Goddess: Although Lisa Cerasoli’s GH character is named for Venus, goddess of love, she is written mostly for laughs.

Lisa Cerasoli sits down to lunch in the ABC commissary with huge purple curlers protruding from her head. When the actress gets excited about something she’s saying, the curlers flap against her head- making for a comical display.

The hair hardware is a work related necessity, to be sure: Cerasoli is being primped for her next General Hospital scene. But the wackiness of the visual clearly brings to mind her offbeat alter ego, V. (short for Venus) Ardanowski- the cop turned waitress turned personal assistant turned detective turned who- knows- what- who has helped numerous Port Charles residents out of tight spots since she arrived in town last year.

That Cerasoli is still on GH is something of a happy accident. The actress initially tested for Port Charles but instead landed a two month recurring role on GH. Her kooky recitation of ancient proverbs and her klutzy behavior provided some much needed comic relief, and the character ended up sticking around. “I become ‘the cop who was given more and more to do,’ as our [studio] acting coach says,” Cerasoli says with a laugh. “So I totally understand that it took them awhile to decide what they wanted to do with me. The beauty of it is that I’ve gotten to act with a bunch of different actors on the show. I’ve had scenes at the precinct, a couple of Cassadine scenes. They’re strategically placing me. Now I have a big storyline coming up, so I’m excited.”

Though Cerasoli knew she wanted to be an actress at age 5, in her hometown of Iron Mountain Mich., “ that [ambition] seemed weird, so I ever talked about it.” She says. Her collage studies included pre-med, math and architecture- pretty much everything but what she was interested in. That is, until she transferred in her junior year from Michigan State University to Arizona State University, where she earned a theater degree. A few years later, Cerasoli headed for Hollywood. “Thank God I was really naďve when I moved to L.A. –I had no idea how many actors lived in this city and how difficult it could be to get into the business,” she notes.

Working at a small talent agency, Cerasoli used her connections to secure auditions. She landed a role on the syndicated series Acapulco Bay, which required months of shooting in Mexico.

Though the project provided valuable experience, things were rough when she returned to Los Angeles. She felt lonely, and work was nonexistent. Even after she got the first nibble of interest from PC, it was months before anything happened. Cerasoli, however, stuck it out, never doubting that she would move forward with her acting career. The 20-something actress plans to win an Academy Award by age 35.

This streak of optimism is one of the many things that Cerasoli shares with her character. In fact so strong are the similarities between the the two that after getting the first few scripts, she thought to herself, “ I’ve auditioned for these guys a lot, but I had no idea they knew me so well!”

Cerasoli could live without some of V.’s traits, however. She’s not especially happy, for instance, to share V.’s clumsiness. “Once a month I will just trip and fall,” the actress explains. “Two days ago, I stepped on my own foot- and I had spike heels on. It was right before we were about to start a scene, and one foot just stepped on the other foot. I saw a chair out of the corner of my eye, I went to fall in it, but it had wheels! So I am going across the set, holding one foot while I’m sliding on this chair, trying to get it to stop.”

Sounds like an antic straight out of I Love Lucy. “She’s totally Lucille Ball,” says former co-star Vanessa Marcil (ex-Brenda Barrett). “Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but I think that Lisa’s the best actress on the show. She’s hysterically funny and has great instincts. I definitely see her going into a big career in features or in sitcoms.”

“People have always told me that I should do comedy,” Cerasoli adds. “People say, ‘You’re hysterical!’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah but you’re laughing at me-not with me!”

Someone important who isn’t laughing with her –or at her, for that matter- is her father, who has had difficulty accepting her artistic ambition. Despite her recent success, he would prefer that she work somewhere “with a retirement fund and the whole bit,” she says. “He doesn’t want me to be jobless and sad. He’s a small town guy and doesn’t get it. And he’s ever been to L.A.”

Someday soon she hopes this family matter will be resolved: in the meantime, she got lots to keep her busy at work. “I like that they’ve made me still in love with Jax-it gives me something to play with,” she says. “And V. and Ned have a bit of a bond; we’ve flirted a little.”

V.’s growing popularity with viewers has been gratifying for Cerasoli. She is amazed by the fans’ devotion; some wrote the network in hopes of winning her a contract. (It worked!) Others log on to ABC’s Web site after a Cerasoli-less episode to exclaim, “I want my V-TV!”

“V. is not typical soap,” Cerasoli explains. “I get letters saying that it’s so cool that V. is a small-town person and doesn’t have any money; that she’s in love with some guy she’s never going to get; that she trips and says things she shouldn’t and gets embarrassed. I mean, they’ve shown V.’s apartment and it only had lawn furniture! People can relate to that.”

Aside from the laughs and bruises she has received, Cerasoli says that GH has been a wonderful training ground. “The year I’ve been on this show has done more for my acting than any class,” she says, “I can see the progress. I’m a real fan of the show- the writing, the acting, the directing-and I’m not even close to being finished with everything I want to do with the character.”

GH has also been a boon for Cerasoli’s social life. The single actress has developed a close friendship with co-star Ingo Rademacher (Jax) and his family. She’s even discovered a use for her old math skills- tutoring the show’s child actors.

Cerasoli is also feeling more at home these days. “This city is intimidating,” she admits. “But this show gives me a lot of confidence. I’m starting to learn more about myself - it’s so important when you walk into a room to just be you. I felt the most comfortable coming here for auditions; that’s the reason I booked the job.”

Acting isn’t Cerasoli’s only passion "I’m a frustrated hairstylist, she admits with a laugh, adding that she often gets inspired to redo her hair at home. I try cut and color it myself." Then she goes to work and General Hospital fixes it.