Growing up, I didn't know about the Japanese internment camps until I saw a movie of the week as an adult. I remember going, 'How come that wasn't covered in history class?' Moving to California, you run into people whose grandparents lost everything and their businesses and were put in these internment camps.

Adina Porter

Categorized in : You People History Remember

I'm not a - I'm beautiful, but I'm not working because I'm drop-dead gorgeous with a fantastic body. I think I continue to work because I'm good at my craft. I'm dedicated to bringing to life what the author is trying to portray. I try to make the producers cry and the crew laugh.

Adina Porter

beautiful laughing thinking

I don't strive for balance. I just try to get through my to-do list, with my kids' homework being at the top of it, and then try to prepare for the next audition or whatever scene I'm shooting next. Balance.

Adina Porter

balance trying kids

I read. It affects every decision that I make. Every dollar that I spend, every dollar that I make.

Adina Porter

dollars decision

Yelling and screaming won't really get what I want from my kids.

Adina Porter

yelling want kids

I'm newly widowed, so I've gone from having a life partner, and having another brain to make decisions with, to doing it all on my own and questioning what I'm doing. I have to be a calmer person, because my anger can look pretty terrifying to a young person.

Adina Porter

decision brain looks

I'm dedicated to bringing to life what the author is trying to portray. I try to make the producers cry and the crew laugh.

Adina Porter

cry trying laughing

I guess I'm a pretty curious person. I like doing new things. I like being challenged. I'm competitive. Trying to beat my personal best.

Adina Porter

curious beats trying

A new thing I've been doing is just making sure I clear off my desk and try to only touch a piece of paper once, so I get the mail, open it up, deal with it then. My son's homework, or what I get from his teachers, the same way. That way, it's not nagging me, things to add to my to-do list.

Adina Porter

trying teacher son

I come from a theater background, so I always like to dissect the scene and try to get some hint about what the author was trying to get at. I still look up the meaning of the name of the character to see if there are any clues in that.

Adina Porter

names trying character

I work out. I used to go to yoga every day. Now I just incorporate yoga into my warm-up and my cool down. I drink a lot of water, and I go to therapy.

Adina Porter

work-out yoga water

Less is more. You should wear earrings or bracelets, but not both.

Adina Porter

wear more you earrings

On slower days, when I was only needed for coverage or reaction shots, the set of 'The Newsroom' was better than therapy. Chris Chalk and I would debate life's dilemmas... until Sam Waterston would chime in and set us both straight.

Adina Porter

reaction better debate life

One-liners that must land perfectly in just the right nanosecond can be terrifying.

Adina Porter

right must just land

Acting in a scene is easy.

Adina Porter

scene acting easy

Monologues are fun.

Adina Porter

monologues fun

I'm very happy to be a working actor.

Adina Porter

actor working very happy

I'm a mom... and I'm learning this being a parent, sometimes your child can be such a reflection of who you are. And I have to figure out when it is my ego that dictates how I parent and when it is what I think is best for my child.

Adina Porter

best you learning reflection

I'm not one of those actresses that asks what's going to happen. I've never been. I just take the scripts, and I see what's given to me, and I go with it that way.

Adina Porter

never go me way

I think that when I'm an actor, I get hired, and you say jump three inches, I'll jump three inches. I just kind of trust what the writer's vision is.

Adina Porter

think you trust vision

I've worked in this business long enough that I know people who complain, like, 'My character does this, and my character does that,' and I think it's just ego talking.

Adina Porter

business character long people