“Hairspray” star (um, okay) Nikki Blonsky was a trending topic last night after photos of her sweeping up hair at a salon in New York hit the interwebs. The Daily Mail says:

The actress is working at a salon in Long Island, where she does everything from applying make-up to sweeping the floor. ‘

But Nikki, who also appeared in Ugly Betty, has not given up on her dream of hitting the big time again.

‘I asked her if she was still acting and she said that she is auditioning a lot,’ [a customer in the salon said]. ‘But she needs a day job too.’

After feeling the flush of shame that accompanies pics of yourself pushing a broom around the equivalent of a Fantastic Sam’s, Nikki took to Twitter to let everybody know she hadn’t abandoned her hopes of making it big in Hollywood, tweeting:

Its true Im workin@ Superstar Salon as a makeup artist & more Im proud 2 b workin & helpin pay bills BUT ill NEVER loose sight of my dreams.

Just cause Im part time workin doesnt mean Im gonna give up on my dreams n dont give up on urs I might book something big soon keep positive

It’s astounding she can have so few movie role offers with the kinda range she has. For instance, she can play a fat white girl… but throw in a little bronzer and black wig and voila — she’s a fat Mexican girl! Make it braids and you’ve got yourself a fat Native American girl! You’d think directors would be chomping at the bit for a thespian with that broad a spectrum.

Being fat at something that’s probably about food; unfortunately, time did not permit me to find out any further details because (see thumbs 1-5 below):

PHOTO SOURCE: Fame Pictures