In part 1 of our series, I spoke with actress Yvonne Strahovski, who has the complex role of Terra, the monster’s sympathetic human counterpoint in the film. Yvonne is perhaps best known for her television work, in particular the role of CIA Agent Sarah Walker on the hit NBC action-comedy Chuck and Hannah McKay on Showtime’s Dexter. We chatted a bit about the evolution of her character and why she connected with it almost immediately.

JASON HOWARD: What initially drew you to this script?

YVONNE STRAHOVSKI: Well, it was a lot to do with the character and the concept and being a part of something that was so embedded in tradition and mythology. We have this whole new fresh take on a story that’s been told many times, except we’re telling a different part of it that nobody’s really heard of before in a world that nobody’s seen before.

JH: Your character serves as almost a catalyst for how the audience’s perception of the monster changes and develops throughout the movie. Is that something that you kept in mind when creating Terra?

YS: You know, honestly it wasn’t that much of my focus. I now see it to be the case when I watch the movie. It’s definitely something that struck me when I saw it. The audience really does live through Terra’s eyes in discovering this world with her – the gargoyles and the demons and what it all means. But, at the time, I was focusing more on Terra and where she came from. Also, what her backstory was, which we don’t really touch on in the movie, but that was really informative for me as a starting point for building her character and who she was.

JH: You portray an electrophysiologist in the film, which is not a field most would consider to be common knowledge. Did you do research for the science aspect, or do you just allow the script to do that for you?

YS: Absolutely. I had to do research. I didn’t know anything about it. I mean, I knew a little bit, but obviously it’s such a complex and technical thing to grasp. I definitely sat down with a couple of cardiologists and had them explain what it was all about, as well as a lot of googling and research and even watching open heart surgeries on YouTube. Anything I could find. There was a lot of reading that I did as well as figuring out Terra’s backstory while reading the novel. There were also things like learning to do suture for Adam’s back in a particular scene. That was something I had never done before.

JH: Are there any particular challenges that you find when acting in a movie that is as effects-heavy as this one where much of the work will be done after your job is finished?

YS: Hmmm… Yeah, there’s definitely a big imaginative component to it. There’s a lot of green screen, CGI, and special effects. But, Stuart really made it a lot easier for me, personally. He knew exactly what he wanted with this. He had such a strong vision and he really kept us informed visually with what this world was going to look like. I remember him showing up to set and getting excited when he showed us certain sequences that were going to be done on the computer, even in their basic form, just so we could start getting an idea of what it was going to look like. So, we were definitely kept in the loop on that kind of stuff.

JH: With this role and your turn on Dexter, you seem to be doing a bit darker material than fans might know you for. Is it important for you to balance the light and the dark?

YS: Absolutely. I definitely think so. Not just light and dark, but all different types of elements. Different people, whether their intentions are good or bad. Different accents, different occupations, people who have had different experiences – that’s the beauty of being an actress. You get to portray all of these different people in one lifetime and pick their brains and pick apart a character for a certain amount of time. It’s a real learning experience and really makes you a keen observer of human behavior and real life.
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