We talk to the actress about her lizardy new role and whether she might play Supergirl again.
by Eric Goldman (link to original interview)
Laura Vandervoort became a familiar face to genre fans with her role as Supergirl on Smallville. Having already mastered playing one beautiful alien, Vandervoort has moved on to another such character on V – but one with very different origins and intentions than Kara Zor-El.
On V, Vandervoort plays Lisa, one of the alien “Visitors” who come to Earth announcing nothing but good intentions… while hiding their true agenda, and their true, green scaled physical form. In her job as a recruiter for the Visitors, Lisa has quickly connected with Tyler (Logan Huffman), the son of lead character Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell). But what does Lisa really want from Tyler?
I recently visited the set of V and spoke to Vandervoort about her new role and what’s to come on the series – and also whether we might see her as Supergirl again.
Question: You’re playing an alien again on this show, but a very different one than on your last TV series.
Laura Vandervoort: Originally, when I got the role of Lisa, I was a little concerned, because I was worried I would be typecast as an alien for the rest of my life. But they are so, so different that it wasn’t at all a problem. I’m very lucky. I’m blessed to be on another show. I think it’s going to do really well.
Q: Clearly, the Visitors have a hidden agenda, but we also learned in the pilot that not every one of them shares the same philosophies that their leader Anna has. Where does Lisa stand? Is she a true believer?
Vandervoort: They like to keep it under wraps. I’ve asked a few questions about my intentions and the producers and writers, obviously they know – but they don’t want us to give anything away in our performances, when we’re not even realizing it. If I know where I’m going, I might smirk somewhere or just give it away to the audience.
I believe Lisa has good intentions, but it’s really hard to tell at this point… and that’s the way we’re going to keep it. We’re going to keep them guessing.
Q: It’s hard to know what a Visitors “good intentions” would mean.
Vandervoort: Exactly! We say, “We’re here for peace, always.” That’s our slogan. I want Lisa to really just be there for peace and maybe to have gotten mixed signals from her leader and she believes she’s there for good when they’re not. I honestly do not know, but those are my hopes. There’s definitely going to be a shock to the audience about my character and where she stands within her people. But I can’t give more of that away… There’s a big surprise.
Q: Does that have to do with her relationship with Tyler?
Vandervoort: It affects her relationship with Tyler immensely.
Q: Is it tricky to show her relationship with Tyler, when you yourself aren’t sure if she has genuine feelings or if it’s all part of her agenda?
Vandervoort: They have their intentions on Earth and the audience isn’t going to be clear about that. Her job is a recruiter. She’s there to recruit humans to become peace ambassadors. Tyler really falls for her pretty hard and I think she’s surprised with some of the feelings she has that she didn’t expect. So the way I’m playing it and the way the producers and I have discussed is just to be completely honest. I don’t know if she really loves him or not, but every scene I’m playing, I’m playing as if I love him – whether I’m tricking Tyler and the audience, or I’m being true… It’ll all work out in the end.
Q: Maybe she loves him like a human would love a dog?
Vandervoort: [Laughs] Perhaps he’s just my little dog, and he’s going to do my errands and my little bids… but I don’t think so.
Q: Here’s a natural question for all of us who remember the original – will there be any rodent eating in your future?
Vandervoort: I would love to do that, just because that’s such an iconic scene. Everyone I talk to about V, they’re like, “Have you eaten any rats yet?” “No, but I’m looking forward to that!” I don’t know if Lisa is going to get a chance to. I think if any of us did, it would be Morena [Baccarin], because she’s the queen bee. I think the rest of us probably eat mice instead of large rodents, because she gets the big meat. We get the leftovers. We get the tail or the foot.
Q: Have you had any lizard makeup on yet?
Vandervoort: I haven’t had the pleasure yet, no.
Q: Prosthetic makeup can be fun, but it can also be a big ordeal. Is that something you’re looking forward to?
Vandervoort: I would love to do that. I have never had a chance. They always say there’s something about wearing a mask on camera. It kind of frees you and allows you do to things you wouldn’t necessarily do when you’re yourself. And even though we’re dressed as humans, to just have the lizard skin underneath… even just knowing it’s there is intriguing when you’re playing it. I would love to do the prosthetics.
Q: Is it always in your mind? Your character’s true form?
Vandervoort: We’re not giving away to the audience any weird, lizardish qualities, and from what I’m understanding, when we were born, we were trained completely in how to act and just be a human. So nothing gives us away. I know how to walk. I’ve seen pizza before. I know what a bird is. I’m not going to tilt my head and do something strange. But especially on the mothership, I’m very reserved and we’re soldiers, almost. Very calculated and coldblooded, if you would. But there’s little innuendos that I’m trying to throw in there, and hopefully the audience won’t notice, but they show a little bit of something.
