Actress Sasha Alexander Talks ‘Shameless,' Serbian Beauty Secrets, & ‘Dawson’s Creek’ Days

Actress Sasha Alexander is guest starring on ‘Shameless.’  

Since her Dawson’s Creek stint, Sasha Alexander—perhaps best known for playing Pacey Witter’s older sister Gretchen—has grown up. In the ‘90s, Alexander spent her days on set with Katie Holmes and Michelle Williams, and grabbing the on-camera attention of Dawson himself. But make no mistake; the Rizzoli & Isles actress is still attracting the younger guys.

Alexander makes an appearance in Sunday’s episode of Shameless, playing Helene, a professor at Lip’s school. And yes, he totally has the hots for her. Really, who doesn’t? “This woman is a much more sexual creature,” says Alexander. “She expresses herself and she’s very comfortable in her sexuality. She doesn’t apologize for it.”

We shamelessly asked the actress to spill her secrets for staying sexy, and thankfully she obliged.

Yahoo Beauty: In Sunday’s episode of Shameless, you’re playing a sexy, confident, character. Where do you channel that inspiration from?

Sasha Alexander: I admire women in the movies that have that tough girl sparkle to them. Lauren Bacall was one of them. Sigourney Weaver. Faye Dunaway had it. The toughness and the sexuality—it wasn’t one or the other. I draw from that.

Does that describe you?

I’m confident, but I’m also incredibly vulnerable and incredibly fragile as well. I enjoy playing those characters because they’re definitely tougher than I am.

Are you more confident now at 41 than you were in your 20s or 30s?

Absolutely. For women, maturity comes with age and experience. It all comes back to having both feet on the ground and feeling confident with who you are. You get to a place in your life when you’re like, “This is who I am. I can’t change this.” You can change your hair color, but in general, you are who you are. Love yourself, and make the best of it.

What insecurities have you overcome?

I always thought I had a big nose. You know what? I grew into my nose. I’m OK with it. It fits my big eyes. We judge ourselves more harshly in our teens and our 20s.

You’re Italian and Serbian. Have you learned any cultural beauty secrets growing up?

My [Serbian] mom believes in all natural remedies, so she’s got a cure for everything. She puts olive oil all over her face and her hair, but especially in the summer time. It’s the best natural conditioner. Both sides [Italian and Serbian] believe in eating natural foods—no crap and preservatives. Lots of fruit and vegetables. And napping!

Did you pick up any beauty tips from your Dawson’s Creek co-stars back in the day?

Those were the acne years for everybody. The thing I learned about from Dawson’s Creek was ProActiv! It was at the time where everyone was breaking out all the time. I learned don’t drink red wine before going on camera. It makes your eyes puffy.

How do you maintain great looking skin?

I use a lot of sunscreen and try to stay out of the sun as much as possible. I use a Clarisonic, which I’m totally obsessed with. I wouldn’t go and get Botox around my eyes—I do a lot of comedy. I have to be careful with that. On the other hand, I’m getting wrinkles! There’s an interesting treatment I’ve done in the past year called the Q Laser. You can do it for 20 minutes and walk out like it’s nothing. It tightens the skin around the eyes and gives moisture to the area and goes three layers under. I have seen an enormous difference from that thing! It’s something you have to do more frequently. I’m also a big Tracy Anderson devotee. You are drenched in sweat. I believe that kind of sweat is good for us.

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