9 Things To Know About 'Episodes' Carol IRL

To put it as simply as possible, Episodes ' Kathleen Rose Perkins is a delight. She kills the game as Carol Rance on the Showtime series. She was a part of the hit film Gone Girl. She is a feminist. She is smart. The woman really has it all going on. On top of all that success, she is actually fun and interesting — seriously. I spoke with Perkins and during our interview, she shared a few things that give insight to her off-camera life. Here are nine things to know about the woman behind Carol.

She Is an Anglophile

Perkins has a Netflix queue full of British television shows that she watches with her boyfriend. She enjoys both the modern series and the classics, and while she like some American adaptations, she prefers her television to be all English and not Americanized. "It's those accents that sell so well," Perkins says. "I love to hear that accent and see actors with that accent. It gets me every time." Among her favorite British series? Downtown Abbey, of course.

She's Only a Recent TV Fan

Perkins has found great success as an actress on Episodes, in addition to some great guest spots on other TV series, such as NCIS: Los Angeles, Grey's Anatomy, and Nip/Tuck. With so much time on television, it was shocking to learn that Perkins did not always watch TV. She describes her past self as "a casual TV-watcher until real life took over and I became one of those young adults who proclaimed 'I don't watch much TV.'" As a TV addict myself, I was pretty surprised by this. Perkins explains,, "I had to go through that phase so I could become obsessed with television like I am now. If I want to be on TV, I need to know what's on TV." I am glad she came back to us from the cable-less dark side.

She Loves Breaking Bad

Perkins picked the right time to jump back into television watching. "I feel like television is in a renaissance right now," she says. "TV shows are unbelievable. There is this movie-like quality drawn out with amazing story lines that can captivate you for years, like with Breaking Bad." Perkins adds, "We as viewers are so lucky with the options we have."

She Did Not Watch Friends

Aside from having zero acting ability, there's another reason I would be very nervous to be in Episodes with Matt LeBlanc — I grew up watching him as Joey on Friends. Perkins did not have this fan phobia when she landed her role as Carol Rance. Friends aired during her anti-television stage, so she never really watched it. She does eventually admit, "I am proud to say that I am familiar now. I watch some reruns of Matt and laugh at it."

She Gets Nervous When She Really Wants a Role

In 2010, when Perkins auditioned for Episodes, she really wanted to play Carol. She was so nervous that she says she actually "had to stop half way through the first scene" because she "couldn't breathe since I wanted the job so bad." She even asked if she could start over, adding, "I'll remember to breathe this time." Everyone laughed and as we all know, it worked out for her.

She Loves Monty Python

Perkins knew that she really made it when Eric Idle from Monty Python walked up to her at a party and told her how great she was on Episodes. Once again, she got so nervous that she couldn't even speak. She is a huge fan of his work on Monty Python, plus he's British, so she was completely flabbergasted. "It was a real honor. He is a comic genius," she says. "I am surprised every time someone comes to me and is a fan of the show. It takes me off guard it makes me feel so good. I love it so much."

She Is a Fitness Fanatic

Perkins started doing P90X workouts as a part of her New Year's resolution. She laments, "My whole body hurts. So much jumping." So why is she putting herself through this torture? Perkins says, "Two of my brothers did the whole program and turned me on to it. They are in great shape. I am pretty active because I came from a sports background. My father is a physical education teacher and I have four brothers. All I knew was sports, sports, sports when I was growing up."

She Has a Black Belt

P90X isn't the only way Perkins keeps active — she's a third degree black belt in Taekwondo. Apparently this surprises most people, as Perkins says, "No one really thinks I would be into martial arts, but I have broken bricks and wood with my hands and feet." Note to self: do not ever mess with Kathleen Rose Perkins.

She Is a Writer

Perkins believes that "women should try to tell their own stories." As a result, she has made it a goal to work on her writing in 2015. She has been working on TV projects and screenplays, though she admits that it is "a really hard process." Perkins is excited to create vehicles for her own work and to act in these projects that she is proud of.

I know I'll be on the lookout for her writing projects, because with Perkins at the helm, they'll be well worth watching.

Images: Ricky Middlesworth Photography (3)