Before she became known as one half of "Will and Grace," before she earned acclaim as "The Starter Wife" and before she nabbed one of the lead roles in the hotly anticipated musical drama "Smash," Messing says she was a Rhode Island kid who took dance lessons, sang and dreamed of stardom.

As a teen, she threw herself into large cattle call auditions, a stressful experience that has stayed with her.

"I remember just waiting my turn and getting the number and trying to stay calm and having to walk in and knowing I had 30 seconds to make an impression," Messing says of her days as a 17-year-old ingenue seeking the bright lights of the stage.

"And then them saying, 'Thank you.' And just knowing, in that moment, 'It's not going to happen.' And trying to keep the smile on (my) face and walking out and trying to second-guess (my)self - 'Why didn't they like me? Was my throat drier than normal today? Am I tired? Should I give it up? And is this for me? Am I strong enough to continue persevering?'"

Show business is a tough and twisted game.

Now that Messing has made it, she says she took special delight in sitting on the other side of that audition table to portray a veteran lyricist auditioning young talent for a musical in "Smash," even if it is all make-believe.

"Literally I was levitating with joy - just sitting there, being able to sit behind the table and be the one to judge instead of (being) the vulnerable lamb out there just singing (her) heart out," Messing says during a stop in Toronto last June to preview the Broadway-themed TV series.

"And it does bring me back to the very beginning of my love of theatre and my desire to become an actress. It was musical theatre that set me off and that was the world I wanted to be a part of."

Even if that world might actually feature more drama offstage than onstage, at least according to "Smash."

Executive produced by film giant Steven Spielberg, the musical serial purports to display the best and the worst of the scheming and dreaming that fuels big Broadway spectacles.

Messing stars as longtime lyricist Julia Houston, who, along with composing partner Tom Levitt, played by Tony nominee Christian Borle ("Spamalot," "Legally Blonde: The Musical"), is on a mission to mount "Marilyn: The Musical," based on the life of Marilyn Monroe.

The duo is backed by fierce Broadway producer Eileen Rand, played by Anjelica Huston, who is simultaneously embarking on divorce proceedings with a powerhouse ex that could torpedo her career.

"American Idol" runner-up Katharine McPhee is the aforementioned lamb struggling to land her big break, while real-life Broadway star Megan Hilty ("9 to 5," "Wicked") plays her biggest rival, an ambitious chorus girl eager to make the leap to leading lady.