Rebel premieres Thursday night on ABC. The Katey Sagal-led series also stars Tamala Jones and Lex Scott Davis.

Jones has had a stellar career in Hollywood, starring in classics like The Wood, Booty Call, The Brothers and more. Jones spoke to us about the upcoming series and gave her tips on keeping longevity in a tough business like Hollywood.

“Don’t ever give up. You’re going to have times where it seems like you’re never going to work again, but you will. You just can not ever give up,” she said. “You’re going to hear no–all through your career…Don’t let it take you down. Be open to constructive criticism and know the difference between that and someone who’s hating on you because there’s a lot of that going on…Also, be willing to challenge yourself. Do things that you would never have done.”

She said that challenging yourself doesn’t mean succeeding or failing, but it means learning more about the skills you have and the ones you didn’t know you had. “It’s you challenging yourself to see if you could and that’s how you find out who you are and what you’re capable of doing in this line of work,” she said, adding that if you don’t challenge yourself as an actor, you are at risk of becoming typecast.

“Don’t get comfortable and be kind,” she added. “Be kind to yourself and be kind to the people around you. That goes a long way…Don’t get an attitude and don’t be a diva; you’ll be out of here.” She also added that having a sense of play is important too, citing how people often forget about playfulness once they reach adulthood.

Watch the interview below in which Jones talks more about her character on Rebel. We also chat with Davis about the show as well: