Her character Molly indulges in lots of sex in HBO’s Insecure. But Yvonne Orji, 33, is saving herself for marriage, as she explains her dedication to her Christian faith in a new interview. Orji says she’s happy to talk about the subject in hopes that it’ll help people understand, telling People: ‘I wasn’t going to hide it just because I’m on TV,’.

‘I wasn’t going to hide it’: Yvonne Orji has opened up to People about her decision to remain a virgin until she’s married. ‘I’m open, because why not? I’m grounded in who I am’ the Nigerian-born star said. ‘Before any of [the fame] happened, I sat down with myself and with God and thought, when I make it, how do you want me to represent you while I’m here?’

The actress answered her own question, adding, ‘It was like, OK, I know why I’m here. It’s to make you proud.’ Orji said she’s happy to talk to anyone about her decision, as she explained: ‘How will they ever get understand if I don’t talk about it? I can inform your curiosity, as opposed to everyone being in the dark and just sort of creating their own narrative about it.’

The actress immigrated to the US from Nigeria at age 6 but said life in Maryland wasn’t easy as she suffered bullying for her thick accent. She graduated from George Washington University with a master’s degree in public health.

And while her parents had hoped she’d become a doctor Orji shocked her family when she announced after college that she wanted to be a stand-up comedian. ‘[I told them] it would take me eight years to become a doctor, but give me eight years to make it in entertainment. And I’m happy to say, we did it in seven.’ Insecure was renewed for a third season this month.