Cassandra Freeman

Hometown: West Palm Beach, Florida

Currently: Heating up the Signature Theatre production's critically acclaimed revival of August Wilson's Seven Guitars as the sexy and sassy Ruby.

At Your Service: From age six at the West Palm Beach YMCA all the way through arts high school and Florida State University, Freeman jumped at every opportunity to perform—with one not-so-minor drawback: "I was never really cast in anything," she says wryly. "At Florida State, I'd always be cast as the maid. We did The Little Foxes—beautiful show—I was Addie the maid. We did Comedy of Errors—I was Luce the maid." Playing the title role in a gender-reversed production of Othello proved a source of fresh inspiration. "Doing that show made me think, 'I should still be acting—I can be more than the maid!'" she declares with a grin.

NYU and Beyond: Freeman's dedication paid off with acceptance to NYU's graduate acting program, an experience she found rigorous and life-altering. "I tell people, friends don't let friends go to grad school," she quips. In addition to the demanding coursework, Freeman overcame a number of personal tragedies, including the death of her father and grandfather and the end of an engagement, all in her final year at school. "Going through all that makes the business of this, as a career, so much simpler," she observes. "If you can survive that and still want to act afterwards, you deserve to be here."

Inside Woman: A casting director spotted Freeman at an NYU showcase, which led to her first big break, playing Denzel Washington's girlfriend in the hit thriller Inside Man. She remembers working on the film, which also starred Jodie Foster, Clive Owen and Christopher Plummer, as "an out-of-body experience." The biggest surprise: the warm personality of director Spike Lee. "People have this idea he's so mean," she says, "but he's not like that at all. He's the most nurturing, soft-spoken director I've ever met." Lee arranged for the crew to give Freeman a personal tour of daily life on the set as they went about the business of moving scenery and setting up equipment. "He went out of his way to make me feel like I was part of that movie," she says. "He made me feel I'll be doing this for a long time, which was an amazing gift."

Being Ruby: Seven Guitars marks Freeman's first opportunity to bring an August Wilson character to life after having studied the playwright's work extensively in school. Playing the stylish Ruby also inspired a new fashion edge in the dressed-down actress. "I'm nothin' like Ruby in real life!" she exclaims. "Normally, I wear jeans and a scarf on my head, but I've been buying more dresses—look, I have a little skirt on today," she says, flirtatiously showing off a flowing tan skirt. "Ruby, in her own weird way, has gotten into my life. It's crazy!"

The Spirit of August Wilson: Though Wilson tragically passed away in fall 2005, the cast has felt his presence, especially in an opening night moment provided by director Ruben Santiago-Hudson, who won a Tony for his performance in the original Broadway production of Seven Guitars. "We hold hands backstage every night," Freeman explains, "and on opening night, Ruben passed around this card. It was a little note from August Wilson, and it said, 'So live—August.' My soul just felt like, 'Take wing! Go!'"

Play On! Following her run inSeven Guitars, Freeman returns to the big screen in the Chris Rock comedy I Think I Love My Wife, slated for release in early 2007, as well as an independent film set to shoot in the spring. Yet the experience of Seven Guitars won't soon be forgotten by the spirited young actress. "Ruben kept saying, 'I found the best people, seven magnificent people,'" she recalls with a smile. "I think he definitely picked six magnificent people, and I'm one very lucky individual to be a part of this at such an early time in my career. Thanksgiving's gonna be very thankful this year."