(May 2009) - PCM's writer Julie Kissane chatted with charismatic actress Yvette Nicole Brown. Brown isn't a stranger to the big and small screens. Her credits include commercials for Home Depot, Fiber One and Hamburger Helper, while also becoming a fan favorite among younger audiences as "Helen" on Nickelodeon's long-running hit series, Drake and Josh.

She's starred opposite Emma Roberts in Dreamworks' Hotel for Dogs and co-stars alongside Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl in the July 24, 2009 release, The Ugly Truth and shortly thereafter, in the futuristic thriller, Repossession Mambo opposite Forest Whitaker and Jude Law. Talk about starring alongside some of Hollywood's hottest! She's also going to be seen in a new NBC sitcom that will be starting in the fall called, 'Community.'

Now, Pop Culture Madness has interviewed some fabulous acts over the years (doesn't our archive list prove it?!),however, we haven't come across many actresses that ooze kindness and energy through the phone like Nicole did. Her upbeat and chirpy attitude left us feeling like we took away some great information from our time with her. She has quite a successful career and an impressive resume to be proud of, yet she wasn't intimidating or pretentious.

We talked about silly topics like Twitter-ing and her plans to one day adopt a dog! She also let us on what it's like to work with stars Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl in her new movie, The Ugly Truth. Check out our Q&A below and enjoy:

Q: Tell us about the new movie coming out, what can you reveal about the character you play in The Ugly Truth?

BROWN: "I play a character named 'Dori.' She's a television producer and she's the type of producer that if she were to choose between a serious issue like Hurricane Katrina or running a fluff piece on Brad and Angelina, she'd choose Brangelina! My character is kind of like comic relief at this TV station. Gerard Butler is providing dating advice to Katherine Heigl in this story, he's pretty gruff in this movie. It will be a fun movie for men and women, I think."

Q: What was it like working with the two of them on this movie?

BROWN: "First of all, Gerard is a hugger! So, YEAH FOR ME! Katherine Heigl is a living doll, a ray of sunshine. I learned so much about work ethic and determination from her and how to do your best everyday. Gerard is so sweet and kind. It was just a dream to work with the both of them who are so wonderful.

We had a day where we were all shooting a big scene and out on location and Josh Kelley, Katherine's husband, came and brought his guitar and we just had a group sing-a-long. He'd play and we'd all sing songs. It was a great filming experience."

Q: We bet that's a good day beginner - to get a hug from Gerard Butler! Do you ever get nervous when your working with big stars?

BROWN: "Oh, yes! (laughs) I am nervous everywhere I go, every day of my life! Someone {on the TV show, 'Girlfriends'} told me to think, "You're not nervous, you're excited." I've always kept that with me. I now think of it as excitement. When I worked with Jude Law, he came into my trailer and said, "I'm so glad to meet you! My kids and I watch 'Drake &Josh,' together," and that totally took the edge off. I couldn't believe he watched the show and knew who I was. It was completely mutual admiration from there. I always think though, what am I doing here? I'm just a kid from East Cleveland.

Q: Do you have any comedy training? You have made so many audiences laugh with the characters you play!

BROWN: "No, I don't have any training. My mom is really funny. I have a funny family. My brother is funny too. I think it's just me growing up laughing with them. I have friends who are stand-up comedians and it's a difficult road. I'm glad I'm able to make people laugh. It's a blessing."

Q: We spent some time on your official website and read your bio, tell us, do you have a dog now?

BROWN: "No, I don't! I need to talk to somebody about this phobia of being a perfect dog owner. I'm reading books and everything! I'm talking to all my friends and I'm still afraid. Maybe I need to marry a guy that has a dog and just adopt a dog!"

Q: What do you think of MySpace, fans writing to you, Twitter-ing, etc?

BROWN: "I read and respond to everyone that writes me something. I have a message board and I'm always amazed at how surprised people are that I write back to them. What kind of person would I be to not write back to someone who took the time to write something nice to me? To me, writing back and sending a signed picture or something is just what you do when someone extends kindness to you.

On Twitter, I didn't know there was a response page on there and I had been Tweet-ing and I didn't realize all these people were writing back and I spent a whole day responding to people that thought I was ignoring them! I was horrified at the fact that people were kind enough to write and I didn't write back!"