TRICIA HELFER

I lump Canada and the States together. I like good old North American boys.

'Burn Notice' is a show that definitely has some levity to it and it's a fun show, but it's also, you fully believe, you're fully invested that Michael Westen does this stuff. You want Michael Westen on your team.

Chemistry is a hard thing. I don't think you can force it, and it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to have great chemistry outside of work. It's just something that sparks on screen or doesn't.

I think I sort of blossomed, so to speak, around 17. I started to get hips and put on weight, which I was very happy about. And that's when I met this agent, who told me I had to lose 10 pounds. I said, 'You've got to be kidding me. I finally got it on - I'm not losing it!'

I find that the hot yoga is sort of a false thing, so your body temperature goes up and you can stretch and you can injure yourself a little bit easier than if you work yourself into... if you heat yourself up.

I've always had a desire to play a cop or FBI agent.

Sitcom hours are silly easy compared to drama. Whenever an actor on a sitcom complains, I feel like smacking them!

I just want to be challenged. I want to be proud of what I do, and I want to learn new things and keep growing.

I've never gone for the smooth, suave Latin or French lover. That usually makes me think they're trying to pull one over on me.

It's not hard to draw from within yourself to play someone protective of her daughter. I have animals and I'm a daughter, sister, wife, aunt and friend, and I can be fiercely protective.

As an actor, if I just did sci-fi, I think it would get limiting, like if you just play lawyers or doctors, over and over. It's a lot more fun, if you get to play lots of different types of characters.

Sometimes, if you don't have kids yourself, it's assumed you won't understand or know how to play a mom, which is kind of silly if you think about it.

I've been living, I've lived in New York since I was 18 years old and traveled pretty much all over the world.

I definitely have to admit that I am fairly ignorant, not just to 'Tron,' but almost any pop culture thing that I should know, at my age. I grew up without a television and rarely got to see a movie, so I didn't really see any of that stuff, and I haven't been able to catch up since.

I'm happy that I have agents and managers that believe in me.

I've started getting into quite a bit of voice work, definitely from 'Battlestar.'

Ten episodes goes by really quickly, especially when you've got a really tough shooting schedule of seven-day episodes.

My husband says I like animals more than I like people. I take that as the compliment he means it as.

When I was in high school I thought I was going to university into psychology.

I'm not very good at resting on my laurels. I am a bit of a workaholic, and I like to keep busy and active, so I think that's what drives me.

The most important thing, when playing characters with chemistry, is being able to work off the other actor and be supported.

We only have this one planet; we got to figure out how to live on it without destroying it.

Most of the time, with voice-overs, you're recording before they've got the graphics, and you also don't get a whole script. I get my lines, as I show up that day. You don't know what the rest of the story is, so you really rely on the people in the room that you're working with, so they can fill you in on what's going on, right around your particular lines.

I eat vegetarian. I am just drawn to clean eating, and although I do not deprive myself of sweets or French fries once in a while, my body just feels better if I give it good fuel to work with.

I think what I find challenging is just trying to bring a truthfulness and a realism to a character.