(CNN) "I'm at an age now where the kinds of characters that I'd be playing, the kinds of stories that I get to tell now, are just richer because I've had more life experiences..."

Emmy Rossum tells a remarkably rich story as Fiona Gallagher, the heroic but self-destructive eldest sister in an unapologetically dysfunctional family on Showtime's "Shameless." On screen and off, Rossum seems fearless.

Backed vocally by her "Shameless" co-star William H. Macy, last season Rossum sought and successfully secured equal pay for her tour de force performance on the show, becoming an inspiration for women in and out of the entertainment industry to do the same. Since making her stage debut at age seven with the Metropolitan Opera Children's Chorus, Rossum has appeared in more than 30 films and television shows, including her breakout role as Christine Daaé in 2004's "Phantom of the Opera." Already an accomplished singer, actress and director at 30, we can't wait to see where Rossum's kickass talent takes her next.