By Mary Kate Sherwood > The George Washington University

The 22-year-old Starlet Talks to College Mag about JuIlliard, New York and Her New Role on FOX’s Drama “Lie To Me”

“I didn’t think I would get in, to be honest with you,” says Monica Raymund on applying to Juilliard, her dream college. When Raymund was a senior in high school, not only did she apply to eight or nine “normal colleges,” as she calls them, but the aspiring actress also sent in applications to three classical conservatories. One of them was New York City’s prestigious Juilliard School. Fast-forward four years to 2009, and you’ll find Raymund, now 22, starring as Ria Torres on Fox’s new hit drama Lie to Me.

Raymund booked the role within months of her May 2008 graduation, as well as a guest spot on the 200th episode of Law and Order: SVU and a starring role in Boleros for the Disenchanted, a play at Boston’s Huntington Theatre.

“I thought it was just for fun, just to see the school and sort of revel in the dream of it. But I got [a] call back, and eventually I got accepted.” Juilliard’s drama program accepts, on average, about 18 students per year. While Raymond declares that going to Juilliard was “absolutely” the right move for her, she also calls the choice “a very individualized, personal decision.”

“It was the best move for me to go get my training…because I’m very young,” Raymund says. “I was 17 years old when I graduated high school. So moving out to L.A., not knowing anything, not knowing anyone, not having any resources, probably would not have been the best move…That being said, there are a lot of people who go out to New York, go out to L.A., who haven’t been through a training program or college, who are able to be successful.”

At Juilliard, Raymund excelled in her acting classes, especially in “voice and speech.” She cites two of her professors in particular as making “a strong imprint” on her undergraduate years: her first-year acting teacher, Richard Feldman, and Michael Kahn, the renowned Shakespearean teacher and Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.

Theatre played a dominant role in Raymund’s life during her Juilliard years; she performed in plays every few weeks at school, but also took advantage of the theatre scene in New York. “My college campus was New York City. Juilliard is just one building,” she explains. “I would see a play a week in the city—on-Broadway, off-Broadway, Brooklyn.”

Raymund’s rigorous schedule left her with little time for life outside of theater. Her classes often stretched from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., followed by rehearsals and performances. Her role as Norca in Our Lady of 121st Street, by Stephen Adly Guirgis, was one of her most memorable, and Clytemnestra in The Greeks [a combination of Greek mythology plays], her last show at Juilliard, was her “very favorite” role.

Despite the hectic schedule, Raymund became very close with her fellow classmates. “Weekends were our time to socialize, and party, and have fun,” she recalls happily. She and her friends had their favorite spots around Manhattan, including Central Park and a “fantastic Irish pub/restaurant” called DJ Reynolds, where she was friends with the owners. “I had a blast,” Raymund concludes. “I’m kind of sad that it’s over—but it’s good that it’s over, I’m ready for the next chapter.”

After graduating with B.F.A. in Drama last May, the next chapter for Raymund meant an agent and a manager, who sent her out on auditions right away. She quickly booked the Law and Order role and the play in Boston before landing her role on Lie to Me and relocating to L.A., where she’s been living for the past four months. While she’s still exploring her new city, Raymund’s concentrating mostly on making the transition from theatre to television. Her costars, Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs, Funny Games, The Incredible Hulk) and Kelli Williams (The Practice), who play two experts in the field of lie-detection, have helped Raymund to adjust.

 “I’m very curious about this new medium I’m working in,” she says, “So I ask a lot of questions. I would advise anyone who’s first trying to make it and going into TV and film—ask questions, because that’s the only way I’ve been able to learn. And they have been so helpful, such incredible guides for me.”

The best part of being on the set of Lie to Me? For Raymund it’s working with the other actors, especially Roth, who plays Dr. Cal Lightman, an expert at facial interpretation, on the show. “The way that we’re rehearsing and finding our chemistry with each other, it’s just been such an absolute pleasure,” she says. Raymund plays Ria Torres, a new member of Lightman’s team who is a “natural” at picking out liars; the show’s focus on the minutia of facial expressions has added an unusual complication to Raymund’s role.

“It’s weird to have to be able to portray a certain expression or emotion based on the content of the show,” she says. In traditional acting, actors are taught specifically not to try to make their face appear a certain way, Raymund explains. Instead, “you’re supposed to just try to believe the world that you’re in, and try to believe what you’re saying, and fulfill your intention of the scene or the moment.” In other words, Raymund hasn’t been trained to make a ‘lying face’ or an‘angry face,’ but rather just to feel like a person does when they lie, or when they’re angry. “It’s weird to try to incorporate these expressions, and behaviors, and mannerisms,” she says, “But I’m slowly trying to figure out how to do it effortlessly, without it seeming too much like an ‘expression.’”

So Raymund’s still going to school in a sense, learning her craft, and her advice for aspiring actors is not surprising: “Educate yourself about all the resources available,” she suggests. “Be extremely tenacious, and don’t worry so much about what you can’t control. Just worry about what you can do. And when you are auditioning and hustling, just be prepared, know the material, and let it go, when you leave the room.”