Days after returning from a honeymoon in an island of French Polynesia actress Rachel Nichols spent part of her day driving around Los Angeles approving furniture for a home she and husband, Scott Stuber, are building in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Staying still is not in the stars for Nichols, 28, a native of Augusta.

Follow the ZIP codes, from 04330 (Augusta) to 90210 (Beverly Hills) "with a stop in between at 10001 (New York City)," Nichols said.

You can now catch Nichols, a 1998 graduate of Cony High School and a 2003 graduate of Columbia University, moving on the silver screen in "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," playing at local theaters.

She appears as Julia in the film's story of Carmen (America Ferrara), and wears a heavy Elizabethan costume in her first scene.

"We both go to Yale," Nichols said. "I'm sort of a fancy Yale actress. I'm performing on stage and she's waiting to hold my dress."

Nichols' films set for release in 2009 include J.J. Abrams's "Star Trek," in which she plays a cadet at Starfleet Academy, and as Shana "Scarlett" O'Hara in Stephen Sommers' "G.I. Joe.: Rise of Cobra."

The latter movie, which was filmed in Los Angeles and then finished with a month-long shoot in Prague, is set for release next August. "Star Trek" is set for release in May.

Her July 26 wedding in Aspen, Colo., to Universal Studios producer Stuber, 39, a former vice chairman of Worldwide Production for Universal Pictures, took center stage for the summer.

"It was stressful even with an army of people," she said. "We had a lot of help. We had an arsenal of people and a wedding planner."

First, she had to let her hair return to her natural blonde. She had spent the previous six months as a redhead for two different movies, but promised Stuber she would be blonde for their wedding. The two have a pact to keep wedding photos private, Nichols said, so the public won't get to see her in her gown.

"I was a redhead for 'Star Trek' and 'G.I. Joe.' For the first time in my life I had to dye my hair," she said. "In all my years of modeling I never had to dye my hair. I worked with J.J. before in 'Alias,' and he asked really nicely if I would dye my hair.

While shooting "Star Trek," she was booked for "G.I. Joe." Producers there told her to remain a redhead.

"I had red hair up until five weeks before my wedding. It's the sexiest red color you've even seen."

Then came the excitement of the wedding followed by the sojourn to Bora Bora, an island of French Polynesia in the South Pacific Ocean. "We literally went deep underground," she said. "We checked e-mail one day."

Now, she's looking for her next project.

"It's been job, job, job, wedding, honeymoon, job search," Nichols said. "I've basically shot straight through from December of last year through June. My role in 'Star Trek' is small, but it required a lot of (time for) hair and makeup. I started 'G.I. Joe' in February and shot until June."

She's open to offers.

"There's always room for a great TV show, a good, juicy fun role," Nichols said. "I don't know if I'll take my chance doing a pilot since I got my heart broken with two of them. But I want to be open-minded."

Nichols, who stands 5-foot-10 and was a high-jump standout at Cony, began her career as an international model while an undergraduate at Columbia.

Then she moved on to acting, starting with HBO's "Sex and the City." She appeared as Rachel Gibson in 17 episodes of "Alias," and was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for "Best Frightened Performance" for "Amityville Horror" (2005).

"The modeling shoes have been hung up. We now move on to endorsements. I'd like to endorse something fun like Guess?, something where I could get a billboard. My parents like to see me on a billboard when they go to New York. A makeup contract would be good too.

"What I really should do is endorse sun screen. I use 70 SPF. I put two layers on my face and neck and back of my hands every day."

She returns to her parent's Augusta home every Christmas; otherwise, her family travels to visit her. Her parents, Jim and Alison Nichols, visited her while she was shooting in Prague.

Don't look for her to appear in any movies produced by her new husband.

"We have a very solid agreement: no working together," Nichols said.

Betty Adams -- 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com