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be a part of this because it's going to win an Academy Award.'" So sure that it would be a hit, she told Crash's writer-director Paul Haggis her prediction when she went in to audition. Not only did the film win an Academy Award, it won three Golden Globes, and a list of other acclaimed awards. "It was just one of the best things I ever read. I thought it was so smart and so brutally ugly, honest. It was so human without making it pretty, which I love for that. I love to see the ugliness of people because it makes it real, then see the beauty, because there's so both in all of us. I was so grateful to be a part of that whole experience." Jennifer recalls the scene in Crash where Don Cheadle and she (they portray detectives that work together and are also lovers) are in bed naked. "It's definitely trying because you want to be very focused on what you're doing, but you can't help but know that you're naked and it was difficult for both of us. And it was so nice to know that he was also, y'know, you get self-conscious. He was human, so it made the scene easier to do." It's not surprising to hear Jennifer name Don Cheadle and Dominic West, costars from two of her favorite projects, as the actors that first come to mind as the best she has worked with. "When I was present with them, you don't see any of the tricks —it's all very natural. Then, when you watch it, you're like, 'Motherfucker, look at this! He's so good!' You don't see it, it's so subtle. And I'm there talking with them!" What has surprised her the most in her acting career spanning 20+ years is the limited range of roles available to her. Frequently cast as the tough, detective- type – think Blue Bloods, Taxi, and Don't Say a Word—she questions why she can't play more complex characters or even the-girl-next-door. "I live next door, I have neighbors. Why can't I play that role?" She used to think it was just happening to her but came to realize that this is how the entertainment industry works: there are a few good roles out there for women and they keep going to the same actresses. "I've arrested too many people. I'm done. I said to my manger, 'After NCIS is done, don't ask me, don't send me, I will never play a cop, a detective, unless it's Homeland… There's so many elements to who she is," she says about Claire Dane's character. It's not so much playing a cop that bothers her, it's that these roles tend to be one-dimensional. Jennifer is ready for a role like Maura Tierney's in The Affair. "It's that human quality of bad and good in everyone. I like to know why people do what they do. That's what gets me." Her role as Ruby in Summer of Sam is the first, and only, time she was given the opportunity to do what she knows she is capable of. "I don't think I've had that opportunity since, to be honest. There's so much more I can do… I'm very grateful to Spike Lee for that —believing and allowing me to play such a role." Naturally, these limitations are upsetting to her, which is why cooking and baking have been her saving grace. This alternative artistic outlet allows her to channel her creativity into something other than acting. "Otherwise you're just sitting around waiting for jobs… and that's just not a way to do it." A deeply sensitive person, that hard- hitting toughness that many characterize Jennifer as is far from who she truly is. "I just think I've had to be [tough]. I've had to get through things, so I just did. But I'm not that person at all." Life hasn't been particularly kind to Jennifer when it has come to her health. But this beautiful, strong, superwoman took on all the challenges hurled her way and showed 'em who's boss. Not only did she get her celiac disease under control, she beat breast cancer. "Last year, I had a piece of disgusting cancer taken out of my breast. Thankfully, it's fine now. But after you go through illness, it changes you. I became extremely compassionate, more so than I ever was." Seeing people struggle is especially hard for Jennifer, who wants to help everyone, and truly tries her best to. (She makes an effort to write back to all who reach out to her.) One of the main reasons we asked Jennifer to grace our August/September cover is because of the good vibes she exuded on HARRY (our former cover star, Harry Connick Jr.'s talk show) and E!'s Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry. After seeing her beautiful spirit come through on these shows, I thought to myself, I really want to talk to her, and I tell her this. "Oh, that's awesome," she says softly with a genuine smile. "See, but that's you meeting me. Recently, casting was like, 'Can she play vulnerable?' Huh? What is wrong with you people? The characters I get, [it's] 'cause I can play it. I grew up in Brooklyn and then Staten Island. But it's not who I am at all… That Tyler thing, wasn't that crazy?" she asks. Tyler, who is a medium, connected with Jennifer's 15-year-old Golden Retriever, Frankie when they sat down for a reading for the show. Frankie had passed away a few months prior to their introduction. "I don't really have anyone close that died. That dog was my family. He was my love." This makes me look at my cat in a whole new light. She knows what's going on? "They totally know what's going on. This dog went through everything. It doesn't surprise me that he came through to say, I'm fine. So your cat knows more than you think," she laughs. ML Keep up with Jennifer at http://livingfreejennifer.com and follow her on https://www.instagram.com/jesposito https://www.facebook.com/JennifersWayJE and https://twitter.com/jenniferswayje Fans would be surprised to find out that… "I don't like to be the center of attention —maybe when I was younger. I like to be alone. I like things to be peaceful. Yeah, I think way too much."