Unfortunately the real achievements of children on the ground became debased and devalued because Labor education secretaries sounded like Soviet commissars praising the tractor production figures when we know that those exams were not the rock-solid measures of achievement that children deserve.

In Mexico theater is very underground so if you're a theater actor it's very difficult to make a living. But it's also a very beautiful pathway to knowledge and to an open education.

Competitiveness is really what it costs you per man-hour to get you what you want. In other words there's an education level that plays into the mix and so if it's inexpensive to buy an hour of real good education in places like China versus the U.S. that factors in.

One of the factors a country's economy depends on is human capital. If you don't provide women with adequate access to healthcare education and employment you lose at least half of your potential. So gender equality and women's empowerment bring huge economic benefits.

My mother is a professor of early childhood education. When I was two she would say she knew I was going to be an actor.

Education is a state-controlled manufactory of echoes.

For every successful actor or actress there are countless numbers who don't make it. The name of the game is rejection. You go to an audition and you're told you're too tall or you're too Irish or your nose is not quite right. You're rejected for your education you're rejected for this or that and it's really tough.

Every actor dreams of getting a big break a big opportunity.

I'm a journeyman actor and I don't ever want to forget that. With romantic-lead dreams.

I think L.A.'s terrific. You fly an hour and a half and you're in the mountains in three feet of powder. I also think it's a much better city if you're working as an actor. If you're not working and you don't see your dreams coming true there can be a lot of heartache.

As far as my dreams go all I want to do is be a working actor and I happily achieved that.

Hollywood is the dream factory and no one dreams about older women.

Most of my actor friends don't believe it's possible to let go of it and be happy and for a while that was true for me. For the first two years I ached every day. And I had such bad dreams. But then I made the decision to start working on my little shop and all that went away.

It's not like I had big dreams to go to California and become an actor. I loved doing my shows at school and community theater and I probably would have settled in New York because it was closer. I was going to go to NYU.

Then I was working in a store in Newark New Jersey and I saw an actor in person and I got so excited. My whole day changed. That's when I decided to challenge myself to make my dreams become a reality.

My career was full of struggles and dreams disappointments and peaks and valleys. But there was no Twitter no Facebook or TMZ. Young actors could make mistakes and not become the focus of tabloids.

I was always a closet lover of acting. My mom was very practical. She never ever restricted our dreams always told us we could do or be anything. Then I said 'Maybe I want to be an actor'. And she said 'Maybe not that'.