Q: Like what?
Vandervoort: I can’t say! [Laughs] Because then everyone is going to be looking for it! “Ah, she did it!”
Q: By the end of the pilot, Erica has a lot of reasons to mistrust the Visitors. Have you had any scenes with Elizabeth [Mitchell] yet?
Vandervoort: There’s so many cast members that it’s taking a long time for us all to meet. Eventually the characters will all come together in some way or interact. Most of my stuff has been with Logan [Huffman] and Jesse Wheeler and I recently worked with Morena… and I had a little scene with Elizabeth.
Q: We just saw the big green screen stage you shoot all of the mothership scenes on. Have you gotten used to working in that?
Vandervoort: We’re getting used to it. They say you get nauseous in a green screen room, but I haven’t yet. It’s a little odd playing pretend with props and monitors that we’re supposed to be watching, but I’ll get used to it.
Q: Some actors say it’s difficult to calibrate their performance in a green screen. You tend to either overplay or underplay, because you don’t know what you’re looking at.
Vandervoort: Right, but we have new technology that allows us… After we’ve blocked it, all the actors usually run over to the monitor and we can see the hallways and what’s there. But I find it difficult, because you’re in such a large room and you feel so small and inadequate. There’s so much space around you and actors always want a prop or something just to make it comfortable. Especially the Vs, we’re never carrying anything. We don’t have props or jewelery. You always want something tangible to play with, and we have nothing. I find myself playing with my hands off camera, just because I’m getting a little uncomfortable with the space.
Q: Did you and Morena talk about similar characteristics you wanted to bring to the Visitors?
Vandervoort: For the pilot, I was actually cast pretty late into the shooting. I didn’t have a lot of time. When I came out here, I just was on set and I started shooting. I just had a general way of how I wanted to play her, which was very reserved and always thinking and calculated, and also warm and flirtatious. It worked out well, because when I saw the pilot and Morena was very reserved as well, it just worked well, because we played it the same way, thank god. And then after that, there was really no discussion on how to play it. We just kind of went with it, because everyone was happy.
Q: The original V had a relationship between a young human and a young alien that resulted in a very famous birthing sequence. Would you like to see history repeat itself with your character?
Vandervoort: Sure, why not! Then I can eat anything I want while we’re shooting. I’d have this stomach on me.
Q: Have they hinted that might be the trajectory for your character?
Vandervoort: No, honestly they haven’t. I have my thoughts about what direction it’s going to go, but they haven’t told me anything. I’m going blind here!
Q: You have a very cool new gig, but you are once again shooting in Vancouver on a Warner Bros show. Is there any chance of you stopping by Smallville at any point?
Vandervoort: When I got this job, I’m like, “I’m going to be in Vancouver! Maybe Smallville will call me!” I was hoping, but I’m not sure. I would love to go back and bring closure to Supergirl, because right now she’s on another planet, waiting to come back. And I’m not sure when they’re planning to do that. I’m hoping before the end of the series, just to say goodbye to the fans, because I think they were a little shocked when I was just gone.
Q: You just sort of went into outer space…
Vandervoort: …and never returned. Two seasons later, I’m still not back!
Q: They’re doing so much stuff with different Kryptonians this season, it seems like it would be the right time to bring her back.
Vandervoort: Yeah. But she went off to find their family. The last thing she said was she heard some of their family still existed. So I think that would be a huge thing, to bring me back, and I’d probably be returning with some large news… and they probably want to wait for that. But I’m not hinting… I don’t know anything!
Q: At first it seemed this would be the last season, but now it sounds like…
Vandervoort: There’s one more, yeah. Tom [Welling]‘s a producer now. I think it’s going to go a little longer.
Q: Kara could fly before her cousin. Maybe she could wear the costume before her cousin.
Vandervoort: [Laughs] I don’t want to wear the costume. I love that it’s pre-costume. It’s more grounded and that’s why Smallville‘s done so well, because they make something that could have been fluffy really grounded and real.
Q: So your wish list doesn’t include fighting crime in a miniskirt?
Vandervoort: No, no! The high boots and the miniskirt… Actually, there was something in the paper the other day about Supergirl’s underwear changing and there was a huge uproar. In the comic book they gave her short bicycle shorts instead of underwear and everyone was upset!
