The TV Chick

One of my new favorite shows in the fall was V, based on a miniseries of the same name, that explores the possibility of new, perhaps more advanced life forms. Unlike it’s sci-fi counterpart on the same network (Flash Forward), V kept me continually interested week after week. At the end of the first four episode run, we learned that Anna (the leader of the Vs, played by Morena Baccarin) is Lisa’s mother. This was a rather shocking way to go into a long (far too long if you ask me) hiatus, but it kept me wanting more. Last week, V returned and I believe it was just as strong as when it started. The Vs are interesting creatures, and I’m still not sure if they qualify as good, evil, or somewhere in between. I recently had the chance to chat with Laura Vandervoort (Lisa) where she addressed this. We spoke about her character, playing different types of aliens, what makes V so unique and the possibility of her returning to another cult favorite, Smallville.

You played an alien on Smallville. But I want to know how is Lisa different from any other character you have played.
Well, yeah I guess, if people looked at it from the outside, they’d probably say “Okay, she plays aliens a lot.” (laughs) But, really Kara from Smallville and Lisa from V were completely opposite, despite the fact that they were both not human. Lisa herself, is at this point anyway, constantly walked all over, she doesn’t have an opinion, she just follows orders. You would think she was a bit of a weaker character as opposed to Kara, who was outspoken and a little obnoxious at times. Right now, she’s one of the weaker characters that I’ve played, just in terms of she’s allowing people to tell her what to do, but that changes very quickly.

And can you talk a little bit about Lisa’s relationship with her mom, Anna.
It’s not a very healthy one. But she’s a V, she doesn’t know any different. This is the mother she’s always known, this is the mother that they all know. They’re not coddled, they’re not held, it’s not a warm relationship. It’s almost like a business agreement, and she has to follow through with her destiny. She’s next in line for Queen V, and she can’t mess that up. There’s a lot of weight on her shoulders.

Absolutely. And since V’s are supposed to be devoid of any human emotion, is it challenging to play one?
It is in it’s own right. Sometimes I feel like I don’t want people to think that we’re just not doing anything when we’re acting because it is tough to not do anything if that makes any sense.

Oh yeah.
As actors, I think [we] want to go bigger with it. But the great thing about Vs is their subtlety, and everything they’re feeling is within their eyes. And they’re strong, so they’re to be feared. Especially with Lisa, she’s got a lot going on especially in the last couple of episodes that we’re shooting right now. She’s dealing with a lot, and there’s so many layers and things she needs to take into consideration and everytime she speaks, she’s kind of calculating the risks and the factors and who’s in the room. It’s crazy, she’s dealing with so much right now.

And how is Lisa’s relationship with Tyler going to develop? Are her feelings for him real?
The only way I can answer that is if the audience thinks her feelings are real, then that’s wonderful. Whether or not they actually are, maybe Lisa’s just really great at fooling the audience and Tyler, or maybe she really is feeling things. But you have to really watch the next couple of episodes to understand if Lisa’s just following orders, or if this is kind of her own choice.

Interesting. And what about the Vs do we not know yet? I know you can’t give away too much.
Well you do know now that the Queen seems to kill after she mates. I guess there’s really nothing that I can say. I don’t want to give anything away that you don’t know about the Vs. I mean you do know that it is possible, as you’ve seen with Morris’ character, for Vs to feel empathy if they’re maybe on Earth long enough. So that’s a possibility with Vs, but yeah I don’t want to give anything away.

Do you think your character or the Vs in general are evil?
I think Anna perhaps some people would think she’s evil, but to herself, she’s just trying to protect her species. So whether you want to consider that evil or not, I think it’s everyone’s own opinion.

That makes sense. And have you had any interesting fan reactions to your character or the Vs in general?
No. I mean, when I’m outside, people say “Oh you’re on V, that’s cool. We love the show.” But no, there’s been no weird reactions to Lisa or the Vs. People aren’t scared of me or anything. People like to make comments [like] “Oh is your tail showing?”

But nothing big, that’s good. You, Elizabeth and Morena all come from shows with really big cult followings. Were you prepared for the extreme popularity of V?
I didn’t know to the extent that it — the ratings are great and I guess when I saw that cast, I thought “Oh hey, this could really be something,” and then read the scripts and thought “This is going to be something,” but now seeing it on the television and just the power of the show, I guess — I’m not surprised but I think it’s great that we’re doing so well. I don’t think I was prepared for maybe the extent of how big the show is or could be, so I’m just excited to be a part of it to be honest.

Definitely. And do you have a favorite moment from filming the show so far?
Yes, but I can’t tell you what it is because it hasn’t aired yet.

(laughs) Of course! That’s alright, I understand. And there are obvious reasons why V is different from other Sci-Fi fantasy shows out there, but I wanted to know your take on what makes it so unique.
You just look at our storyline and our actors on the show — and we’ve got some great actors in it. And the way it’s written and the interactions between the characters is wonderful and always growing, and the storylines are always growing. But it’s also got the sci-fi aspect to it, so people who love sci-fi can enjoy it, people who love the drama can enjoy it, people who love romance — romantic stories — can enjoy it because of Tyler and Lisa’s kind of Romeo and Juliet storyline. I honestly think it’s got a bit of everything.

Yeah, I agree. I know you can’t spoil too much but can you give a little teaser of what’s coming up in the rest of the season, for Lisa specifically.
Lisa and Tyler’s relationship will go to a different level. And Lisa is learning more about herself and her people as the show continues, and perhaps discovering what it means to have her own opinion.

You were saying before that she is maybe a little weaker than other characters you’ve played. Will she maybe step up?
I feel bad saying she’s weak, because she’s really not. She’s a very solid character in that she can just stand there and stare and say “Yes, mother,” and she’s still intimidating. I just mean, like weak as in she lets her mother tell her what to do, but that would just be me saying that all of the Vs are weak, because we all let her tell us what to do. But I do think that she does — no pun intended — grow a thicker skin.

I like it, and is there any chance you might be returning to Smallville?
Oh boy. I haven’t heard anything. I know they’re doing a 10th season. I would love to, the show’s wonderful. I’d love to close up my character’s storyline because she really kind of just flew out the window. And that storyline hasn’t rounded out and concluded, and I think a lot of the audience is maybe just wondering what’s up with Kara. So I’d just love to close off the storyline, for at least the audience’s sake. But I haven’t heard anything from Smallville. So I can’t say yes or no.

And do you have any other projects coming up?
At this point, no. V has just taken up a lot of the time here in Vancouver. I’ve got a few things on the table that I’m excited about. You know, you have to wait to see how things pan out. And it’s a tough business, but hopefully by the time the show’s done airing the first season, I’ll be either back on the 2nd season or have been busy in between.

I’m already sold, but what would you tell viewers who maybe aren’t quite caught up or are going to catch the show for the first time — why should they tune in?
Tune in because our show will keep you guessing, keep you wondering, keep you wanting to see what’s going to happen next week. You’re just going to have trouble waiting until the next week to find out what happens because every episode ends with a giant cliffhanger, and every episode has some sort of shocking revelation for each character. And, it’s got a bit of everything. I highly recommend watching it, and that’s not just me being an actor trying to sell it because I’d be watching it even if I wasn’t in it.

Be sure to tune in tonight at 10 pm to ABC for an all new episode of V.