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The wrong 'do nearly kept Kim Johnston Ulrich from landing the role of PASSIONS socialite Ivy Crane.

The actress (who also played AS THE WORLD TURNS's Diana) explains, "When I first auditioned, I went in with my hair down because I thought, '[Ivy's] rich; the producers are going to want her hair to be sexy.' The feedback I got after my audition was that they really liked me, but they thought I wasn't upscale enough. Quite honestly, I've never been accused of not being upscale enough. I'm from a blue-collar family, but throughout my career I've played rich, conniving and manipulative characters."

Fortunately, Ulrich got a second chance. "I went back in for my second audition with my hair in a classic French twist, very Grace Kelly, and the producers loved it."

Getting the right look is important for Ulrich. "I can't find the character until I'm in the clothes and the hair. [Then] I'm like, 'Okay, got her now.' When I play a cop's wife or a mom, my hair is very simple. It's not always the most flattering style on me, but that's okay because that's what it needs to be. I played an airhead on VALERIE once, and my hair was really, really blonde at the time and very curly, very permed. [The hairstyle] helped me find the character.

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In the '80s' poufed-out hair was all the rage, but Kim Johnston Ulrich learned that bigger is not always better. "When I moved out to Los Angeles from New York, one of the first shows I did was REMINGTON STEELE. I played a soap opera actress who was going to sing 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' The hairdresser asked me how I wanted to wear my hair. I said, 'I think it needs to be up and big.' And I told her that she can really [tease] my hair out. She said, 'Oh, don't worry, honey. I did Morgan Fairchild on FLAMINGO ROAD.' The next thing I knew I had the biggest hair of my career. It was huge. I quickly learned not to say 'big hair!' "