“People still ask me if I’m a dancer, just from the way I walk.”

“I moved away when I was 11 to pursue intensive training in ballet. Most people leave home at 18, you go to high school until you’re 18 and then you go to university or whatever. But I jumped a few steps, so it’s much easier for me now. It was difficult back then, but that was a choice that I made.”

“Just be yourself, and never ever submit to the pressures that are part of school because it can really destroy you. High school can be a really good place, but you really have to be careful and just keep a good, solid head on your shoulders. Keep your head up high, and just do your thing. Know that there are other people out there like you.”

“Someone I work with said, ‘Emily, you’re the sex symbol of this show. You have to understand that.’ I said, ‘No, I’m 17. I’m not a sex symbol, and I don’t want to portray that,’ she said. If you’re in the public eye, you’re a role model no matter what. You have certain responsibilities. I want to portray confidence, but not show off my body for the whole world to see.”

“My favorite holiday tradition is Christmas. I have never missed spending it with my sisters. My mom still believes in Santa. She’s also very organized. We have stockings first, then we have our gift stations and then we all wind up at the tree opening presents from the grandparents. No matter where we go in the world, we always celebrate this way.”

“If I could meet anybody in the whole world, dead or alive, it would be Audrey Hepburn. She is my idol. I’ve been watching her movies since I was a little kid.”

“I’d rather wear something really different and have people think I look like an idiot than wear something really boring.”

“I think it’s really important to keep your personal life personal. I wouldn’t want to become known for what I do in my personal life. Plus, it’s probably because I’m incredibly boring…L.A. is certainly not like my hometown or anywhere else I’ve ever lived. I choose my friends wisely out here, and luckily, I have the most amazing group of friends. All of them aren’t in the industry. It’s just a very normal group of people. We don’t really go to Hollywood clubs. I like to stay home and have dinner parties and watch movies. If we go out, it’s to a local pub usually. Going to the L.A. popular places tends to make me sad. I don’t really like it.”