Jamie-Lynn Sigler is enjoying the journey (Exclusive Interview)

Jamie-Lynn Sigler guest stars on “Drop Dead Diva.” Photo by Bob Mahoney.

You may recognize award-winning actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler from her days as Meadow Soprano on the iconic HBO drama “The Sopranos” (starring James Gandolfini, Edie Falco and Lorraine Bracco) or as Turtle’s girlfriend on “Entourage” (starring Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Piven), but her upcoming role on the season finale of Lifetime’s “Drop Dead Diva” is sure to surprise audiences.

“I think they’re going to see a new side and a new depth of her character in the season finale on Sunday,” show creator Josh Berman said recently. “And I’m really looking forward to seeing fan reactions.”

In the season three finale of “Drop Dead Diva,” Sigler plays Tina Howard, a character who is suffering from cardiac disease. In order to survive, she needs a heart transplant from her brother, who is a death-row inmate.

Born in Jericho, New York, Sigler began acting in theatrical plays at a young age and has since become one of Hollywood’s most talented actresses. Ranked as one of the most beautiful women in the world by men’s magazines like FHM, Stuff, and Maxim (in 2002, 2005 and 2007), her current Top 5,000 STARmeter™ ranking on IMDb.com is 1,351. She is also an accomplished singer and author of the memoir “Wise Girl.”

Brooke Elliott with guest star Jamie-Lynn Sigler on the season
three finale of “Drop Dead Diva.” Photo by Bob Mahoney.

Now at age 30, Sigler is branching out in her career and taking on new roles that not only challenge her as an actress, but also allow audiences to view her in a different light.

“With acting and with what I do you can always get better and you can always learn and grow as a person and as an actor from every project,” Sigler told me recently. “And people you meet can lead to other projects, like working with Josh (Berman) last year and our pilot led to this… I think a lot of people try and sort of look at their careers as this chess game and what’s going to get you further… Ultimately, I’ve always led with my gut of what is just going to help me grow as an actor. And I’ve been happy with my journey thus far.”

Sigler, who filmed the season finale in July, after returning from vacation in Spain, is scheduled to appear in several upcoming projects including, “Divorce Invitation” (2011), “Jewtopia” (2012) and “Anatomy of the Tide” (2012).

With each new project Sigler says she asks herself, “What can I learn from this?”

“I work hard. I do my homework,” Sigler said. “I do most of my work before I get to set because I think for me acting is a collaborative experience… I try and do as much work as I can before I get to set so that I can have a good time and converse with other people. I’m not somebody that goes back to my trailer. I like to hang around and talk a lot.”

The Season 3 Finale of “Drop Dead Diva” with guest star Jamie-Lynn Sigler airs at 9 p.m. Sept. 25 on Lifetime. The series was recently renewed for a fourth season, to premiere in 2012.

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“Jamie-Lynn Sigler is enjoying the journey”

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