Prison Break

Camille Guaty Spills

Camille Guaty aka Maricruz aka Fernando's chick just spoke with TVGuide.com about the latest on her new show "Las Vegas" as well as her possible return to Prison Break and why she enjoyed dressing as a giant booger for Halloween.

TVGuide.com: Your character, Piper, was introduced at the beginning of this season. Was it tough joining a show that's already in its fifth year?
Guaty: Yeah, you always have your plusses and minuses, [but] this cast couldn't have made it easier for me. The first day, I was so incredibly sick that I don't think I could have been intimidated by anything but myself. I couldn't remember my lines, all I wanted to do was lie on the floor and have a blanket over me. I think we probably did that scene, like, 30 times.

TVGuide.com: To me, it felt like you fit right in. In your very first scene, you were already walking around the casino contending with Sam (Vanessa Marcil), who's such a force.
Guaty: I know! We have a lot of these things on the show called walk-and-talks. I was like, "Oh, walking and talking, so easy, right?" But it's like patting your head and rubbing your belly at the same time.

TVGuide.com: Do you guys ever actually shoot in Vegas?
Guaty: I believe they shot there [a bit], but J.L. [James Lesure, who plays Mike] was just telling a story the other day about one of the reasons they don't really shoot there anymore: He started off playing a valet on the show, and some drunk guy stumbled into one of the set's cars at 6 am and demanded the taxi to take him somewhere. And they were like, “Ugh, this is all fake; you're in the middle of a set!" So I think it became difficult for them to shoot in Vegas just because of the debauchery.

TVGuide.com: And the show lives up to its debaucherous name. Though its dramedy tone is so different from other shows you've done, like Prison Break and The Nine.
Guaty: I've always done a lot of dramas. And I remember during The Nine, there was one week where I worked, like, three 16-hour days in the bank and I was crying all the time. I was like, "Dear god, please let my next show be a comedy, I need to last!" [Laughs] I loved doing that show, but it takes a toll on you, especially just starting out as actress. Sometimes I would bring it home and my boyfriend would be like, "Geez, are you ever going to be in a good mood?" [Laughs] Now I'm feisty and I'm happy, and it's great. It's a lot of fun.

TVGuide.com: Do you think you'll ever go back to Prison Break?
Guaty: I got word that I might. I love the character, Maricruz; I love the relationship between her and Fernando. I would have loved to have done a little more on that show, but I wasn't really available at the time. So we'll see, if I'm not tied into another show.

TVGuide.com: If she comes back around, it would be interesting to see whether she's still pregnant or if she's got a baby already.
Guaty: I would love to have the baby and then try to get Fernando out of prison myself, like I'd become this commando girl who tries to get her lover out of prison and bring him home. Love is what's driving him, so she might totally do something like that for him.

TVGuide.com: It would be nice to get to know your Las Vegas character better, too, and maybe see a Piper-centric episode.
Guaty: Yeah, there are going to be a couple, both sad and funny. You're going to see a lot of Piper's heart, find out who her family is and find out why she is the way she is.

TVGuide.com: So far, we do know that Piper's boss, Cooper (Tom Selleck), stole her from the Palms hotel, but I heard that your character might have something to do with Cooper's hidden past.
Guaty: Yes, that's correct; we'll see that this season.

TVGuide.com: And what about getting you a love interest?
Guaty: I am getting one!

TVGuide.com: Good, because I couldn't take it if your romantic luck was as bad as Mike's.
Guaty: I think he gets one, too.

TVGuide.com: On the Halloween episode, it was so much fun to see that they had you in six different costumes, but I was surprised that one of your outfits was a giant booger on such a sexy show. What was up with that?
Guaty: Oh, it was so much fun. I love Halloween. But the big booger costume was so heavy. I had to slip into it and four or five people had to hold me up. It was actually called a blob at first, and I was like, "You know what? I just feel like this is a big booger." So they kept it. My first writing experience! And it worked, and most of the laughs came from the booger line.

TVGuide.com: Did you always want to be an actor?
Guaty: Always, always, always, as long as I can remember. But when it came time to go to college, my parents were like, "You're not going to college for acting, it's not happening." So I cried, and then I chose Boston University and I went there for advertising and found my way. Then at the graduation dinner, I gave my parents the degree and I said, "OK, guys, now I'm pursuing acting." They were just crying. But literally, I had a plan. I was like, "OK, I'll do what you want me to do and then the minute I'm done, I'll do what I want to do."

TVGuide.com: You were also a semifinalist on the WB's Popstars in 2001, trying out for the all-girl group Eden's Crush. So you're a singer, too?
Guaty: Ha, yes. Singing is always going to be a passion of mine, but I don't know about professionally. Then again, if there are any labels out there interested in testing me out, call me up!