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A native of Palm Desert, California, Marcil's passion for the performing arts began at a very young age leading her to spend her early teen years working in theater. She earned roles in such productions as Neil Simon's "Fools," and the classic "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Marcil received critical acclaim for her performance in the stage production "Southern Rapture," starring country singer/actor Dwight Yoakum and Golden Globe winner Sally Kirkland.

Making her television debut on the daytime drama "General Hospital," Marcil recently won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress and garnered several nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress and Hottest Female Star. After her six-year run on the daytime series, Marcil ventured into primetime television appearing as a series regular on "Beverly Hills, 90210." Her other television credits include guest-starring roles on "NYPD Blue," "High Incident" and "Spin City," as well as starring in the TV movie "To Love, Honor and Deceive."

Marcil made her feature-film debut in the blockbuster "The Rock," starring alongside Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery. Her other feature credits include the independent films "The Space Between Us" and "Nice Guys Sleep Alone" with Sean O'Bryan.

Along with her work on screen, Marcil works closely with Sojourn Services for Battered Women and Their Children, as well as with programs assisting those who have been affected by drug and alcohol abuse. She will soon open Patricia House in Los Angeles, which will aid women who can no longer care for their children and is in the process of creating a hotline for these women to have their babies placed in good homes.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Vanessa Marcil and chat with her about James Caan, Corey Feldman, gossip, TV, therapy and of course, "Las Vegas."

Chaunce Hayden: Congrats on the success of "Las Vegas." It's one of only a handful of television shows that actually did well this year.

Vanessa Marcil: Thank you! I know, it's crazy. It's sort of funny, I don't really watch TV myself. In fact, I don't even go to the movies that much. So I don't know much about it!

Why don't you watch TV?

I think it's because I spend so many hours at work, that when I'm finally off I'd rather spend time with my baby or read or listen to music.

It's sort of funny that you're making your living as a TV and film actress, yet you aren't interested in either.

I know! It's funny. People are always making fun of me about that. I've never seen most really big shows that everyone else has seen. I don't read trash magazines either, so I'm really isolated when it comes to what's out there. In fact, I wouldn't have a clue if "Las Vegas" was a hit or not. I just go to work every day and do my job and try to have a good time. I've been on shows before that were doing well, but I wasn't having fun with the work or with the other cast members. But "Las Vegas" is a dream come true as far as the people I work with.

The cast of "Las Vegas" is loaded with hot women. Any problems with egos or for air time?

It's pretty unbelievable that there's not. All the other girls on the show are like eight feet tall! But I couldn't be any shorter [5'4"], so I like to kid around that I'm the token average-height girl on the show so that American women can relate to somebody. I mean, the other girls on the show are supermodels!

If you were just six inches taller you would be a supermodel as well.

That's very sweet! I'm such a rebel in so many ways that I get a kick out of playing characters who actually look how people really look like in real life. So sometimes when I'm up with my son all night and I've only gotten two hours' sleep, I'll get a kick out of looking really tired and having puffy eyes.

Why? 

Because I think that's real life. That's who girls really are. Some days you look hot and some days you look like a train hit you while you were sleeping. I like to portray people as real people.

Well, judging by your recent Stuff magazine layout, you look pretty perfect to me.

That's because photos are retouched! Like you didn't know that!

You mentioned that on past shows you worked, the relationship you had with fellow cast mates wasn't always ideal. Why do you think that's different this time?

I think it's because the girls on "Las Vegas" are SO hot that they don't need to feel insecure.

When you say you had problems on other shows, my first guess is "Beverly Hills 90210."

Well I've been on a lot of shows. I've been on "Spin City," "NYPD Blue," "General Hospital," and I've done a lot of independent movies.

And on all those shows there was catty behavior with the other female co-stars?

I would say that in general women can get a little competitive...definitely! But on "Las Vegas" I just don't see that. We all truly like each other and get along. We all go out and party outside the show, which is pretty amazing since we usually work 15 to 20 hour days. Usually after seeing somebody that long you don't want to see them anymore. To me that's more of a success than our ratings.

Does James Caan hang with all you girls on the party nights?

Jimmy doesn't usually come out with us. But he's definitely the party guy on set. He's been out with us a few times in New York when we were celebrating the show being picked up. But he works really long hours, so usually it's just the girls who go out.

A lot of people are afraid of James Caan. Do you see any of that?

(Laughs) That's so funny to me! I would love to meet somebody who's afraid of Jimmy so they can explain to me why.

I think I'm somewhat afraid of James Caan.

Why, because you think he'll beat your ass like his character Sonny in "The Godfather"?

Some might say James Caan isn't that far removed from the character Sonny.

He's definitely a bad ass. But he's become a father figure to all of us. Nobody screws with his girls. He calls us his girls. He wants to know who everybody is hooking up with and what their intentions are. So I guess it's true, he is a bit of a bad ass. But only with the best intentions and for the right reasons. He's only a bad ass when he's supposed to be a bad ass.

