Gabrielle Union: the sky is the limit Hollywood's rising star.(Cover Story)

Those who say nice girls finish last, not true, declares Gabrielle Union with a laugh. "For me it has been what has helped me to get ahead."

Hard to dispute. You might not know her name, but her face is everywhere. She's the pretty brown-skinned girl with the deep J Dimples. Usually she's the hottie in Black romantic comedies. The woman you love to hate, but you just can't.

For Union, one of Black Hollywood's rising A-list stars, has built a career of making her bad girl characters look so good. And she hasn't done too bad in White Hollywood either, having been dubbed the "it" girl.

The second you believe all of that is the quickest way to play yourself right out of the game," Union explains. "That's what I've learned by hanging back and watching. People who get all the accolades, the 'it' girl, 'you're the next one,' if you start to believe it, they disappear. You have to stay humble and take each job as it comes and just hope people appreciate your work."

Roles have been generous for Union. Her latest Breakin' All The Rules, was just a week ago. The romantic comedy about a man who is given his walking papers by his fiancee and then writes a best-selling "how to" book on breaking up pairs her with Jamie Foxx and Morris Chestnut.

"It was like getting paid to go hang out with your friends," she says. "It was an easy, comfortable situation. I jumped at the chance. They are both two of my close male friends. I'm close to their families."

She makes her foray into cable television with a role in the upcoming HBO movie Something The Lord Made, which stars Mos Def, Alan Rickman and Kyra Sedgwick. Union also finished production on the independent drama Neo Ned. This marks her entrance into an indie film as well.