I don't feel like a very nostalgic person. I think about the past much more clinically. When I look back and wonder, 'Why was I doing that? Was it a waste of time?' I don't beat myself up. Instead, I say, 'I'm so glad I did that, because now I really know what matters to me.'

I started auditioning, and the first job I ever got was understudying Amy Ryan in 'The Sisters Rosensweig' on Broadway, directed by Daniel Sullivan. I was 18 years old.

All of my friends went to college, and I got a job at Circle Pizza, where I worked for 24 hours. I had to call my mother four times to ask her how to spell Parmesan. I'm not kidding. I was a terrible speller.

American Horror Story' is my home. It's the place I feel the most comfortable.

I learned a valuable lesson doing 'Mr. Sunshine,' which is that I didn't want to be in charge because it's too much. Being in charge and acting in every scene was just too difficult. It's like eating dinner in a moving golf cart every night.

Tis always best to tell the truth. At every crisis, I recommend this as a chief contribution to security in life.

When making your choice in life, do not neglect to live.

I don't think things happen for a reason, but I think it's perfectly possible to experience life meaningfully.