Michelle Attai

Sporting nothing but her own caramel skin for our cameras, Michelle Attai claims that her nudity wasn't intentional, but the result of circumstance. "The [first] stylist [cancelled] last-minute,” says Attai. "My mother is going to be like, ‘What are you doing, baby?'”

In reality, Michelle is no problem child. As a former Miss Teen Maryland and Miss Teen USA runner-up, the 22-year-old's vision has always been a do-gooder at heart. However, things done changed. Playing a ride-or-die chick on HBO's The Wire, mama's little girl is ready to sex up the drug-ridden streets of Baltimore. If Ms. Attai doesn't boost The Wire's ratings, nothing will.

You went from beauty pageants to playing the main squeeze of a cold-blooded drug dealer on TV and posing nude. Talk about straddling extremes.
It's extreme that I went from a goody-goody image to this. Donald Trump's contract for Teen USA was strict, like: "No chewing gum.” But it's a progression. I'm getting older, becoming comfortable and I'm fine with it.

So is posing nude as improvisation, but you pulled that off without flinching.
I'm naturally reserved. Some people say I'm kind of standoff-ish. It's not something that I normally do.

So you're a prude?
[Laughs] I'm not a prude! If I'm around my friends, I'm generally relaxed, and not as prudish as you'd think.

What type of guys do you like?
I like ugly men.

Good, because people say I look just like Craig Mack.
Well, ugly is not the best term. Most of the guys [I date], my girls have been like, "Oh my God, they're ugly.” They're not that attractive. Physically he would be tall because I'm tall, and a sense of humor, because I'm a goofy person. I love to laugh.

Smiles are quite the turn-on, although laughing at your busted man's inadequacies could kill the mood. Have you ever laughed during sex?
I'm not answering that.

Your silence speaks volumes. So what do you bring to the table as a girlfriend?
I'm loyal. I'm honest. I am a little brat. I can be a little moody. If I tell them everything negative at first, you're never misled.

Good thing, that hard-to-get approach is so not sexy. Whose career would you like to emulate?
It's very cliche, but you know you'd definitely like to reach [Halle Berry's] level, slowly but surely, taking small parts.

Forget Oscar; our favorite Halle moment was her arousing display in Swordfish. Would you ever do nudity?
No, I'd probably want a body double.--Jozen Cummings