When actress Natalie Zea signed on for a role on ABC's Dirty Sexy Money, she wasn't expecting anything grand.  However, as the cast expanded, with such esteemed actors as Donald Sutherland and Peter Krause being added to the list, Zea began to reconsider her notions of the series, and even questioned the validity of her involvement with the show.

“You know, I got it before all these famous monkeys had gotten it, and it was me and Seth [Gabel] and Glenn [Fitzgerald] - we of the working actor status - I thought ‘These two gentlemen are lovely, this is just going to be such a nice little pilot,'” Zea told UnderGroundOnline (UGO).  “And as the names started coming in, that's when I got scared that somebody made a mistake.”

Zea's paranoia over being miscast continued on for several weeks, with her contacting show officials to make sure that she is, indeed, part of the show.

“I was asking for weeks, ‘This is official, right? Like officially?' They'd be like, ‘Can you please stop faxing us? Can you please stop calling about this, you've got it,'” Natalie Zea recounted to UGO. 
“There was a bit of disbelief, and I did a lot of checking.  Did this really happen?”

Since then, Zea has become very thankful for the role, especially since she believes Dirty Sexy Money has greatness written all over it.

“It's a great show.  Someone asked me to compare it to a show that's already on TV, and I said, ‘Yeeeah, no.'  I thought about it for a second, and I couldn't,” Natalie Zea said.  “That could be a really good thing or we might be in trouble.  I don't think we're in trouble.  I think its' going to be great.”

On Dirty Sexy Money, Zea will play Karen Darling, the head of the family's charity foundation and three-time divorcee.  Production began last month, with the stellar cast coming together to bring the series into life.  Zea has managed to keep her cool despite being surrounded by such high-profile actors.

“When I'm at work, I'm at work.  You're in makeup, and people are in their pajamas, and it's not nearly as intimidating in person as it is when referencing it,” Zea said.

Prior to Dirty Sexy Money, which will premiere on September 26, Zea had guest-star stints on a number of television series, including The Shield, CSI and Without a Trace.


-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: UGO
(Image Courtesy of WireImage)