I had a chance to catch up with Michelle Ryan, the new star of Bionic Woman while she was shooting in Vancouver.
First, let me brief you on the new Bionic Woman:
The new Bionic Woman is about Jaime Sommers (Michelle Ryan), a struggling bartender and surrogate mother to her teenage sister who thinks life is the pits. She then gets in a car accident and is able to survive by using top-secret technology at a high price. The way she is able to re-pay the debt of her new existence is she must learn how to use her super human abilities for good. The show will be about Jaime's journey of self-discovery and inner strength that she will have to find being the Bionic Woman.
Michelle Ryan has had much success in the U.K. She has been seen in EastEnders, I Want Candy, Mansfield Park, in BBC's Jekyll, among many other U.K productions.
Others in the cast are Isaiah Washington from Grey's Anatomy, Miguel Ferrer from Crossing Jordan, Chris Bowers from Rescue Me, Will Yun Lee from Witchblade, and Molly Price from Third Watch.
Nads: Hi Michelle! I hear you're quite the adrenaline junkie, are you getting your adrenaline fix with all of your action sequences in the show?
Michelle Ryan: I'm a real adrenaline junkie, so I absolutely love doing it and as much as possible I'll do my own stunts. So there's lots of punches. There's a whole big sequence with Antonio Pope (Isaiah Washington) and Jamie where he tries to bring out the animal instinct in Jaime and that's a really dynamic, really sort of hardcore fight.
I've had so many incredible action sequences. We're using Krav Maga style of fighting and the stunt coordinators, Dean and Will have been coming up with some really dynamic moves for Jaime. So it's lots of sort of flying spinning kicks. They had me up in a harness yesterday and then I'm on another harness today doing these sort of crazy stunts.
Nads: Did being an adrenaline junkie attract you to the role?
Michelle Ryan: It absolutely drew me to the role. When I read the script I just felt I connected with Jaime on every level; the fact that she has this strength and feistiness and she's smart but she also has a vulnerable side.
Nads: Being from the U.K, did ever watch Bionic Woman growing up, or know anything about it?
Michelle Ryan: I remember seeing a couple of clips as a child and thinking that Lindsey Wagner seemed like a very nice, very pretty lady. But those are the only memories I have.
Nads: Have you met Lindsey Wagner or heard from her?
Michelle Ryan: I haven't heard from Lindsey Wagner. Everyone is sort of, have you met her, and I'm like, I'd like to. She seems like a very nice lady. I did share a lift with Jennifer Garner which I thought was an interesting omen. I didn't say anything though.
Nads: So are you trying to mimic Lindsey Wagner's character, or are you trying to make the role your own?
Michelle Ryan: Well, I think first of all, I would say that Lindsey Wagner became an icon for doing it and she was incredible and I'm not trying to be her. I'm just doing my own interpretation.
I love the fact that we're bringing back this strong, young female character and I think it gives a great message, purely because, as well, I feel like with the character, you've got Jaime making scrambled eggs for her sister and she's breaking the eggs and you know you've got her on these missions and really scared before she has to use her bionic abilities.
Nads: Moving out from the U.K., do you find the transition of your life and the character you're playing parallel?
Michelle Ryan: Yeah, I feel definitely a connection. It's sort of like I feel like I'm on this journey of self-discovery. I moved out of home and I'm away - you know, my parents are actually here this week, but I've had two and a half months on my own and I do feel like I'm learning all the time as Jaime is.
I feel like it's sort of helpful being away from home. There are no distractions and I can just be fully focused on the work and I think I feel like I'm tat the same sort of turning point that Jaime is.
Nads: So has it been hard doing an "American" accent?