(May 28, 2008) PCM's Ashley spoke to Nichole Hiltz, who is co-starring in USA Network's new crime drama, In Plain Sight, with Fred Weller, Mary McCormack and others. In the show, Hiltz plays Brandi, the sister of protagonist Mary Shannon, a U.S. Marshal with the Federal Witness Protection Program. Brandi is the bratty baby of the family whose lack of ambition and poor taste in men irritates Mary to no end.

Hiltz said that when she first auditioned for the show, she did not expect to play younger sister Brandi Shannon.

"Actually, I originally read for Mary's character, which I couldn't have been more wrong for," Hiltz said. "I mean, they are completely opposite characters."

Hiltz said that while she read for the part of Brandi and won the role, she did not initially like the character.

"I think in playing a character you have to have compassion and love for it in order to play it authentically. And, like I said, I read for Mary's character and she's this hero and I was like, 'Oh, this is great,' she said. "But then I had to go back and reread it with somebody else in mind now. And, on paper, Brandi was just very selfish and spoiled and I was like, "I don't like this.'"

Fortunately Hiltz really liked the script and was enthused about the show, and eventually she even embraced her role.

"I actually came to discover that I don't think there's ever been a role closer to my heart, so it's funny how things work out sometimes," she added.

The actress did say that she thinks she is emotionally very similar to Brandi Shannon.

"There are a lot of things that are very much the same between me and Brandi, except that I have a job and I don't have a meth addiction," Hiltz quipped. "Neither of us have boyfriends and, yes, she's very heartfelt, very much loves her family and is very much into her friends and forgets about herself a lot. I can relate there sometimes."

Those in the witness protection program do not have a choice of where they are relocated. But Hiltz said she definitely would not choose Albuquerque, New Mexico, the location of the show, if she were allowed to choose.

"Given the choice, I would go somewhere tropical, but I don't really think you get those options when you're in the witness protection agency; the show sort of shows that," Hiltz said. "Everybody is usually being uprooted to somewhere that they really don't want to be. They have no choice."

Other In Plain Sight Interviews:
Mary McCormack - Mary Shannon
Fred Weller - Marshall Mann