Paula Garcés says she's a geek. The Colombian-born, New York-bred actress, best known as dream girl Maria in the Harold & Kumar movies, thinks she's too much of a goofball to be considered "hot." Too late.

After kicking off her career in the early '90s on the TV shows New York Undercover, Oz and Guiding Light, Garcés snagged a starring role as Francesca in the 2002 teen film Clockstoppers. By the end of that same year, the then-28-year-old was named one of Maxim magazine’s "Hot 100 Women of the Year," along with Beyonce, Jessica Alba and Shakira.

A former personal trainer who briefly attempted professional kickboxing, Garcés soon picked recurring roles on Law & Order and CSI: Miami. For much of her career, the bubbly Latina has stepped into the shoes of younger characters. "I feel like I have an advantage since I look young, and I can bring a lot of insight into the roles that a girl that age might not be able to," explains Garcés. Most recently, she spent three seasons playing rookie officer Tina Hanlon on the popular police drama The Shield. A successful working mom, Garcés is trading in her badge and gun for high heels and designer clothes as the co-creator, host and executive producer of the new mun2 series "The mun2 Look."