AISHA Tyler wants to be more than just a pretty face who can tell a good joke.
Even as the quick-witted actress prepares to board a star vehicle of her own on another network, she’s building her dramatic credentials on Fox’s critically acclaimed “24.”
“I’ve been acting since I was in high school and done drama and comedy, so I look at it as an opportunity to show people what I can do as a dramatic actress and really change peoples’ minds,” Tyler told The Post. ” ’24’ called, and I love the show as a fan, so I said ‘yes.’ ”
Tyler, 34, got her first big break as host of “Talk Soup,” where she spent 2001-02 maliciously skewering the daily chat shows. Then came a well-received run on “Friends,” where she played the romantic interest to both Joey and Ross.
But just as Tyler’s comedy career reached its punch line, she got serious. Tyler followed up on her “Friends” stint in 2003 with a decidedly not-funny spot on “Tip/Nuck” last season as the victim of female circumcision seeking corrective surgery.
“As an actor, you always want to challenge yourself,” said Tyler, a Dartmouth political science grad who is also doing a recurring role this season on the CBS ratings monster “CSI.” “For me, [’24’] is an opportunity to do something very different than I’ve done in the past .”
Joel Surnow, “24” creator and executive producer, admitted he had serious reservations about casting Tyler, despite her dramatic success on “Nip/Tuck” and “CSI.”
” ‘She’s not going to work out for our show,’ ” Surnow originally thought, he says. “She read for us and she knocked me out – as well as all the preconceptions I had about her.”
Surnow and Tyler were both tight lipped about her new role on “24,” only saying she’d be playing a systems analyst named Marianne Taylor, who has a romantic past with a CTU member.
“24” premieres with a two-hour, special opener in January.
Tyler’s fortunes have never been higher, having recently signed a development deal with CBS. The poised, statuesque comedienne said she looks up to slapstick-turned-serious actors Tom Hanks and Jamie Foxx.
Hanks went from “Bosom Buddies” to Oscar glory, while comedian Foxx is now turning heads with his powerful performance as Ray Charles.
“Look at Tom Hanks, he was a famous comedian, did a sitcom and now he’s one of the biggest dramatic actors we know. Now he’s Oscar nominated and carries that gravitas,” Tyler said. “If you look at what Jamie Foxx has done, with ‘Collateral’ and now with ‘Ray,’ I would never have thought he could do this. He was incredible in ‘Collateral’ and amazing in ‘Ray.’ ”
Tyler added: “What comedians have is that we have to get up there on stage in front of people and we talk about our most intimate personal moments. Richard Pryor set himself on fire smoking crack and then turned that into a one-hour concert. That’s what comedians have – the ability to get inside their inner angst and inner pain.”
