Lucy Liu is determined never to "let other people's judgment" affect her dreams.

The 43-year-old actress portrays tough police officer Jessica Tang on gritty LAPD TV crime drama Southland.

Playing this character has allowed Lucy to contemplate the importance of having thick skin.

Lucy has never allowed people to trivialise her goals.

"[I've learnt] to not let other people's judgment interfere with your dreams," Lucy told People magazine.

While filming the high action show, Lucy also learned how to kick butt.

"We did everything - gun training and evasive driving, which was really scary, but thrilling," she explained. "We shot tasers, machine guns and rifles; we learned handcuffing. It was intense. I got pretty banged up."

Lucy has recently generated a lot of buzz for being cast as the first female Dr Watson in a TV pilot of Sherlock Holmes. She is in awe of how much people are interested in the programme, even though it hasn't even begun filming.

"It's crazy. The show, Elementary, isn't even shot yet," she shared. "But I think it's important to try new things and break rules."

Although Lucy has a high work ethic, the actress believes it essential to squeeze downtime into her busy schedule.

"I have an art studio in my apartment in New York, and I just make a mess of it - throwing paint around," she said.