I started dating older men and I would fall in love with them. I thought they could teach me about life.

My girlfriend bought me a down jacket she said it fit my personality.

Thank God I never got in a fight. All of the jock dudes hated me but all of their girlfriends thought I was nice so they wouldn't touch me. It was infuriating to them.

I was dating this guy and we would spend all day text messaging each other. And he thought that he could tell that he liked me more because he actually spelt the word 'YOU' and I just put the letter 'U'.

My folks have played everything from rock disco pop funk and blues. My dad has always brought and played different genres like jazz classical and Latin. With all this in my pocket I feel I have a taste of everything for my influences.

One of the accidental joys of my writing life has been that I've had some lovely surprisingly good fortune with readers and I've brought readers to my dad's work. I can't tell you the joy that gives me. Because my father's work was masterful.

Mum and dad thought I was going to say I was pregnant. I said oh no no I've just been nominated for a Golden Globe. They were like oh that's lovely love.

My dad passed away before my freshman year and it altered how I thought. I was depressed - I didn't hang out with my friends. I worked through it by dancing.

The best thing I ever learned from my dad was he knew he wasn't the best of singers but he always knew he was a great entertainer and I always thought that was a good concept to bring along that ultimately acting is an entertainment art and you have to be aware of the fact that you want people to be excited to be watching you.

But my father was also the one who told me I needed to clean up my mouth or I'd never find a man. What's very important to him is manners. Show up on time. Always send thank-you letters. He is one of the more thoughtful humans I've ever met. He's a great man and a very good dad.

From time to time I'll look back through the personal journals I've scribbled in throughout my life the keepers of my raw thoughts and emotions. The words poured forth after my dad died when I went through a divorce and after I was diagnosed with breast cancer. There are so many what-ifs scribbled on those pages.

You know when everyone's watching your mom and dad your friends in high school who thought they were better than you. You get your chance to get in the spotlight and shine.

As much as I transferred my mother to Elizabeth Shore of The Black Dahlia as much as her dad mutated into an obsession with crime in general well I have thought about other things throughout the years.

My kids love it. I thought I was the coolest dad in the world when I got to be in a Bond film but 'Harry Potter' too? Well I think I qualify for a medal for exceptional parenting or something don't you?

I didn't really hear any other music other than what my dad was working on until I was 12. My recollection of hearing other music was that I liked some things that I heard but I always thought 'Where's the rest of it?' It didn't have the same amount of detail or instrumentation or imagination in the arrangements.

I think there's nothing better than laughing in life so that's nice to be thought of as someone who can make someone laugh. It's 'cause I think life is hard. You know my dad was a really silly man. A great Irish silly man. And that's fine.

And my dad wanted me to play the trumpet because that's what he liked. His idol was Louis Armstrong. My dad thought my teeth came together in a way that was perfect for playing the trumpet.

It is because my dad died suddenly that I became an actor. I thought I'm going to make money doing this thing I enjoy.

I was born and brought up in Liverpool with my clever little sister Jemma who is 14 and wants to be a vet. My mum Jane is an administrator and my dad Peter is a taxi driver.

Growing up I didn't give my grandfather's photography a second thought. I wasn't involved in his work except that I helped my dad print his negatives.

My dad of course like a lot of Asian parents wanted me to be an engineer or doctor and never could understand why I would want to be a lawyer. And then when I first said I wanted to run for office he thought that was absolutely insane.

I'm sure there were times when I wish I had thought 'Gosh that might really embarrass mom and dad ' but our parents didn't raise us to think about them. They're very selfless and they wanted us to have as normal of a college life as possible. So really we didn't think of any repercussions.

You know my dad pushed me to believe that I was going to be the best. I just never thought of life without tennis even looking forward.

My parents divorced when I was young but I was brought up in two really loving households. I didn't have a contentious relationship with my mom or dad.