Brunette Ambition (3 page)

Jagged Little Pill:
When I was first cast on Broadway, my mother took me to the Virgin Megastore to get me a gift for landing the role. I bought
Jagged Little Pill
, which changed my life: Alanis Morissette’s voice felt and sounded like a different world—a world I had never heard before. It just resonated with my soul.

Spring Awakening:
I know it’s silly to say that a thing I happened to be involved with is one of my favorite things, but
Spring Awakening
was a huge part of my life from the ages of fourteen to twenty-two (more on this in the next chapter). I grew up with
Spring Awakening
and will always feel incredibly connected to the music. To this day, whenever I need some emotional therapy, I put on my headphones and listen to “And Then There Were None,” “Blue Wind,” and “Don’t Do Sadness.”

Les Miserables:
Even if I hadn’t been in
Les Mis
, I’d still think it’s such an incredible musical.

The Light in the Piazza:
I was desperate to be in this Broadway show, but I was deemed too ethnic to play the role of Clara. When I went to see it, I remember sitting in the audience and feeling like it was such an impressive example of why I do what I do.

Once:
The music in
Once
is so incredible. When I was in Amsterdam in 2012, I walked around and listened to the soundtrack on repeat. The show (which was first a movie) is really the perfect package and is yet another example of the sort of piece that makes me proud to be an actor.

With Kate at the Glee season 4 premiere. Had the best time working with her on the show and feel so honored to now call this incredibly talented and strong woman a friend.

FAVORITE COMFORT FOOD

Italian Comfort Soup

This is a frill-free soup that’s both healthy and comforting. It requires minimal work, too!

3 tablespoons olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pot)

2 or 3 carrots, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced

½ onion, chopped

4 cups organic vegetable broth

1 or 2 pinches of salt

1 or 2 pinches of pepper

Pinch of red pepper flakes (or to taste)

Juice of 3 lemons

3 or 4 unpeeled russet potatoes, cubed

1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and chopped

2 15-ounce cans lentils

Parmesan cheese, for serving

1.
Cover the bottom of a pan with the olive oil and turn the heat to medium.

2.
Add the carrots, celery, garlic, onion, and a pinch of salt and pepper and sauté until the vegetables are soft and tender, 5 to 8 minutes.

3.
In a separate pot, bring the vegetable broth to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.

4.
Add the sautéed vegetables to the broth and cook on low for 30 minutes.

5.
Add a bit more salt and pepper, the red pepper flakes, and lemon juice to taste.

6.
Add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes.

7.
Stir in the kale and lentils and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

8.
Grate some Parmesan cheese (or vegan cheese) on top and serve!

A WELL-ROUNDED LIFE

I spent a lot of time in the car when I was kid, ferrying between school and home, New Jersey and Broadway. It was exciting and wonderful but had its downsides, too, as I wasn’t really able to forge deep relationships with friends. Everyone at school was nice and made room for me in their social groups when I was around, but after school, when it was prime socialization time, I was off to work. And in my community, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs were the end-all be-all—I made it to only a few of them. It was before those big nights that the girls got together and figured out what they were going to wear and how they were going to do their hair (which, funnily enough, usually involved flat-ironing all their gorgeous Jewish curls away), and it was at those parties that everyone let loose, that boys danced with girls, that memories were made. During the candle-lighting component of the event, the Bar Mitzvah boy, or Bat Mitzvah girl, would dedicate their candles to their closest friends. That could never be me: I wasn’t on their sports teams, I wasn’t hanging out at the mall with them after school, I wasn’t cramming with them for math tests and English exams.

So my freshman year of high school, I decided to take a break from the stage and give myself a normal high school life. I just wanted to be on the volleyball team, and have a boyfriend, and hang out with my friends and family at night. I joined the debate team and became a champion varsity debater, which still ranks as one of my most favorite things I’ve ever done. (In fact, it was so inspiring I seriously considered law school.) I tried debate for fun at first but teamed up with my friend Samantha, who was incredibly smart. Now, I was good at debate, but I wasn’t very smart—and so my opponents would try to call me out by asking me to define words. Like
filibuster
. I was once asked to define
filibuster
. I had no clue what it meant, but I managed to debate my way out of it by accusing my opponent of using a spelling contest as a distraction from the fact that their case was false. I was the mouth on that team, while Samantha was the brains (she went on to be valedictorian). We won 90 percent of our debates, and not just because we dressed up to match and were cuter than our predominately male compatriots. We were just that good. I look back at my time on the debate team as one of my best memories of high school and the place where I picked up some skills that I still rely on today. I know that I can always argue myself out of sticky situations—and I’m never intimidated to go head-to-head with people, even if they’re more educated than I am. It’s been a great resource to have in my back pocket. When my agent called senior year to tell me that they were reprising
Fiddler on the Roof
and that while I wasn’t fully Jewish, I was the most Jewish-looking girl in the business, I went back to Broadway. It broke my heart to abandon Samantha. I was devastated when Ben Shapiro replaced me as her partner. But ultimately, those three years of a normal high school life were all I needed to develop other interests.

