Note: a profile of Iyari incorporating the highlights of this interview is available here

26-year-old Iyari Limon, best known for her role as lesbian slayer Kennedy in the final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has just joined the growing number of out lesbian and bisexual actresses (read our new profile of Iyari here). In this exclusive interview with AfterEllen.com, Limon talks about her upcoming Spanish-language film, attending culinary school, how she met her girlfriend, and how playing gay on Buffy impacted her own coming out process.

AfterEllen.com: Regarding your acting career, I read a posting on your website from November (2005) in which you told fans that you had ended your relationship with your agent and manager, effectively quitting the business and instead focusing on theatrical work. Did any particular event spur you on, and do you still feel that way?
Iyari Limon: Growing a lot as an individual and becoming more spiritual, I had this epiphany. I was at this hot springs, and I had this huge audition the next day. It was for a series regular and it was a great, great role. And every time I'd look at the sides I would get this bad feeling. I started to see smoky energy coming out from the sides. I felt that everything connected to that audition was not who I wanted to be and not the game I wanted to play. It just felt like it was such a façade and so political and so not about what we all strive for.

It wasn't about the art or the acting. And I just thought, you know, that's not who I want to be, I can't. And that was the day I decided. And I started having these memories of when and why I decided to do acting when I was a little girl. It all started becoming very clear. I have to be honest with myself and admit that I wanted the attention and I wanted the fame. But then you start to learn what it really is and you grow this love, appreciation and respect for the art and it goes beyond the ego part.

At this point, I thought I don't want my ego to get in the way. I had great representation, I had great auditions and everything going for me, so why would I give up, right? But I thought maybe this is a turning point where I have to ask do I want to be a part of this game or do I want to follow—I don't know, maybe a different direction that something is telling me to go to.

So I thought, what am I going to tell my agent? And it was like a voice telling me, ‘Don't worry the words will come to you.' So the next day I hopped in my car and went over there, and I said I'm done. And they were in shock, they were saying, ‘Can't you just go to this one audition?' And I said, ‘I can. I can go to this one audition, but I don't want to.' And I said thank you, and they were so sweet and asked ‘What are you going to do now?' and I said, ‘I have no idea.'

Then I went to my manager's and I took him out to lunch and I did the same thing. And once I told him that I had already gotten rid of my agent, then it sunk it to him that it was real. Because as an actor you go through ups and downs, and people take breaks and what not. But when he saw that I'd left my agent, he knew this was a done deal.

And then I felt great, I felt like this huge thing lifted off me. And I felt free that day. I rode in my jeep, singing songs, my hair in the wind—I was so happy. I felt like I had detached from something that was always so hard for me to do, to network and play the Hollywood game. And I wasn't good at it. I was invited to the parties and I couldn't go to them. I started this creator of this huge show and we went to this huge television network dinner and I called my manager and I said, ‘I don't want to go. I want to go to my yoga class.' And she said, ‘Are you kidding me? You have to go to this!'

So I was just never good at it and think that was one of the reasons why the last couple of years I just really didn't work like I should have, because I really didn't work that.. I didn't go to the parties, I didn't try to network and meet people.

AE: It sounds like you made a very intuitive decision, and you really stuck with it.
IL: Yeah, I did. And then you know what's interesting? I started getting offered all of these independent films! (laughs) And I got offered this one horror film and I turned it down and I felt really good about turning it down because I felt like--the Buffy fans are the most loyal fans, I just love them, and I thought it's like I have a responsibility now. And I know whatever I do, whatever I choose to work on, they're going to be following it and they're going to be watching it.

If I can't leave my fans and friends with something that inspires them or some kind of positive message, then I can't do it. So I said no because though it would have been fun, there wasn't one thing in there that was meaningful in some way. So I didn't do it and it felt good.

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