Rosario Dawson on Lack of Sleep, Heartbreak and Her Latest Workout Obsession

As the skies of Manhattan burst open and flood the steamy streets with rain, Rosario Dawson walks into the lobby of her hotel completely drenched. Dressed in a long, Grecian-style black silk dress, with perfectly luminous skin and her thick, dark hair miraculously unfazed by the humidity, the 32-year-old actress heads to her room to dry off.

A few minutes later she returns to the lounge area, where she orders two salads—baby arugula with grape tomatoes, and artichokes with a truffle vinaigrette—and a pot of peppermint tea. With an emotionally difficult two weeks behind her, a relaxed Rosario settles in for a long, heartfelt chat. “I haven’t had a lot of sleep in the last 10 days,” says Rosario, sipping on her tea.

On the heels of many sleepless nights spent at the Cannes Film Festival promoting her latest movie, the rom-com Zookeeper with Kevin James, Rosario returned home to Los Angeles to the terrible news that her beloved grandmother Mima had passed away suddenly at the age of 75. “My heart is broken,” says Rosario, her eyes brimming with tears. “I’m absolutely devastated that I’ll never speak to her again. I couldn’t have loved her more, but I could have loved her longer.”

It would have been easy for Rosario to use a horrid experience as an excuse to shut down and cancel this interview, but that’s not the kind of woman she is. Whether you’re getting a divorce, or you lose a job, or your child gets sick, “change is going to happen,” she says. “It’s how you process it that makes all the difference. With the right tools, you really can feel like you’re turning a page and starting a new chapter.” Rosario shares some lessons that help her stay centered and healthy, even when life throws you a major curveball.