Why Katherine is a hot babe (By Debra L. Wallace)

What does a hot alien babe do on her days off? We ask Roswell star
Katherine Heigl

Although she has been called one of the sexiest people in the universe by
major American magazines, Roswell star Katherine Heigl maintains a good
sense of humour about these accolades.

'I don't know how my family feels about me being called that (one of
universe's ho babes),' she joked, 'but, I'll buy it! Why not?

'On a more serious note,' she says, 'I definitely don't wake up in the
morning and look in the mirror and think "I'm hot" or "I'm stunning".
What's really on my mind is: "All right, it's another day and I'm just me",
Katherine says earnestly during a recent Manhattan bash in celebration of
her hit teenagers-from-space TV drama.

And - great news, Roswell fans! - the hit show will be back for a third
season. When the second series finale was filmed, the show's fate was
uncertain, but just as it was aired here last week, the news broke that the
show had new owners and another reprieve from the axe.

The show had also nearly been canned after its first series - until outraged
fans bombarded the network with thousands of Tabasco sauce (an alien
favourite), and convinced the bosses to save it.

Katherine is level-headed about her celebrity. 'The best way to approach me
is to just come up and talk to me and be cool. That's all I can ask for.'

A child model who turned to acting in her teens, Katherine made her feature
debut in That Night, starring Juliette Lewis. She instantly knew she had
found her path in life. 'My first film was an amazing experience, and I
knew that's what I wanted to do.' Between film projects, Katherine
graduated high school early and moved from Connecticut to LA, hoping to act
full-time.

Her ever-growing CV includes movies with Gerard Depardieu (My Father the
Hero), and Steven Seagal (Under Siege 2), plus Steven Soderbergh's King of
the Hill, The Bride of Chuck, tele-film The Tempest, Prince Valiant,
Stand-Ins, and Wish Upon A Star with Peter Fonda. And she will soon be seen
in the movies Valentine, and 100 Girls.

But her main love for now is playing Isabel on Roswell. 'The show is just
so much fun. The hours can be really long, but it's an opportunity to do
what I love every day for nine months. For me, it's about having fun with
it and always being challenged and learning your craft. I feel so lucky
because I really love what I do.'

So what is it like to play an extraterrestrial?

'It's great,' she says. 'Since she is half human I can draw on some of my
life experience, but for the alien side there is no real experience to draw
on so I can make things up as I go along.'

In the beginning, Roswell viewers thought the beautiful alien Isabel Evans
was mean and tough, but Katherine never saw her screen alter ego in that
way. 'She is very guarded. She's very loyal and devoted to Max and
Michael. She loves being human, loves her parents and normal teenage stuff
like going to high school and going to the prom.'

In its second season, the show focussed more heavily on the science fiction
aspects and delving into the mythology of the alien teens, whose powers are
growing stronger.

While Katherine has never been to New Zealand, she was thrilled to discover
that Roswell is a big hit here. She says it must be the universal aspects
of the show.

'What appeals to me about the show is that it ties in day-to-day teenage
life, with some extraordinary story plots and ideas.

'Creating the mythology that goes along with these characters and
understanding their powers kind of appeals to young and old all over the
world.'

Before Roswell, Katherine says she had neve4r been interested in sci-fi.
She never watched Star Trek or the X-Files or sought out science fiction
movies. 'But once I became involved in the show it created a whole other
world to consider. I love the mythology of it,' she says.

Away from Roswell, Katherine enjoys the simple pleasures in life - listening
to David Gray's new folksy CD, reading (most recently Memoirs of a Geisha,
by Arthur S. Golden, and hanging out with her friends.

And she likes dating to be something really casual, like burgers and milk
shakes at a cool diner and just talking and getting to know each other.
But, the burgers may have to be the healthy vege kind. 'As far as eating
goes I have a lot of restrictions so I don't eat a lot of dairy or wheat. I
try to keep it very organic and very natural. But every now and then when I
eat out I have a steak. I once ate 12 ounces of steak and a rack of
baby-back ribs. I don't know how to justify it except to say I am only
human.'

The stunning actress says that she knows she is a role model for young girls
who love Roswell and she feels a responsibility for them.

'The biggest thing I want all young women to know about themselves and about
life is that they are unique and they are truly beautiful no matter what,'
she says.

So what's the best advice she has ever heard that she'd like to pass on to
her fans?

'It's one of Shakespeare's most famous lines and I truly believe it with all
my heart - 'To thine own self be true.'