When Monica Raymund first stepped into an audition room, she didn’t radiate the kind of fierce determination or calculated precision that many aspiring actors bring. Instead, she carried something unexpected — a quiet detachment. Not because she didn’t care, but because she never quite believed she would get the part.

It’s a mindset that might sink most careers before they even start. But for Raymund, it became her secret weapon — one that led her from Juilliard’s storied halls to the small screen in Lie to Me, and eventually into the hearts of millions as Gabriela Dawson on Chicago Fire.

A Juilliard Education — Without the Ego

Before TV scripts and soundstages, Raymund honed her craft at one of the toughest drama schools in the world: the Juilliard School in New York City. Four years of intense training taught her the fundamentals of movement, voice, and performance — but it also introduced her to a lesson she would carry into her career: humility.

Her early credits were respectable but not headline-making: a guest role on Law & Order: SVU, stage performances, and the Broadway Theatre Project in Tampa. Still, she didn’t feel like a “TV natural.”

“I just really didn’t think I was any good on TV,” she admitted in an interview. It wasn’t false modesty — it was her genuine belief at the time.

The Audition That Changed Everything

When she auditioned for Fox’s crime drama Lie to Me, Raymund went in with zero pressure. “I just knew I wasn’t going to get it, so I was so relaxed about the audition that I got it,” she said.

That same surprising formula had worked before — in fact, she’d landed Juilliard the same way. Without the weight of expectation, she was able to drop the nerves, let her instincts lead, and connect in a way that casting directors couldn’t ignore.

Learning to Dance with the Cameras

Stepping onto a TV set brought a different kind of challenge. “It takes some time getting used to all the cameras in your face,” Raymund said. “I think it’s like playing jazz. After I learn the rules, I can have fun and play a little bit.”

Her jazz analogy perfectly sums up her evolution as an actress: discipline first, improvisation second. Once she understood the technical rhythms — hitting marks, finding light, timing lines — she could layer in spontaneity and heart.

Chicago Fire and the Next Chapter

By the time Chicago Fire came calling in 2012, Raymund was ready. As Gabriela Dawson, she brought grit, warmth, and humanity to the screen — a blend that made her one of the most beloved characters in the One Chicago universe.

And though she left the series as a regular after Season 6, her portrayal continues to resonate with fans, proving that sometimes the roles we never think we’ll get are the ones that define us.

The Mindset That Made the Difference

Looking back, Raymund’s career defies a common Hollywood myth — that you must “want it more than anything” to succeed. For her, the magic came when she loosened her grip.

It’s a paradox: when she stopped chasing, she started winning. When she stopped performing to impress, she began performing to connect.

That rare calm, forged in Juilliard’s classrooms and tested in high-stakes auditions, carried her from St. Petersburg, Florida, to network television stardom. And it all began with a thought she’s repeated more than once:

“If I don’t take it too seriously, I tend to do better.”