Celebrity Dish

Jason Wiles learned an important lesson when he successfully read for the part of New York City cop Maurice "Bosco" Boscorelli on NBC's Third Watch: Ignore the script. "Bosco was the first character written for the pilot," says Wiles. "It said he was '6-foot-4 and 250 pounds of muscle, frustration and attitude.' I'm 5-foot-9 and a buck fifty. I was like, 'Hey, I know I have nothing to lose here.'"

The role marks a turning point for the actor. "You're not always at a place where you feel comfortable and safe in your career," says Wiles, who is married to literary agent Joanne Roberts Wiles. "This is truly the first time in my career where I get to do my own thing. I have real freedom. The producers are fueling me with confidence, and I'm taking chances I haven't taken in 10 years." It helps that Bosco is more enigmatic than the policeman Wiles portrayed on To Have and To Hold or the hunk he played on Beverly Hills, 90210. "Bosco walks in, and you don't know if he's going to kiss you or strangle you," explains the actor, who was reared in Kansas City, Missouri, and Lenaxa, Kansas. "He's in your face, up-front with no apologies, but he also has a heart. [With this role] I have a ticket to the roller coaster."

***Check out the recipe for JASON WILES' KANSAS CITY BBQ BEEF that ran next to this article.