Lauren Gottlieb, 26, is a dancer, choreographer and actor who has trained the likes of Tom Cruise and Tobey Maguire in dance. She is real, has a pure heart and cares for others. She is blunt like most Americans and considers herself an honest and happy person. She has had three serious relationships, but not with any Indian so far. She is a multitasker with amazing work ethics as she always wants to go beyond what is expected of her and aspires to work with the multi-talented Farhan Akhtar, who inspires her. Ahead of her upcoming comedy Welcome 2 Karachi, she talks to Bombay Times about what Salman Khan told her on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, her love for her parents and how even though Remo D'Souza brought her to India, he is not her mentor. Excerpts:

Talk about your background?
I am from the US and grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona. Scottsdale is an upper class city that is very well put together and pristine. There is never any trash on the road and it's almost like a model town. I always knew that I wanted to go to Hollywood, so just like many kids in the US, I skipped college and two days after graduating from high school, that was on my eighteenth birthday, I moved to LA. Right from the age of seven, I had learnt all forms of dance and that is all I knew. My professional life as a dancer had already started so even when I was in school, I would often fly to LA for my work and come back to school the next day. I struggled initially in Hollywood a lot as it's really difficult to break into the SAG (Screen Actors Guild), which is essential if you want to do big shows or movies. In LA, I moved with a girlfriend of mine. I got my first big break on America's biggest dance show that was aired across every single country of the world So You Think You Can Dance. I didn't even know the night before that I was going to audition for it. I got selected and it turned out to be life changing. I struggled in the show and was that person where you are put always at the bottom struggling your way to the top. I was constantly under pressure and was killing myself though no one knew that as I am a very bubbly person on the surface. Also, I was just 18, so I would say anything that came to my mind, without any filters. I learnt the hard way on the show but could not take the pressure. The good thing was that I came to know every director and choreographer, so it opened me up to the entertainment industry. I also learnt lighting and direction and got into acting and hosting and started taking acting classes. I did TV shows and did guest star shows and movies, where I danced along with small roles with a few scenes. The big difference between Hollywood and Bollywood was that I was wanting to move into acting and in Hollywood, you can't do both as that culture does not exist there where you can both dance and act.

But are the stars there good dancers?
No one would know as they don't dance.

How did you get your first break in Bollywood?
I was in the process of giving up dance and get into acting. One day, I was very upset as one of my best friends had bagged the role in the Step Up movie that I had been trying for and that had been my dream job. I was bawling and was devastated. Even though my manager kept consoling me and I wanted to be happy for her, my ego did not allow that. It was only after four hours that I finally managed to shift my energy and was deeply excited for my friend from my inner heart and that's when at 4 in the morning I got an email that Remo D'Souza had seen me in So You Think You Can Dance and decided that he wanted to bring me to Bollywood and offered me the lead role in ABCD. I knew when I managed to give up my ego and shift my energies and that very time the gates opened up for me. I woke up my parents at 4 in the morning and they pretty much slapped me and they said, 'What are you saying? Go back to bed.' But I just knew that I had to come.

Talk about your parents?
My dad calls me 'sweet one' and mom 'wild woman'. I am a Gemini and have these two sides where I am very sweet but insanely wild. My dad is a mortgage broker and my mom has a jewellery line. They are not well off. The mortgage industry is what caused the whole crash in 2008. He organised loans for people to buy homes. My dad is so real and the most amazing person I have met in my life. He has the cleanest heart, has the cleanest intentions and will never speak a lie and will never steer you in the wrong direction. He is just a good man. A husband will be difficult for me to find as I think of my dad and lose it. All these loans were given to people who were walking away from their obligations and that is what my dad did not do. So, when people were walking away from their commitments, my dad ate through his savings and went bankrupt. This happened just after I had moved to LA. So, I had no money and they had no money.

My mom had been a stay-at-home mom since my childhood, but due to us going bankrupt, she went back to work then. I am very close to my parents and on one occasion I had come back home from LA on my dad's birthday and happened to go to her place of work to see what she did. I was devastated to see her work in a kitchen at a hospital. Not that she needed to do something glamourous, but not that. But she had no choice as there was no other work. My older brother is a pilot and is doing very well but he supports only his wife and child. Something happened while growing up where he ended up hating the entertainment industry. So, he didn't agree with what I was doing, and neither understands it nor thinks it's right. He was a really good baseball player and probably would have gone pro, but his coach took that opportunity away from him so he got bitter and still till this day does not support what I do. My younger brother is the kindest and sweetest guy, but he doesn't say much. So neither of my brothers ask me what I am doing even though I am here in India doing these amazing things. I also feel angry that my older brother does not support any of us. So, I am the emotional one in my family and am really attached to both my parents and my whole driving force in my life is to take care of them. It was my dream to be able to buy them a house and I was able to do that a month ago.

Your presence in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa made you a household name. How did that happen?
After shooting ABCD for three months, I went back home and didn't know whether I wanted to come back. I was working in Hollywood, had an apartment there, a career, my dog, my boyfriend, basically a full life. In the meantime, Indian restaurants started opening up next to me, Bollywood films were coming there, Oprah Winfrey went to Bollywood and all these were signs for me. Even though ABCD kept me out of the promotions, I called Remo and decided to come to India. I stayed here for one month and just two days before my visa was expiring, I got offered Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. Had that not happened, I would never have come back. Salman Khan came on the show and said, 'My mother is in love with you. The country is behind you. You are a beautiful woman. You get a few songs under you.' And I told him, 'Sir, I want to act, I didn't come here to dance.' I can make you dance and laugh and get you hot and bothered with my dance, but I wanted to be an actor. Again last year, all of a sudden I was having a dry spell when I signed up for a film that did not happen and had my parents saying every day to me to come back home and I pretty much decided to give up when Sushant Singh Rajput recommended me to choreograph the Calcutta Kiss song in which I finally also featured as a dancer. Working on that was actually my favourite two weeks in India. It is during this time that I got offered the lead role in Welcome 2 Karachi.

Which has been the lowest period of your life?
Emotionally, my parents support me but they really want me home. It's a conflicting thing for me all the time with what I am doing. I see a path but they don't see it as they have not come here and they can't afford to and don't have the time to take off from work. It's a bit conflicting but even though right now it's the highest period of my life and I feel that everything is on the rise, on the back end, it's not. It's too hard to be away from your family. I didn't bring anyone out here. I see people who have their cooks and all the assistance but I am doing everything on my own. Remo may have brought me here but he is not my mentor. I love that I am doing it on my own but it could have been easier had I had someone supporting me. Physically, everything is happening, but emotionally it's tough, I cry every day. I made a name for myself in the US and I made a name for myself in India and it's not a cocky thing, but in my heart, I have the confidence that I have the ability and fighting power to do whatever I want anywhere.

So, do you see yourself living in India in the future?
Every single time in my life when I have been ready to pack up, I have got my next big offer. My parents always tell me that if it's not happening come back home. I feel that I have a spiritual connection with India. I don't know if it has a connection with my past life but in my heart and soul, I feel like an Indian.