'Vegas' star talks marriage to the mob

It's tough business being married to a mobster.

Just ask Vinessa Shaw, the actress who portrays crime kingpin Michael Chiklis' better half in CBS' "Vegas." Shaw insists that standing up to Chiklis' intimidating Vincent Savino takes a particularly confident and tough woman. "Laura is no small fry, either," she explained. "A lot of things are boiling under the surface with her. She is a woman of decorum; however, she's very smart and comes from a political background and knows the lifestyle she's getting into by marrying someone like Vincent."

The actress is having a blast on the series, particularly enjoying the interplay with on-screen hubby Chiklis. "It's so much fun, because he is so explosive and very present in his acting. [Laura] brings a sense of calm to [Vincent], yet she also brings out her own tendency to be real. And sometimes, it doesn't look so nice," Shaw said.

The actress has been seen in numerous film roles prior to landing the series, including "40 Days and 40 Nights," "Eyes Wide Shut," and "3:10 to Yuma." The CBS crime serial sees her reunite with "Yuma" director James Mangold, who no doubt deserves some credit for giving her such a strong character to work with.

"She's written with complexity," Shaw said. "And because she does have to battle with grace the age of the 1960s when women weren't as free as they are today, it's a definite challenge for her. And to balance that is quite an acting challenge, but it's deliciously fun."

Don't forget to check out the latest happenings in Sin City tonight in a new episode of "Vegas" on CBS.