On V, Vandervoort plays Lisa, one of the alien “Visitors” who come to Earth announcing nothing but good intentions… while hiding their true agenda, and their true, green scaled physical form. In her job as a recruiter for the Visitors, Lisa has quickly connected with Tyler (Logan Huffman), the son of lead character Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell). But what does Lisa really want from Tyler?
I recently visited the set of V and spoke to Vandervoort about her new role and what’s to come on the series – and also whether we might see her as Supergirl again.
Question: You’re playing an alien again on this show, but a very different one than on your last TV series.
Laura Vandervoort: Originally, when I got the role of Lisa, I was a little concerned, because I was worried I would be typecast as an alien for the rest of my life. But they are so, so different that it wasn’t at all a problem. I’m very lucky. I’m blessed to be on another show. I think it’s going to do really well.
Q: Clearly, the Visitors have a hidden agenda, but we also learned in the pilot that not every one of them shares the same philosophies that their leader Anna has. Where does Lisa stand? Is she a true believer?
Vandervoort: They like to keep it under wraps. I’ve asked a few questions about my intentions and the producers and writers, obviously they know – but they don’t want us to give anything away in our performances, when we’re not even realizing it. If I know where I’m going, I might smirk somewhere or just give it away to the audience.
I believe Lisa has good intentions, but it’s really hard to tell at this point… and that’s the way we’re going to keep it. We’re going to keep them guessing.
Q: It’s hard to know what a Visitors “good intentions” would mean.
Vandervoort: Exactly! We say, “We’re here for peace, always.” That’s our slogan. I want Lisa to really just be there for peace and maybe to have gotten mixed signals from her leader and she believes she’s there for good when they’re not. I honestly do not know, but those are my hopes. There’s definitely going to be a shock to the audience about my character and where she stands within her people. But I can’t give more of that away… There’s a big surprise.
Q: Does that have to do with her relationship with Tyler?
Vandervoort: It affects her relationship with Tyler immensely.
Q: Is it tricky to show her relationship with Tyler, when you yourself aren’t sure if she has genuine feelings or if it’s all part of her agenda?
Vandervoort: They have their intentions on Earth and the audience isn’t going to be clear about that. Her job is a recruiter. She’s there to recruit humans to become peace ambassadors. Tyler really falls for her pretty hard and I think she’s surprised with some of the feelings she has that she didn’t expect. So the way I’m playing it and the way the producers and I have discussed is just to be completely honest. I don’t know if she really loves him or not, but every scene I’m playing, I’m playing as if I love him – whether I’m tricking Tyler and the audience, or I’m being true… It’ll all work out in the end.
Q: Maybe she loves him like a human would love a dog?
Vandervoort: [Laughs] Perhaps he’s just my little dog, and he’s going to do my errands and my little bids… but I don’t think so.
Q: Here’s a natural question for all of us who remember the original – will there be any rodent eating in your future?
Vandervoort: I would love to do that, just because that’s such an iconic scene. Everyone I talk to about V, they’re like, “Have you eaten any rats yet?” “No, but I’m looking forward to that!” I don’t know if Lisa is going to get a chance to. I think if any of us did, it would be Morena [Baccarin], because she’s the queen bee. I think the rest of us probably eat mice instead of large rodents, because she gets the big meat. We get the leftovers. We get the tail or the foot.
Q: Have you had any lizard makeup on yet?
Vandervoort: I haven’t had the pleasure yet, no.
Q: Prosthetic makeup can be fun, but it can also be a big ordeal. Is that something you’re looking forward to?
Vandervoort: I would love to do that. I have never had a chance. They always say there’s something about wearing a mask on camera. It kind of frees you and allows you do to things you wouldn’t necessarily do when you’re yourself. And even though we’re dressed as humans, to just have the lizard skin underneath… even just knowing it’s there is intriguing when you’re playing it. I would love to do the prosthetics.
Q: Is it always in your mind? Your character’s true form?
Vandervoort: We’re not giving away to the audience any weird, lizardish qualities, and from what I’m understanding, when we were born, we were trained completely in how to act and just be a human. So nothing gives us away. I know how to walk. I’ve seen pizza before. I know what a bird is. I’m not going to tilt my head and do something strange. But especially on the mothership, I’m very reserved and we’re soldiers, almost. Very calculated and coldblooded, if you would. But there’s little innuendos that I’m trying to throw in there, and hopefully the audience won’t notice, but they show a little bit of something.
Q: Like what?
Vandervoort: I can’t say! [Laughs] Because then everyone is going to be looking for it! “Ah, she did it!”