Nikki Cox Figures It Out

The curvaceous Nikki Cox freely admits that the way she fills her clothes often overshadows her acting ability, but she's pragmatic enough to be grateful for the good genes.

"I'm not oblivious to the fact that quite often that's what's gotten me in the door," the actress, who headlines the upcoming WB comedy, Nikki, noted at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, CA. "You bring what you do to the table and hopefully people get past it. It's just a goofy figure, you know, and it doesn't last. So hopefully I bring something more to the game."

That refreshing lack of ego was evident across the panel, and no more so than when co-star Nick von Esmarch, who plays Cox's aspiring wrestler husband, was asked if being on network TV might overinflate his ego. "All my friends were worried that I might get a big head and think I'm all great," said the actor, who was selling video games before landing this role. "But when you're on a lower level... the minor leagues, you think, 'Oh, I'm a pretty good actor. I can do all right. I can hold my own.' And then I'm working with all these people every day and I'm like, 'I just suck.' "

So how do von Esmarch's friends react to a job that allows him to snuggle with a woman like Cox? "We were all just big, big dateless geeks in high school," he said. "So we all get a kick out of it. It's just ironic."