From the beginning, Emily was not afraid to pay her dues. Between her first minor speaking role (a guest shot on TV show Great Scott) and her first major film role (Family Plan with Leslie Nielsen) were five long years of hard and unacknowledged labor. But does she regret it? Not a bit. In fact, of her life's work, Emily says:

"It's always amazing to me, and disturbing at the same time, that we get paid for things like that, but it's rewarding when you do. [...] It's a business of 'waiting until it's your turn'. I think a lot of people forget that and give up before it's their turn. In this business you really think that you should be next long before you are." [Source: TV-Now]

Emily Procter did not start out wanting to be an actress. I think a lot of people can get the acting bug when they are a little kid," she says [Source: TV-Now] but it wasn't till college that she paid it any mind. In fact, even then it was not until Junior Year that she approached the drama teacher.

"I tried to get in the theater department," she says, "but it was full." [Source: IMDb] Later she would claim the acting teacher didn't believe she had the right stuff. Instead, Emily went on to be the weather girl at WITN, the local CBS affiliate in Greenville. While at this job, she spent "a lot of time watching television" [Source: Raleigh Observer] and eventually decided to pursue that career in acting after all. She was ready to go to New York, when she received a call from another Raleigh-born actress.

Sharon Lawrence told Emily, "I'm going to save you five years - move to L.A." [Source: Raleigh Observer] Emily took her advice, and her career was set.

Miss Procter has a good attitude, a devoted work ethic. She is very critical of her own work, and studies her performances closely to try and better herself next time. (Many actors refuse to watch themselves on screen.) This devotion and optimistic attitude has given Emily the talent we witness on TV, and in the movie theater, today.

Her family means a lot to Emily Procter. Her father, when she made the move to L.A., promised funding of her pursuit for two years, giving Emily a much-needed safety net. Her family always supports her, and are always honest. In return, she always considers them when choosing a role, thinking of how it will affect them. Indeed, her nude scene in Breast Men gave her a lot of worry - not so much for herself, but for the folks back home. In the end, the scene was indeed played tastefully and no harm was done.

We will continue to watch Emily as she develops her talents even further, and all of us will enjoy every single minute.