[Editor's note: The following contains some spoilers for Will Trent Season 3.]

In the “Abigail B” episode of Season 3 of , the spotlight was focused on Michael Ormewood () as he provided (playing a heightened version of herself) with personal security. When an intervention got a bit out of control, things started to spiral, but Ariana proved that she’s great under pressure in just about every situation.

During this one-on-one interview with Collider, Madix, who got to speak Cantonese, line dance, take part in the action, and have a bit of a romance, all in one episode of the ABC series, talked about getting to do so much with her time on Will Trent, the thing she was most nervous about pulling off, where her inner confidence comes from, why McLaughlin would be great on Dancing with the Stars, that she’d love to do a rom-com, feeling like she always has to prove herself but also being ready to do so, and her love of K-dramas.

ARIANA MADIX: Yeah. It’s funny, when we were first talking about the episode and going over all the different ideas and things that would be happening, some ideas were thrown out like, “Oh, maybe some parkour. Maybe some this, maybe some that.” And then, when I got the script and got to see all those different things, it was very, very cool to see. If you put it together as a list, it’s really funny.

MADIX: I would definitely love to do a rom-com. I took a stage combat class in college, as part of my theater degree, but I’ve never actually had to use the stage combat in any sort of professional scenario until now. I would love to do more of it. It’s really cool. It’s fun to do it, and then it’s fun to watch stunt performers and how incredible they are at making it really feel real and making it look like my punch is the hardest punch you’ve ever felt. That was really cool to see happen in real life. It was really fun to do. And in heels, which I was not sure of. I was like, “Wow, my wardrobe choices. Why did I say I liked these shoes?”

MADIX: Yes, when you’re playing on set and you’re getting to do judo and dance and all of that, you leave the drama there and you’re not really necessarily feeling it so much in your own head.

MADIX: Overall, the shows themselves are very different, but the feeling of doing it is very different. I was very invested in everything that was happening with all the cast members, but at the same time, I’m not there living it with them. I go in, and I do have my thoughts and my feelings about all of it, but then I get to leave and go home, and also come up with cool outfits to wear. It’s a very, very different feeling.

MADIX: I was definitely most nervous about speaking Cantonese. before that, but of course, starting from very much a beginner place. My boyfriend and his family speak Cantonese. Right before I went to Atlanta to shoot this, I spent two weeks in China with my boyfriend and his family, so I was hearing Cantonese a lot and I was practicing as much as possible. For me, it was really, really important that I got the pronunciations right and that I did a good job. That was the thing I was the most nervous about in shooting this because I really, really wanted to make sure that I got it right and I did a good job. That was actually the highest-pressure scene, and we shot that scene on my last day on set. It was nice that I had extra time with that scene. And then, aside from that, I was just nervous about meeting everybody.

MADIX: You have to shoot everything so many different times because you have your coverage, Jake [McLaughlin]’s coverage, the wide shot, the bartender’s coverage, and so many different pieces and parts of the scene that you have to do so many times, over and over. That’s another really great thing, if you’re unsure about whether or not you’re gonna nail something, you usually have more than one time to really nail it. But there are so many other things at play. The way we were positioned at the bar had to be just right to make sure that all the eyelines were correct. There’s so much that goes into shooting any scene. Doing it multiple times is definitely part of it, but you also have to be able to nail it every time because you never know what take is gonna be the best take.

MADIX: I definitely always feel like I have something to prove. I still feel that. There is a part of me that does feel like I have put in the work, but I feel like that work will never be enough and there will always be more work to do. I think that’s something that comes from growing up riding horses and growing up doing dance as a kid. You do your best, but you’ll never attain perfection, and that’s fine. You can’t ever be perfect, but you always have this thing of striving to be better all the time, and tweaking things and working on things and trying to constantly be working to become a better version of whatever that skill is. And so, I always feel that.

MADIX: Oh, absolutely. Let’s say there’s a meeting on my schedule and the meeting goes well, I’m always blown away that that’s even something that could have happened, or that they even wanted to talk to me in the first place. I need to be better at stopping and being in the present moment, and not patting myself on the back, but just taking it in.I do think that’s something I should talk to my therapist about.

