She plays a mother on television, but in real life Lauren Graham is flying solo and souring through Hollywood. Appearing in the upcoming comedy Bad Santa, alongside Billy Bob Thornton, Lauren is building quite a name for herself. Let's get to know the girl behind the Gilmore duo...

Lindzi.com: What were your childhood years like?

Lauren Graham: I was from an academic family. I could read when I was four and a half because my dad read to me every night. We spent a lot of time in bookstores when I was a kid. Grades were always important. Where I went to college was important.

Lindzi.com: You majored in English in college. Why'd you go back to get your masters in acting?

Lauren Graham: That had more to do with not being able to get an agent. I got out of college in New York City and wasn't any closer to the business than had I arrived from elsewhere. I waitressed at night and worked at Barney's during the day. I felt like it was a dead end. I didn't know how I was going to get out. I knew someone who had gotten an agent through a showcase that they did at the end of a training program. It's a three year gamble. You hope that, at the end, it'll all work out. I didn't think I'd stay for the full program, but I did and I landed an agent through the showcase.

Lindzi.com: What was it like going to college in such a huge city?

Lauren Graham: It was an intense experience moving from the suburbs to New York City. It's amazing to think that I was seventeen when I went to college. I had never spent much time in NYC, but I knew that's where I wanted to be because I knew I wanted to act. But to go to school there and have the city outside your window is a big change. It's an overwhelming campus.

Lindzi.com: What'd you do during your college years?

Lauren Graham: I ushered at a lot of theaters. I got to see plays. I got to know the city which was helpful when I moved there after school. It's part of being ambitious at an early age. I was in such a hurry. I could have easily gone somewhere in the woods and enjoyed my education. The most fun thing I did was I was part of this [singing] group -- that was as close to a sorority or a traditionally collegiate experience that I got in New York. It was a good group of friends. Most of whom, I'm still friends with today. We were a comedy/sketch singing group. It was creative, but it was fun. It satisfied both a social activity and the performance aspect of what I was looking for.

Lindzi.com: Would you agree that Hollywood types are similar to high school or college students?

Lauren Graham: That's an interest analogy. It does become a community. It's a public business so people know who the successful writers and actors are. People form an opinion based on what they hear about people or, sometimes, on appearance. High school is similar in that you're being judged on things that are, often, superficial. It can also be a supportive group. It's an amazing thing to be in a place where most people do what you do. Sometimes that's exhausting and sometimes it's comforting.

Lindzi.com: When was the last time you doubted yourself?

Lauren Graham: Every second. Self doubt is a part of being a human being, but it's part of being a creative person as well.

Lindzi.com: What's it like working with your co-star, Alexis Bledel?

Lauren Graham: We're helpful and friendly to each other. She has made her own way. She's a strong person. She had her own opinions when she came here. She has a sane, grounded view of the world.