Do you find Caan sexy?

Everything is sexy about him! When Jimmy Caan walks into a room, all the girls turn bright red from head to toe. It's amazing to watch. He's like on another level hot.

Do you get bright red around him?

Yeah!

I read that you have a tendency to pee when you get nervous. Is that true?

Well, I don't pee when I get nervous. But I feel like I have to pee when I get nervous. Every time I do a scene with Jimmy I feel like I have to pee! I can't wait for it to be over so I can run to the bathroom! Some legendary people disappoint you when you meet them. But Jimmy is the real deal.

Rumor has it he's difficult to work with. You never ran off the set crying?

I heard those same rumors. But he's the furthest thing from difficult, and I know because I've worked with people who are difficult! In fact, the other day I was smacking him in the stomach because he's so buff! His body is amazing! He's just hot.

You mentioned you have a baby. Isn't Brian Austin Green from "90210" fame the father?

Yes he is.

There's conflicting rumors as to whether or not you two are engaged or even still together. What's the real story?

He's the father of my baby and we've never been married. We're not engaged or anything like that. But it's all good. 

I also read that you were once married to Corey Feldman, but in another interview you claim that the two of you were never married. Care to explain?

Corey just tells people we were married. He went through a period where he was doing a lot of drugs. In fact, we were young and we were both doing drugs together. But that was about it. It's actually comical to me. Oprah told me once that the more successful you are, the more they'll make up stories about you. So I just laugh it off.

Did you ever confront Corey Feldman and ask him why he keeps telling people the two of you were married?

I know why he did. We were playing a joke on our friends once and pretended like we were married. But it was just a joke! We were wasted and joking! So now I don't know if he's still saying it as a joke or not. Hey, if I've been married to Corey Feldman or any other guy, don't you think there would be one picture of me in a white dress or something close to that??

I think Corey likes to tell people he was once married to you because it makes him seem like he must be happening if he got you to marry him.

Obviously, I think so too. But neither one of us were even 18 when we were hanging out doing drugs together. But I've never even lived with a boy, let alone marry one.

What's your problem with boys? Do you have a commitment problem?

Oh, no, I don't have a problem with commitment! I believe very much in commitment. I'm one of the most loyal people ever! I have nothing against being married, it's just never crossed my mind.

Didn't marriage cross your mind when you had Brian Austin Green's baby?

No. I don't connect the two in any way. I don't think you should marry someone just because you have a baby with them. That's just my personal belief. But I have no desire to push my beliefs on anybody else, ever!

Are you afraid of getting married because most Hollywood marriages don't last?

If I ever do get married, I won't worry about that because I don't consider myself part of Hollywood. I just consider myself a lucky girl who is lucky to get paid for doing what she loves to do. I don't consider myself a celebrity or a star or part of Hollywood in any way.

But you are, like it or not.

If you say so.

We're talking, aren't we?

You're allowed to have your opinion! (Laughs)

People magazine once voted you one of their 50 Most Beautiful People. Did you agree with their choice at the time?

It didn't do anything for my ego. I was in shock about the whole thing because I had only been acting for about two years at the time. Whenever anyone says anything about being beautiful to me, I try to trick myself into thinking they're talking about inner beauty when it comes to me. Because I will forever feel like the dorky short girl with frizzy hair and braces. How you feel as a kid usually follows you for the rest of your life. I do feel beautiful on the inside, though. I'm proud of who I am.

Do you think you're ugly?

I don't think I'm ugly, no. I'm not one of those girls who walks around saying she's fat or obsessing on her body. In fact, I tend to get too skinny. I think I look better when I'm curvy. I just try not to obsess on my looks too much. Once I start thinking too much about that, I'm setting myself up for a fall.

How so?

I want to be happy when I'm aging. I want to feel beautiful because I feel beautiful about myself and not because I have to be the "hot" girl all the time.

Is it true that Playboy magazine offered you the cover but you turned them down?

Yes. Definitely! Because people were always trying to put me into that hot girl box. But I don't want to be known as the hot girl. I would rather be known for anything but that. The funny girl, the girl who women feel they can relate with, the girl who stood up for herself, or the girl who made a difference in somebody's life. But the "hot girl" to me is so common and goes away so quickly. So why put importance on it?   

But doesn't Hollywood always put importance on being young and beautiful? Doesn't your career depend on you being at least perceived as young and beautiful?

You're right. I'm consistently battling that only because I don't see myself that way. It seems the older I get, the more comfortable I get in my skin because I'm excited to get to the age where I can start playing different characters, like Susan Sarandon when she could finally step away from that sexpot image. I'm excited and looking forward to being able to play somebody's mom since I'm a mom already! That will be fun!

Can a woman sleep her way to the top in Hollywood, or is that a fallacy?

I think that is such a fallacy! (Laughs) I think that is such a great question because that is definitely a myth. You can sleep with anyone you want, but at the end of the day even if somebody gave you a part, you better be damn good. But if you were that good to begin with, then you could absolutely get that part without sleeping with somebody.

