the things we can't see.
I never realized it until I watched an interview, but sometimes my brain stutters between thoughts, and for some reason it comes out as an 'ummmm.' I'm hoping it's because I'm so smart, and there's just too much information to process, but it's more than likely just because it's a small processor.
I know if I react, and I want to get mad, and emotions come to the surface, I think quickly of my friends who have died and how they overcame their struggle and used their cancer and their lives for the betterment of mankind, and it sets me back in place.
I left acting for a couple of years to found my company, Wayfarer, and the first project I did was this documentary series I created called 'My Last Days' to remind us that our time is limited and to inspire us to do more and to be the best selves that we can be.
I'm still ambiguously ethnic. I could be Persian - I could be anything. But I'm Italian and Jewish, so I'm a citizen of the world; that's what I prefer.
We started Wayfarer Entertainment to create content that we felt could actually inspire people to be the best version of themselves. We take life for granted so often, and we don't realize that tomorrow isn't guaranteed.
One of the things I noticed is that people really change when they realize their expiration date is coming, and they know what it is. Most of us don't: we just hope we can live as long as we can and do as much good as we can.
