“I don't have any expectations. And if you don't have any expectations, you don't have any disappointments”.

That's Peta Wilson's philosophy on life, but it also fits neatly in context with “La Femme Nikita” the third-year series based on the 1990 French film of the same name. The actress plays Nikita, a young woman who, once wrongly accused of murder, has become a hit woman for a covert anti-terrorist agency.

When Wilson, a native Australian who moved to North America in 1991 to pursue an acting career, landed the show's title part, she refused to concern herself with whether it would be a success.

“I had been auditioning about four months when I got this role,” she recalls. “And I went. Well, let's see where this one goes.” That's as much as I would allow myself. Because in my life, I've always set attainable goals, so that every single day I attain one or two new goals. Little goals, inching toward big ones.”

“And with the show, it was the same kind of thing. I never thought about trying to make it a hit. I just tried to do the best job I could. And that's all you can do, isn't it? The rest is for the people to decide. If they like it, they like it. If they don't, that's okay, too.”

But viewers do like it. “Nikita” boasts a weekly audience on USA of about 1.6 million, small by broadcast network standards but rock solid for cable.

“I'm not sure you can even call it a ‘cult hit any more,” Wilson says. “It's too big for that. I'm not surprised it's a hit because it's very different. But if it hadn't have been a hit, I wouldn't have been surprised either – and for the same reason: because it's very different.”

Wilson is the first to admit that many appealing aspects “Nikita” are wholly superficial, from the beautiful cast members and stylish clothes to the clever camera angles and flashy editing.

But the show is succeeding over the long haul because Nikita is such a compelling character: She is self-reliant yet at times fragile, always compassionate yet often begrudgingly brutal.

“Well, that's a woman, isn't it?” says Wilson, 28. “Women are very interesting and complex. And this particular woman, Nikita, is so primal. I think many people like the show because my character is a woman who doesn't mess around – she's blunt and straightforward – and yet she's also very vulnerable.

“Sometimes people compare the show to `Xena’ and `Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’ because we're women. But I think there's no comparison because Nikita's real and she's urban. She's not in the past or in the future or in fantasy. She's right here. Today.”

The husky-voiced 5-foot-10 blonde is the Army brat daughter of a career soldier. She grew up in Australia and New Guinea. In retrospect, she finds it ironic that she has made such a splash on TV, given that there was no television in New Guinea while growing up. Then again, with no TV, she and her brother had to entertain themselves, which might have sparked an early interest in acting.

Wilson moved to Los Angeles in 1991. She started by doing local theater, then moved on to small parts in independent films and cable. Eventually, she beat out about 300 other actresses for “La Femme Nikita.”

Executive consultant Joel Surnow says Wilson instantly stood out from the rest, so much so that he was not discouraged when presented a resume that was relatively skimpy. It's also worth noting, though, that she still had to audition five more times before everyone signed off on the casting.

“From the moment Peta Wilson walked into my office to read for the part of Nikita,” Surnow says, “I stopped pitching the show to executives. Instead, all I did was get them in a room with Peta. She's electrifying. After that, the rest of the cast fell into place.”

Indeed, the chemistry between Wilson and costar Roy Dupuis (who plays Michael, Nikita's Section One leader and secret lover) is so good that it has fed one of TV's steamier romances, one that will come out in the open in the Aug. 29 season finale.

Wilson's performance has contributed mightily to the show's success, but she won't take any bows for anything beyond that.

“Joel Surnow is responsible for everything else,” she says. “The reality in television is it's an executive producer's medium, more than that of any director or writer or actress. And it's Joel who makes it all work. He's the machine and I'm his muse. I will take responsibility and credit only for the acting.”

It might be healthy to enter a new series without sky-high expectations, as Wilson did, but as a result she also never imagined how much the show would change her life.

“In television, I've got a lot of balance in my life. But my personal life suffers a great deal. I miss my family very much. I miss my friends. I miss little simple things like going for walks in sunlight. The schedule (15-hour work days) makes it difficult. The weekends come and I'm tired and I can't be the girlfriend I was. It's very hard for us to get together and for me to make a big roast dinner and be fabulous.

“But I'm very grateful. What a great thing. I bought 10 acres of land in Australia on the beach. I'm having a place built there. So I'm a very lucky girl. It's hard at the moment, but one day I'll sit back and say, ‘What a wonderful time.’”