Have you ever had to deal with a producer or director pressuring you to have sex in order to get a part?

The truth is I think all of that sounds so funny to me because I never, never, ever experienced anything like that. I never even heard a story about anything like that. I have so many hot girlfriends. All my girlfriends are way hotter than me, and we were talking about that one night and none of us have ever experienced a producer or director making us feel like we had to have sex with them to get a job.

I guess you never auditioned for Steve Seagal.

I have! Twice! He was very friendly and nice. I actually auditioned for him once to play his daughter and he was really friendly to me, he even invited me over to his house.

Uh oh ...

Nooo! His wife was there! He was very friendly!

Let's talk about you and your relationship with the artist formerly known as Prince. I hear the two of you date on and off.

We've just been friends since I was 18. He's one of the most amazing people I ever met. He's really shy and really wonderful. He's also really smart. He's talented on a genius level! It's so funny, I have so many friends and I hear stories about them. I always joke, if I had all the gifts from all the times I've supposedly been married, I'd be rich! (Laughs) I guess I have all these husbands, they just never move in with me!

Do you mind if I start spreading the rumor that you and I were married? Just so I can brag a little around the water cooler?

Sure, why not? The whole article should be about how you're my ex-husband and you're interviewing me because we're still cool with each other. However, I would like a wedding present at some point, Chaunce!

What's the most outrageous thing you ever read about yourself?

I usually just laugh about that stuff. I like to joke that my life is so damn boring that the tabloids have to make up stuff about me. But the most outrageous thing I ever read about myself that really upset me was a stupid article in a trash magazine that said I starve myself. It's such a common thing in L.A. to say that somebody is starving themselves if they're tiny. That's the automatic assumption. I actually hired a cook and she specializes in helping people to gain weight. She actually serves me coconut water and makes me tons of desserts to help me gain weight. She helps me gain healthy weight, not just from a box of Krispy Kremes. Even though every Thursday night I get a box of a dozen Krispy Kremes on my way home from therapy!

What kind of therapy?

Just normal therapy where you talk about your life. I believe it's not something you go to because you have a big problem. I see it as going to the gym. It's just a good place to vent your feelings and get it all out so your mental load is lightened for the week.

Can you give me an example of some of the things you talk about with your therapist?

The things I talk about are so boring and uninteresting. But they're really important to me. I obsess over tiny little things. Most people wouldn't even think it's a problem. I mean, the truth is I have no problems.

Compared to Paris Hilton you have no problems. What's your opinion of Paris and her recent problems? 

(Laughs) That's true! But compared to Paris, I'm poor! I know all about the video but I really have no interest in her personal life. I think it's odd that anyone would care about her personal life.

But the scandal seems to have made her a huge star.

Definitely! We've gotten into a time where you can be famous just to be famous. You can have higher ratings on your own reality television show than a great actor just because of something you said or did. We really need to stop gossiping about each other and getting some sort of weird enjoyment out of other people's embarrassing moments.

You just put the Enquirer out of business.

I'd love to! I don't think it would hurt society if that magazine didn't exist. What upsets me about it is that somehow it's become okay to print lies about people. Since it's in print, it must be true. Even if somebody is getting entertainment from that, they should also know that they're getting lied to. But some people don't realize that. They think it's real. That's what upsets me. I can't tell you what it's like when a relative calls me and asks if everything is okay because they heard I'm pregnant again and having an alien baby!

Of course there are those celebrities who have the attitude, "Just make sure you spell my name correctly and put it in bold."

Yeah, that's fine too. If you really love to be famous, then go for it. But that's not for me. In fact, here's a very funny story. My friends aren't allowed to watch anything that I do. This is how much I try to keep myself from feeling different from my friends.

So your friends can't watch you on "Las Vegas"?

No, they're not allowed! If they do watch, they can't tell me about it. I'm that way with everything I've ever done. I just don't like to talk to my friends about the business I'm in because it makes me feel different from them. Also, I'm like a hermit. I don't go out. But if I do go out, it has to be a bar or restaurant that's super dark so I can feel uninhibited. I'm actually a bit of freak. My therapist mentioned to me the other day that she had "Las Vegas" on and I got so pissed I left! I yelled at her, "I DO NOT WANT TO TALK ABOUT MY SHOW!" I admit I can be a little bit of a freak. I guess that's why I'm an actor. I mean, I know actors who won't watch themselves, but I never met one who won't let those close to them watch them.

I agree, that's a good one! Finally, is it true or false that you like to change your clothes while driving and that truck drivers get a real thrill from it?

I would say that it definitely used to be true! When I had three jobs at once, I would literally have to change in my car. But I don't have to do that anymore and it's probably not the safest thing in the world to do, either.

Well now that I feel like I know you, I promise never to watch "Las Vegas" again.

See! I knew I liked you! But my producer might not be too happy about that.