TO GET THE PART, 'JAG' STAR RANG HER OWN BELL

Catherine Bell gives off a confident, competent vibe as Marine lawyer Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie, in "JAG," the long-running hit series that lands on Hallmark Channel beginning Monday, October 4 (8/7c). So it might surprise some fans to learn that Bell used to be very shy, quiet and reserved."

"One of the reasons I got into acting was to overcome that. I wanted to be more assertive," says Bell, who asserted herself when instinct told her not to, writing to executive producer Don Bellisario, pitching herself for the part. That audacious self-confidence so impressed Bellisario that he made her his top candidate.

"I was really nervous about writing that letter to Don," Bell admits. "But I did and I eventually got the part." Even now, she notes, that assertive side isn't second nature. "But I'm getting there," she declares. "It's becoming more of my character."

- HALLMARK CHANNEL -