I didn't tell anybody [had got a role at As Good As It Gets], because I was just going, "Well, that was the strangest audition..." And I just thought, "There's no way he gave me the job on the spot when there was a room full of other girls waiting to audition for it." But then I didn't hear anything for a couple of days, so I finally called my agents, and they're, like, "Oh, yeah, congratulations! We know Jim [L.Brooks] told you in the room that you got it."
Darla [from Buffy The Vampire Slayer] was where I grew up. For me, Darla was like going to graduate school for acting. I learned so much with Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt. They encouraged us to make creative choices with our characters.
That was one of the reasons I took the role [of Mayor Amanda Rosewater in Defiance] - to be a part of something groundbreaking interested me.
I was sad when the show [Defiance] got canceled. It was heartbreaking for all of us involved. It was definitely a project that everyone involved poured their heart and soul into. But we had three good years, which is, you know, three more years than most shows get.
Playing Amanda [in Defiance] was a wonderful opportunity for me. She was strong, dynamic, a complete badass, not defined her relationship with a man. She could hold her own. I really loved her.
The great thing about working on a genre show is that you can basically have a season finale where every character is left destroyed, and then hit the reset button and come back for the next season.
I'm fortunate that I've been an athlete, my whole life, and I work out like a crazy person.
It's very exciting to have fan response and fan reaction.
I've been an actor for 30 years, so I pretty much know how to do the basics of a fight without hurting anybody.
I love being challenged physically, as an actress.
I love doing action films that do challenge me physically. I feel it's my job to keep my stamina up and be as physically fit as possible, so that I can just jump in and do it. It takes its toll sometimes and it's hard work, but I love that.
![I didn't tell anybody [had got a role at As Good As It Gets], because I was just going, Well, that was the strangest audition... And I just thought, There's no way he gave me the job on the spot when there was a room](http://cdn.quoteddaily.com/images/julie-benz/i-didnt-tell-anybody-had-got-a-role-at-as-good-as-it-gets-because-i-was-just-going-well.jpg)
