My first real break was meeting my manager, Julie Gibson. She's the one that introduced me to Ford and Innovative and got me started.

When I first started, I would go to Weist-Barron, and I studied with Rita Litton and ACTeen. For teenagers, it's a really, really great school. We did a lot of on-camera stuff, so you see yourself and what you do on camera.

My dad didn't want me to go for drama in school, so I chose the closest thing to it and got a bachelors degree in Communications at the Manhattan College.

'One Tree Hill' really had an impact on my life. It was the first time I left my house and my family in New York and went to a small town in North Carolina. It was the most incredible experience for me.

I've been taking martial arts for a long time. I started with tae kwon do, and then I started taking karate and mixed martial arts.

As I got older, I would study privately with some coaches. Then I found Lee Strasberg, which I loved.