- Nora worked as a clothing buyer for a small boutique in Dallas, Texas before she became an actress.
- Nora performed the song "The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze" in the original motion picture soundtrack of Brick. She also starred in the movie.
- Her parents are John Carol Zehetner and Nancy Lynne Nelson.
- Nora is 5' 3" (1.60 m) tall.
- Nora was chosen as one of People Magazine's annual 100 Most Beautiful People in the World, in May 2007.
- In 2007, Nora, along with comedians Tom Arnold and Dax Shepard, went on a USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour to the Persian Gulf region.
- Her nickname is Tart.
- She is often mistaken for actresses Audrey Tautou, Rachel Bilson, and Rachel Specter.
- Nora's other film and TV movie credits include An American Town (2001), Point of Origin (2002), The Burning Land (2003), Conversations with Other Women (2005), The Adventures of Big Handsome Guy and His Little Friend (2005), Fifty Pills (2006), Remarkable Power (2007), and Princess (2008).
- Nora was listed among Zap2It.com's Most Underrated Actors/Actresses of 2006 for her role in Heroes.
- Nora appeared in a Clean and Clear Morning Burst commercial. She also appeared in a 2005 TV commercial for Tampax.
- Nora: I have had many great experiences in my career, but playing the character Laura in Brick was probably my favorite.
- Nora: I like to be connected at all times, especially to my boyfriend. He owns vintage clothing shops, one in L.A. and one in New York, so he’s out of town, in N.Y.C., a lot!
- Nora: I was just trying to stay warm, so I threw on everything and anything that I had. Then I saw the photos of me and was like yikes! Never again.
- Nora: (about her role on "Heroes") When I went to audition, I was kind of adamant that I wanted a power, but it turned out that that was their plan from the beginning. Who wants to be on a show about superheroes and not have a power, you know?
- Nora (about her style): [It is] A cross between Kate Moss and Audrey Hepburn, with a '70s Yves Saint Laurent twist.
- Nora: I’m constantly annoyed with my hair, so hats make the most perfect alternative. I love my black beret!
- Nora: There are definitely things that I want to do and things that I don't. I love cheesy movies, but I don't really want to be in cheesy movies, you know?
- Nora: If you put something creative out in the world you just have to expect that you're going to have the good and the bad. It is the way it is. If I think that I did something good, it's kind of silly to let myself be talked out of that by people or critics.
- Nora: How did I get work? Honestly, I dropped off my photo and a note with a few agents and got lucky.
- Nora (about studying at the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science in Denton): I only finished one year. It was a great program if you want to be an engineer or a doctor, but it kind of pushed me in the opposite direction. I like art and English.
- Nora: When they sent me the script and it was called Princess, I was like, please let it be about a real princess. And I read it and it was and I was so excited and I immediately kind of got thrown into this series of fittings where they were building all these dresses on me. And it was just kind of an amazing thing to go into my trailer in the morning in sweats and come out in these gowns with tiaras and masses of hair and it was kind of a fairytale, a little girl's dream. It was lovely.
- Nora I just really want to do things that make me happy. Things that I feel happy about and get to be creative in. I know it might sound silly.
- Nora: I came out of the shower at the gym, and a woman came up to me and said, 'I loved your film.'
- Nora: I found my old journal from when I was 8. There's this entry from when I was sick and my parents couldn't take me to an open casting call. I'd written, 'I hate my parents.' I totally forgot about that. It's strange for an 8-year-old to feel that strongly, but it helps explain where I am today.
- Nora: I'm a closeted teen-movie fan. Not the bad-bad ones, but the good-bad ones. How great is Can't Buy Me Love?
