She took acting lessons at the Portland Civic Theater. She also studied at Portland State University and Fort Wright College in Spokane, Washington. Her first professional job, which paid only room and board, was in a dinner theater on the island of Kauai, then took off to backpack across Europe. She came back and settled in New York. She called a friend with whom she had acted with in Portland and said she had come to New York to act, and her friend replied, 'Oh, no!' It was in response to all the problems that a struggling actress encounters, such as getting an agent, getting to the right classes, getting a survival job and waiting for the magic to start.
