Janine Turner broke into show business because of her looks. At 15, she was the youngest model under contract to the Wilhelmina modeling agency.
At 17, she was on three episodes of "Dallas."At 19, she was a regular on "General Hospital."
At 23, after appearances on a number of different television shows (including "Family Ties," "The Love Boat," "The A-Team" and "Mike Hammer") and small roles in movies, she left Los Angeles for New York - to find art. Her agent fired her.
Now, at 27, Turner thinks she's found art on CBS' new "Northern Exposure," which premieres Thursday at 9 p.m. on Ch. 5.
"Maggie is the kind of character I've been waiting for all my life," Turner said. "This is why I moved to New York four years ago. This is the role I've been waiting for."
And she says her looks don't have much to do with her as bush pilot Maggie O'Connell.
"I'm so glad I don't have to run around in high heels and makeup and lowcut dresses," she said in a telephone interview. "My hair is cut very short and I wear almost no makeup. It's great to be working on my acting and not working on my looks."
Not that it was easy to pretty much give up the promising career she was building on the West Coast.
"I just knew there was something within my soul that I wanted to do," Turner said. "A lot of people told me I was making a big mistake. But I wanted to go to New York and really study acting. I've spent the last four years studying with a coach and acting in off-Broadway plays, things like that."
And Maggie definitely isn't a glamourous character. When she's not piloting her plane around, carrying the mail, she's a landlord and maintenance person.
"She's the one who fixes the toilet and puts the lock on the door," Turner said. "She's very feisty, very independent. She deals with people from her gut."
At least part of the reason she was attracted to the role is that Maggie and Janine have much in common.
"Certainly in some ways, we're a lot alike," Turner said. "I'm very stubborn and stick to what I want, and so does Maggie. We're both pretty strong personalities.
"So for me, it's an absolutely fabulous role. I was holding out for a part just like this. This is really my best role yet."
Maggie is a bit of a rebel. A Michigan native, she traveled to Alaska with a boyfriend. He didn't stay, but she did.
"I think Alaska is probably the last frontier," Turner said. "So it's a great place to get away and really be somewhat isolated. Maggie is just kind of running away from things."
The starting point for the series is when Dr. Joel Fleishman (Rob Morrow), fresh out of medical school, is sent to a small Alaskan town where he must practice for four years to repay the state for financing his education. He's not at all happy to be there.
Maggie and Joel meet when she rents him a room.
"Joel and Maggie have kind of a love/hate relationship," Turner said. "There's a spark there. I think she's attracted to him because he's from New York. He sort of represents what she left behind. But he's always complaining."
While searching for "art," Turner admits she became a bit of a snob about TV.
"I was for a while," she said. "I wanted to do only very specific things. Then I opened my eyes and turned around and saw there were some really excellent things being done on TV."
And she includes "Northern Exposure" among the excellent TV projects.
"It's not about car crashes or guns. It's not a cop show," she said. "It's different. It's about talking and dialogue and words.
"(Producers John) Falsey and (Joshua) Brand do incredible work. They have a great track record. The show is full of off-beat, intelligent humor."