Let's get a few things out of the way:

1. You pronounce 'Jamila' like 'tequila.'

2. I'm from St. Louis, which means I'm a not nearly as southern as you think I am. It also means I'm a whole lot more southern than I think I am.

3. Straightening up before the hotel housekeeper comes is not crazy. It's manners.

Ok. Now that we've cleared the air, I'm feeling a lot better. Oh, you wanted to know about my acting? Yeah, alright. Look, I'm not going to sugar coat it. Things are going...very well, thank you. This year I'm recurring as an over-eager network executive opposite Billy Crystal and Dennis O'Hare on “The Comedians,” appearing mid-season on FX, and I just had a blast playing a devout Catholic hell-bent on getting a hug on the CW's “Jane the Virgin.” Add to these my turns as a fast-food manager on “The Office,” a recurring paramedic on “Nurse Jackie,” Nurse Janice on “Arrested Development,” and a no-nonsense flight attendant in Demetri Martin's upcoming Dean, and I guess you could say I have a knack for playing women some might call stubborn. I prefer to call them independent (I'd also say cute, but I'll leave that up to you).

Growing up in St. Louis I got hooked on acting with our monthly trips to The St. Louis Black Repertory Theater. As the daughter of a tennis-addicted dad and a restless political mom, my home life was its own theatrical production. Between the marches, boycotts, eating Indian food with the Hare Krishnas, and meeting other black people who played tennis, my parents instilled in me the need to build a community wherever you are. To that end, I majored in urban studies at Stanford and dove into the classics and ensemble work at American Conservatory Theater's MFA Program. After graduation I headed to New York where I found my way into comedy doing stand-up at The Broadway Comedy Club and The Comic Strip Live. I finally felt like I'd become a real New York actor once I'd served Chris Meloni a summons on “Law & Order: SVU” and got into a bar fight on “Rescue Me.”

Since moving to LA I've continued to polish my one-woman show about trying to rebel when your parents are rebels, Can't The Revolution Wait? I've also worked on great web series, writing and starring in "Friendly Confines" as an overwhelmed self-help author and playing an aggressive sorority sister (one of the "Step de Soleil bitches") in Issa Rae's "Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl."

I'm still building my LA community; when I'm not acting I might be dancing with friends, playing in a Boyle Heights basketball league, or struggling to keep my Fantasy Football habit in check. But I also enjoy a night at home, lounging with a glass of red wine and watching “Top Chef” while scanning the stats on my beloved St. Louis Cardinals.