Denise Richards On 'Love'

For the first time, Denise Richards is starring on the small screen series in the new UPN drama "Sex, Love & Secrets."

She portrays sexy and sneaky publicist Jolene Butler, who will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

"She is so much fun to play," Richards tells The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm. "When you sign on to do a television show, hopefully it's for a while, and you want to like your character."

The actress made a name for herself on the big screen in films like "Wild Things" and as a Bond girl in "The World Is Not Enough." Starring on TV, however, was not a hard choice to make.

"I loved the script so much," she says. "It was something I thought was so different and the character was different. It was definitely appealing to be shooting something at home."

She was pregnant when the pilot for the show was filmed. "They shot me out in three days, so it wasn't that hard," Richards says. "It was just tricky finding camera angles where you couldn't tell I was seven months pregnant because clearly my character is not."

Now that her daughter Lola is 4-months old, Richards has her old figure back. "It wasn't that hard to lose the weight," she says. "Good old-fashioned diet and exercise, no sleep, and starting a new show."

Lola does not sleep through the night yet, she notes, and her 18-month old daughter Sam is "walking, running. She's all over the place wreaking havoc."

Richards filed for divorce in March from

"There is so much written and it's been very, very difficult in many ways with the media. I really would love to keep that part of our life private and between he and I," she says. "I really want to keep it very special and sacred and private between myself and Charlie and our two daughters."

And though the media has portrayed her life like a soap opera, her new show is actually like a primetime soap opera.

"They've given me a lot of great stuff," Richards says about her character. "She has an agenda. She is always out for herself. They have written a few things where you see a softer side of her. Not that soft, but soft for her."

A lot of people are comparing her role to Heather Locklear's character on "Melrose Place."

"I would be so lucky to be compared to her," Richards says. "I could never live up to that, though."

Locklear's advice for Richards? "Make sure you've got days off and scenes off," Richards says.

Richards will be seen this fall making a cameo appearance in the feature film "Edmond," staring William H. Macy and Julia Stiles. Most recently, she appeared in the horror-spoof franchise "Scary Movie 3" and the independent film "Yo Puta."

Additional film credits include: "Empire," "Undercover Brother," "Third Wheel," "Drop Dead Gorgeous," and "Tail Lights Fade." She also had a cameo in "Love Actually." Richards made her big-screen debut in "Starship Troopers."

On television, Richards most recently guest starred on "Two And A Half Men." She also starred in the movies "I Do (But I Don't)," and the romantic comedy "Good Advice." In addition, Richards made a memorable appearance on "Seinfeld." She first garnered critical notice as a series regular in "Against the Grain" and in the television film "In the Blink of an Eye," playing Mimi Rogers' daughter.

Richards grew up in Chicago and lives in Los Angeles with her two daughters.

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