(Continued)

In addition to being extremely talented, you are extremely beautiful. And in 2003, you posed for Maxim and Playboy as their "Babe of the Month." Has your beauty has helped or hindered your pursuit of good roles?

It's funny. Back in 2003, when I did those shoots, I was such a different woman. You always grow, but I don't think you ever look at yourself and go, 'Wow, I'm beautiful!'

I think it has been a help in the sense that you do get hired quicker and sometimes you can get hired based on your beauty even if your acting hasn't quite reached the level where it needs to be.

But I would actually like to go in the direction of an actress that is more natural - somebody who doesn't always have to be that beautiful girl. I would like to be able to do things where I can be more natural and mousey and different.

Who or what inspires you today as an actress?

Maybe myself at this point? (Laughs).

As I mentioned, Kirstie Alley initially inspired me. But over the years, I've lost looking up to people because I've realized that you're the only person that is going to make it happen. You have to keep yourself motivated and inspired. And when you do that, it all connects, and you keep working and have a good, positive energy about you.

I think I've gone back to the approach that I had when I first got here, which is to keep your head down and keep going. I research, I read a lot, and constantly try and grow.

In 2000, after wrapping up "Rave Macbeth," you took a break and spent a good deal of time in Munich, Germany. What motivated the change of scenery and what was the experience like?

I needed all of that. Coming from Oklahoma where we didn't have a lot and we really didn't really take vacations. I hadn't really traveled. I mean, I had barely been outside of Oklahoma. So I got to LA and worked really hard. And I got a little bit of extra money. And when I went to Munich to shoot "Rave Macbeth," I realized, maybe I need to take some time to see other parts of the world, be a part of other cultures, and change who I was as a person.

I had gotten really close on set to the director of "Rave Macbeth," Klaus Knoesel. And because he had to go to LA to do post on the movie, I suggested, 'Why don't you take my apartment in LA and I'll take yours here in Munich? We'll switch and I'll travel around a little bit.'

And it was really nice. I had a nice flat in the middle of Munich. I took the train to East Berlin to visit the girl who did my makeup and stayed with her for a little bit. Went back to the apartment, then took a train to Rome. Did the whole Europe thing by myself. And when I finished that and came back to LA, I felt so much stronger and much more confident.

One of the things that I admire about certain actors and actresses is there stewardship. Giving back to the community and to those in need. And it's something that you feel strongly about too. In what ways have you used your celebrity to help others?

Well, I did spend some time (sounds like I went to jail - Laughs) down in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to help out with an orphanage. And I've gone back and forth since. Because I had this idea that I wanted to go to these orphanages and put libraries in them and computers and set them up in more of a school like manner. So that kids could get a proper education. I just happened to choose Brazil because it was a place I liked.

Plus, the kids really like it. It's nice. You sit them down with a book and they start reading it. You put them on the internet for the first time and their faces light up because they never realized there was so much information in the world. It's just something that I really enjoy doing.

Here, I go and talk to kids a lot. I go to the juvenile centers, especially if I have two or three weeks off, and give an acting class. Which is really fun. They're always excited because here's this person on TV and they're spending time with me. And it's always funny for me because I don't really feel like I've done as much work as I would like. But it's nice because they enjoy it and I enjoy it too.

Everybody should give back to world.

One of my favorite television shows over the last several years was "Ed." And likewise, my favorite performance of yours has to be Stella Vessey. What do you remember most about the show?

That was one of my favorites as well! (Laughs). It was one of my favorite times because I loved the character, Stella Vessey. And I thought that they had really given her lots of fun personality quirks and situations. Every day on the set was filled with laughter.

But the thing I remember most about it was that it was the first time I had ever been to New York. The first time I was working in New York. I remember getting off the plane and they had a car pick me up that was taking me to my hotel. And I remember we kept going up and up and up, closer to the upper west side. Until they dropped me off right next to Juilliard. My hotel was right next door. And every morning I woke up, I opened my window, and there it was.

It was very surreal and very inspirational.

Will "Ed" ever come out on DVD?

(Laughs). Well, you know, Rob Burnett is a very good friend of mine and he's one of the show's creators. So, I'll have to ask him about that and get back to you.

Do you have any regrets about your career and your choices?

Not really. I mean, like anybody, if I look back on some of the choices I've made and were to be given the same scenario today, I might have chosen something differently. But I also think it's a waste of time to regret. It was what it was and it's who I am now.

(Pauses). But I don't think I would have posed for "Maxim." It's one of those things where I really don't think it was me. It's not my personality to be a "Babe of the Month" and when I look at the pictures, I can see that. Other people might not be able to see that, but I can.

So what kinds of things do you have in the pipeline?

Right now, I just finished up with the last season of "Supernatural" and just finished up on "Perfect Stranger." And I took a little bit of a breather. I was living in New York at the time and had to move all my things back to LA. So that took some time.

But now, I'm really starting to go back and audition. And I'm looking to do some kind of independent feature.

Feature films over television?

Well, television has been great and it's also been a wonderful experience for me to learn and grow as an actor. But for the most part, it just moves too quickly. And I feel like, sometimes I do an episode and it shoots in 6 or 8 days, and they're up before I realize what I've done. Unlike in "Perfect Stranger," when we spent an entire day on one scene. On television, you'll do 13 or 14 pages in a single day. You don't get the time to reflect and think about what you're doing. You just shoot on through it.

So, I would love to find a really good independent feature where you can have a little bit of time to create. And I can work with a director to come up with something that we both have collaborated on.

When you're not performing or working, what do you like to do for fun?

Well usually, I AM working or auditioning. But when I'm not, I basically put on my running clothes. I run once in the morning, once in the afternoon.

I guess I'm kind of a boring person (Laughs). I'm a tomboy, a natural girl. Not one of those girls running around doing lunches and chatting. I'm a very internal, private person. I read constantly. I love books. And get very engaged in them. I can read for hours.

And when I'm not running or reading, I like to spend time with kids and help them learn.

Nicki Aycox Interview (BACK)