This is why I love what I do. I’ve been a working actress for twenty-three years. Time sure does fly when one goes through a most amazing and crazy adventure and has mostly fun doing so.. How did you get started in Acting? Professionally speaking, I started to perform on stage in 1992 and I got my first two jobs that same year. The first was a guest starring-role as a Novice Nun on the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, and the second, a lead role in the feature, Inside Out, with Leslie Ann Down and Chris Christopherson, in which I played a literature student. After one year of scene study with Milton Katselas and stage work, I booked my first prime-time series regular role for NBC at the beginning of 1993, which went on until the end of 1994, in the sitcom Café American with Valerie Bertinelli, as the hotheaded Italian model Fabiana Borelli. TV Icon and multiaward winning director James Burrows directed the series. Mr. Burrows went on to sponsor me to stay in this country and pursue an acting career. I was passionate but rather shy back then, but I thought to myself, someone that won twenty-one Emmy’s is telling me that I have talent. He may know what he’s talking about. So, I stayed. Jimmy would say that he loved how I’d switch from one language to another in rapid fire, without batting an eyelash, as both a dramatic actress and a comedienne, all in one hot package. He believed that would be the key to my success. He wasn’t too wrong. I proceeded to work nonstop for years to come on TV especially. I am very grateful for his encouragement, and for being there for me. And for Peter Noah, the executive producer, who is now the consulting producer on Scandal, to have chosen me at the beginning of my career with only two measur-
able credits on my resume, when the role was written for an American. He gave me my first big break. I am also very grateful for the ten years I continued to study with Milton Katselas throughout my rising career. Today I study with Ivana Chubbuck, who was responsible for guiding both Halley Berry and Charlize Theron to their respective Oscar wins. In how many films and series have you performed in up till now? I have done several series as a series lead or star, nine of them so far in prime time Network shows including, CSI: Miami, The Border, Caroline In The City, with Leah Thompson, The Secret Lives of Men, with Peter Gallagher, Café American, with Valerie Bertinelli, among others. There were other projects that helped build my career, like the three recurring roles I did on international hit shows like The Sopranos, with James Gandolfini, Curb Your Enthusiasm with Larry David, Thieves, with John Stamos, and another twenty-two guest starring roles on prime time TV shows, including ER and Friends. That’s over 230 hours of television programming and ten credited films. But I am far from done. I definitely need more film credits. And most definitely it’s time for a new TV Series. Are you working on any current projects? I am happy to say that there are a few projects I’m currently working on and I will share the news soon. It’s an exiting time for many I think, and it’s going to be a good year. What I can say is that one of the projects is based on a true story penned by James D’Alessandro. And it’s also Pilot season, which may bring it’s own surprises and new possibilities.
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I also launched a cooking show out of my own kitchen called, Sofia’s Kitchen with Sofia Milos, where I share healthy alternatives to classic Mediterranean dishes that I either learned from my mom, my nonna, or by simply experimenting. Cooking is another fun, creative outlet for me while sharing healthy recipes and tips with my fan’s and friends on Cyberspace. Please check it out on my YouTube channel: Sofia’s Kitchen with Sofia Milos. How different is it to act in a movie or on Stage or TV Series? I love stage work because there is a live audience with an immediate real life feedback that fuels you in your performance. The adrenaline becomes a big asset if you learned how to use it. It’s pretty magical. There are no second takes and you really learn to trust yourself as an actor. A great life lesson really. I think any actor should have that experience because it will change them forever in their work, in their confidence and in being in present time. To work on various sitcom’s was fantastic training too, and the working schedule is amazing as you shoot one episode per week. It’s a wonderful experience because there is a live audience, so you get the same immediate feedback and the encouraging laughter as in stage work, but it’s on camera so if you make a mistake you can do another take. The art with a live audience taping of a sitcom, for an actor, is not only a good experience to learn the formula and rhythm of the comedy, but also learn to make fun of yourself in a creative way. When you make mistakes, the audience stays with you and it becomes humorous rather than uncomfortable or embarrassing. In other words there are