Growing up, I was discouraged from telling personal stories. My dad often used the phrase 'Don't tell anyone.' But not about creepy things. I don't want to lead you down the wrong path. It would be about insignificant things. Like, I wouldn't make the soccer team, and my father would say, 'Don't tell anyone.'

When I was growing up, I didn't know who Jewish people were, what it was to be Jewish.

I actually wasn't really the class clown growing up. The class clown was always the mean guy who walked up and was like, 'You're fat. You're gay. I'm outta here!' I was always more kind of awkward and introspective.

Sometimes I take this women's exercise class called Core Fusion at a place called Exhale. I shouldn't say it's a women's class. There's maybe two men.

You can't always go by the book, even in comedy.

Oh, well, my first love is comedy or singing and dancing.

I wanted a half-hour, single-camera comedy with a great lead where I could be No. 2 or 3 on the call sheet, and it was going to get on the air. Those were my criteria, and they sent me 'Cougar Town.' I read it and loved it.

I think 'Star Trek' has a really beautiful legacy of humor, along with the more philosophical and action parts of 'Star Trek.' And so I felt pretty honored to get to keep that legacy going.