I’m a huge fan of having a well-rounded life: During my formative years, it was important to me that I learn to excel at things outside of singing and acting. Not only did this give me a break from the business, but it reaffirmed that my heart belonged to the stage. And you should try other things without necessarily trying them out as your job; just because you love something doesn’t mean it has to consume your days. It can just add richness and texture to your life. I spend most of my extracurricular time these days cooking, hiking, and catching up with my friends and family. Giving myself room to enjoy other things means that my passion for acting and singing never dulls.

GIVING MYSELF ROOM TO ENJOY OTHER THINGS MEANS THAT MY PASSION FOR ACTING AND SINGING NEVER DULLS.

In high school, when I looked back at my early days on Broadway, I discovered that the kids who were singularly focused on acting weren’t in the business anymore. But the kids whose parents kept it light and fun and encouraged them to try other things are still working in theater today. No matter what those outside interests may be, they’ll only enrich your life and make you better at your day job. For me, they make me a better actor, as they give me more to draw upon and a wider frame of reference. Whether you want to get into show business or regular business, don’t forget about the other things you enjoy doing, too. They won’t take you away from your career—they’ll just enrich your entire being. Nobody should be entirely defined by one thing.

MY IDEA OF A PERFECT SUNDAY

1. Make breakfast.

2. Go for a little hike in Runyon Canyon.

3. Go to the farmer’s market.

4. Come home and watch The Food Network, specifically Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Chopped, with Sheila, the cat I found behind a dumpster on the Paramount lot.

5. Cook a nice dinner.

6. Watch a movie.

HOW I STAY GROUNDED AND KEEP PERSPECTIVE

FAMILY

We all know that show business is very difficult, but based on what I’ve observed my friends go through, it seems that all business is pretty tough these days. There’s always been pressure from traditional media to have a certain type of life and a certain amount of success, but with reality TV and social media joining the fray, there’s just too much noise these days telling us what we should be doing and how we should be doing it. Or at least social media is telling us what everyone else is doing and how they’re doing it. It can feel very overwhelming and confusing, particularly if your peers seem to be making bigger strides than you. It’s very important to tune out the noise.

My mother and father were always the ones who reminded me that I should just be me. While other girls were partying it up and ending up facedown at the end of the night, I just wanted to get home. I refused to do what everyone else was doing just to be part of the crowd, particularly because when I was honest with myself, it didn’t appeal to me at all. I thank my parents and extended family for giving me the strength to keep my head on straight and to stay focused on the things that are important to me. They’ve always been the support system that’s allowed me to keep my eye on the prize. When my life starts to feel like it’s spinning a bit out of control, or whenever I feel run-down, or exhausted, or like I can’t possibly do it all, I always turn to them first. They always treat me like Lea Sarfati. In this business, it’s very easy to forget who you are and where you come from, but they’re a constant reminder that ultimately nothing has changed. Part of surviving Hollywood—and life, really—is to keep your world relatively intimate and packed with people who will always have your best interests in mind. My family is at the very center of the circle.

TAKING CARE OF MYSELF

My day job is physically and mentally pretty taxing: Besides the basics of being an actress (i.e., showing up on set with lines memorized), dancing and singing can really take their toll. I wouldn’t be able to do any of it if I didn’t put a premium on taking care of my body. If my schedule allows, a long hike or a yoga class reorients me—otherwise I’ll always find five minutes to ride my bike around set, or five minutes just to sit and stretch. (I’ll tell you more about this in
chapter 5
.) And ultimately, I love at-home centering, which is why you’ll never find me letting off steam at bars or clubs, or shopping at the mall. The best remedy for a long day is always a thirty-minute bath.