MADIX: Definitely. I do have a lot of self-doubt, but I always have this thought that, whatever it is, I can do it for ten minutes, or I can do it for this long, and then I can go home and fall apart. I think to myself, “You’ve agreed to do it. You’ve signed on. You’re gonna show up. You have to show up. Do you wanna show up and be this ball of nerves that you are in the hotel room? You’re not gonna be able to redo this moment.” That’s where that burst comes from. But I am pretty naturally introverted, so once I get home, I turn into a ball of Silly Putty.

MADIX: He thought it was slightly out of character for him, as a person. By the way, the professional dancers in that scene were incredible. They were all so good. In rehearsal, they were already putting pizazz on everything. They were awesome. While we were learning the line dance in rehearsal, he kept saying he didn’t know how to dance, he can’t dance, and that it wasn’t gonna be good. Not only was he good, but I think he was almost too good because the character was saying that he can’t dance.It was really fun to do. That was also the last thing that we shot during my time on set, so it felt really celebratory. It was a big group scene with everyone in the bar, loud music, and all the dancing. It was a really fun note to end on.

MADIX: I just went with whatever they wrote. I didn’t have a hand in that, at all. Luckily, the main writer on this episode is honestly such an incredible writer and a really amazing friend of mine, and he just gets me. He also gets the characters of this show so well that he was able to write the perfect scenario for how that all turns out.

MADDIX: Yeah, . Who knows?

MADDIX: I definitely want to be doing more roles, whether that’s TV or film. I definitely had such a great time doing this. Of course, I would love to play not myself. This was such an amazing experience, getting to play and be creative and do all these different kinds of things, all in one episode. I loved doing it. I love getting to collaborate with people and tell a story, and so I’m really excited for more of that in the future.

MADDIX:, so if I showed up, they’d be like, “Who is this girl?” I’m very excited for the new season of Alice in Borderland.

MADDIX: There are some specifics. There are a lot of wheels in motion, always, all the time. But that being said, I am fairly open. I certainly don’t like to close doors. I prefer to keep more doors open than closed.

What did it mean to you to get to take on Chicago and play Roxie Hart on Broadway? It scares even the most seasoned actors to do live theater. What surprised you about the experience?

MADDIX: It is a huge undertaking. She’s such a beloved character. What’s so fun about Roxie is that in the rehearsal process, you talk about who your Roxie was. She’s essentially an institution unto herself, but also such a focus is put on you, as an individual, and what it is that you’re bringing to the character and how you relate. That makes it slightly less daunting because you’re finding her, you’re finding yourself, and you’re finding that connection. That being said, I think live theater is so much fun. I love doing eight shows a week. I love being on stage. There’s such a gratification. When you’re on set and you’re shooting a television show or a movie, the music is getting added in after the fact. What I love about live theater is that you’re feeling and hearing all of the music and all of the parts of the show, all at once. For me, music and dance and that nonverbal communication is such an important part of how I connect to things, so I really love that aspect, as well. The thing about live theater is that, as a performer, you can say, “You know what? Let’s try this. Tonight, maybe this is what I’m feeling in this scene.” Maybe you try it and it doesn’t quite work the way you thought it would, so you don’t do it again the next night. Maybe your instinct was wrong, but maybe it was really right. But when you are shooting something and it’s on camera, you’ve gotta get it. It lives forever and ever and ever. It’s not as much of a living, breathing, growing organism. It’s just a different experience. I do really, really love live theater. That’s always been the thing that I’ve loved doing, since I was a kid, and I still love it.

It feels like live theater also teaches you to roll with things, because if you forgot a line or something falls or a cell phone goes off, you have to figure out what to do in that moment. There isn’t anyone to stop and fix it.

MADDIX: Exactly. Things just happen. That’s part of what’s so fun. Even as an audience member, I always find that really fun, watching people roll with the punches. There was a show not too long ago, after I wasn’t there, when the power went out and everyone just kept performing with no microphones, and then it eventually came back. That’s part of the beauty and the magic of live theater. I love that. No matter what happens, the show must go on.

Will Trent airs on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu. Check out the Season 3 trailer: