Actress

At a certain point, I think, you harden yourself to the realities of the business.

Coming from 'V' into 'Homeland' was a really big change and the best gift as an actor you can get - which is to transform so drastically from one genre to the next, from lizard to human being!

'V' had just been cancelled; I was looking for a job, and the 'Homeland' script came across my desk. I loved it immediately, although I thought it would end up being discovered gradually - a slow-burner, like 'The Wire.'

My mom is an actress, but she never really pushed me into it, and it was never something I thought I would be doing. She was very happy I decided to, but she certainly doesn't offer me criticism because she knows I'd tell her to shut up! Nobody wants to hear that from their mum!

I'm not saying that people should believe in a specific thing or a specific way, but if everyone has the knowledge they need to have, then they can make their own decisions. That's the key thing: to have the information.

My first role was in a Nativity play. My mom was playing Mary, and I was crying backstage, so she brought me out as Baby Jesus.

There's really no way to plan how to play an alien.

The dream as an actor is being able to bounce back and forth between different things.

I can't complain. I'm making a living out of what I do, which is really rare for a lot of actors. The hard part is staying confident and staying with it.

My career has been very good to me, but really, the odds are really slim. It's a tough life, and you deal with a lot of rejection and unemployment, and if you're lucky to have a career, it's not easy. So you just want to protect your kids from the pain of rejection.

I would love to be a Bond girl. That is on my bucket list, definitely.

Sci-fi fans are a different breed. They are so loyal, it's unbelievable. They've seen every sci-fi thing I've done, and then they started watching 'Homeland' because I was in it.

I do think it is possible to be in love with two people at the same time.

I use Lina Hanson Global Face Serum every night. It's a blend of 100 per cent natural essential oils from all over the world, many of which are produced by women's cooperatives.

I'm not always up to date on everything that's going on, but I am somewhat informed. I listen to NPR. And I actually watch Fox News, because I believe, if you just listen to the things that agree with you, you're not really seeing anything else.

Going from one kid to two kids is insane.

I love 'Modern Family;' I don't exactly watch it when it's on, but I try to catch up on it when I can; it's one of my favorite shows.

I feel that my drive and ambition is more American, while the passionate, laid-back side of me is all Brazilian.

I've had some strange fan encounters, that's for sure.

It's rare that this woman gets to be in a superhero movie and not be the victim.