On the ABC hit show Castle (Mondays, 10 p.m. ET), Detective Kate Beckett is the picture of proficiency. Stana Katic, the actress who plays her, isn’t too shabby either.

The 33-year old Canadian native speaks four languages (and counting), has a penchant for globetrotting, and wants to reinvent Los Angeles one pedestrian at a time through The Alternative Travel Project.

During a break between scenes, she spoke to PARADE about the ever-blossoming tension between Beckett and Castle and all that fan fever over her luxurious locks.

What does Stana mean?
“I was named for my grandmother. It’s an evil-eye name, to protect you from bad things.”

Does the Canadian side of you ever come out? Do you say “eh” a lot?
“I do. People ask ‘How do you get so eh-ish?’ I don’t know if it’s just because so much of my family still lives in Canada and I finished studies up there. Nathan [Fillion, her co-star] is Canadian and he doesn’t seem to hold on to that as I do. It just depends, you know? Like when I talk to someone from Toronto, like one of my girlfriends or family, that kind of accent flowers a little bit.”

You’re 5-foot-9. Have you always enjoyed being tall?
“I’m the shortest in my family, and it really bums me out! As the oldest [of six], I was tallest for a while. Now, at family functions, they will full-on throw me over their shoulders.”

What languages do you speak?
“Serbian, obviously English, Italian, and French. Some of it I studied and some of it I learned from my home life. My parents are European immigrants. And I think as Europeans there are so many languages in close proximity that it’s part of the culture to try to learn at least one other language. So my parents really encourage it in the house. Chinese would be really great to learn — like Mandarin or Cantonese. Portuguese would be incredible.”

Read the Rest of the Interview Here