The Next Files: JoAnna Garcia

THE HOT PROJECT
The CW’s Privileged

BUT YOU KNOW HER FROM…
Reba

Why she’s here to stay
As upstart tutor Megan Smith, the 29-year-old is a welcome throwback to the heroines of ye olde WB — whip-smart and undeniably charming.

Finding her funny bone
Garcia logged six seasons on Reba, but her comedic roots trace back further, to cult fave Freaks and Geeks: ”I’d love to work with those people, because they started it all for me.”

Role modeling
Oscar-nominated Anne Archer, who plays Privileged‘s blue-blooded doyenne, has become a friend and mentor. ”When Anne walked on the set, we sat down and talked about cupcakes and shoes,” Garcia says. ”She gives me to-the-point advice, but she’ll dance to Madonna in the makeup trailer with me!”

Tuesday twosome
The CW’s lead-in, 90210, may win the war of buzz, but Garcia says her show has ”heart.” ”It’s a time when you have b— jobs on page 4 of some scripts,” she says, referencing 90210‘s pilot. ”But what makes great television are great characters — you could put Privileged‘s characters in a morgue and do dead-guy jokes and people would still love them.”