While the Dr. Horrible bit's nice, or really anything involving her working with Whedon again, I was actually more glad that she put forth a take on V that counters the whole "people watch this because they don't trust Obama!" spiel I see thrown around everywhere.

While I do sort of join the throngs missing her gorgeous hair from Serenity/Firefly I think it does work particularly well that she went with such a drastic style as this alluring but slightly suspicious charismatic alien leader.

A little aside though, I had no idea they only filmed four episodes so far and would only be filming the rest in January. Given how massive this production's been and those notorious delays (and the unfortunate... promotion then demotion Jeff Bell had despite how great his seasons of Angel were?) I sort of figured they'd want at least a little more turn around time for airing episodes.

orangewaxlion | November 06, 07:02 CET

Aww, I'd love to see her reunite with Nathan on "Castle." She could be a woman from his past, maybe the one that got away. There could be a little animosity between her character and Beckett. Of course, I'm not a writer so I'm sure they could come up with something better. (are you reading this, Jose?)

Great interview, though anything with Morena tends to be so. Looking forward to seeing how "V" continues as I enjoyed the first episode though it was a little uneven. And, Orange, I was surprised by that revelations as well.

Finally, of course I'd love to see her on the Dr. Horrible sequel. Make the call, Joss!

E-Rawk | November 06, 08:07 CET

Ah, wouldn't there be a poetic kind of irony if her character fell for Dr. Horrible instead of Captain Hammer?

Taaroko | November 06, 08:46 CET

How about ThunderWoman?

Beren77 | November 06, 09:19 CET

Or Lady Sledge ? ;)

Nice interview. Man they must be kicking themselves right now after 'V' premiered so amazingly in the ratings, 4 episodes then a big production stall perfectly placed to throw away all that momentum. Oops.

As to Doctor Horrible I would love seeing her love being in it.

(and I like her hair short, she's had it a while now and it suits her. And it gives Anna a sort of elfin innocence crossed with a kind of power business look so it suits the part too. Course, Morena could shave her head and paint it purple, she'd still be dazzling ;)

Saje | November 06, 11:01 CET

Has a sci-fi series that's this overt about its sci-fi-ishness ever had such a strong premiere, ratings-wise ? (I say it that way to leave Lost out of the discussion, as its heavy sci-fi came later and one could watch the series premiere, all the way up until the Season 1 finale, without being sure that any actual sci-fi would surface).

Kris | November 06, 11:17 CET

FlashForward? Didn't the premiere of that show do well in the ratings?

Simon | November 06, 11:22 CET

Must be two years ago that she cut her hair because she was at the ME day at Fox during the strike with everyone saying "OMG she's cut her hair!"

zz9 | November 06, 11:34 CET

FlashForward? Didn't the premiere of that show do well in the ratings?

I see 'Flashforward' more in the 'Lost' mold though Simon, it's got the one big "gimme" and then the day to day show is basically a kind of drama/procedural crossover rather than overt SF (the premiere could've been a disaster movie once you get past the mass blackout). And until the last few episodes it may not even have been sci-fi anyway (still may not, Merry could be a red herring).

(it feels very sci-fi though, partly because of how the characters are working the problem and the whole "invent a car then imagine the traffic jam" premise of "What if you knew what was going to happen to you in 6 months time ?" and then seeing what follows. But I doubt that leaps out at mainstream viewers)

'V' on the other hand has giant alien spaceships in episode 1. Pretty overt.

[ edited by Saje on 2009-11-06 12:12 ]

Saje | November 06, 12:11 CET

Ah the premiere of TSCC then. Didn't it bring in 18 million?

Simon | November 06, 12:26 CET

Yeah true. IIRC it had a big American football game as a lead-in (think it dropped to 10-ish the next week ?).

Course, if you go back to when the TV landscape was a very different beastie (fewer channels, no DVRs or even that many VCRs etc.) then the original 'V' mini-series got about 40 million viewers for its premiere. Yep, four zero. Different times.


ETA: Actually, reading the source for that figure, it says 21.2 million households which the LA Times extrapolated to 40 million viewers in some undisclosed process which may or may not have involved pulling it from somewhere (let's say 'the air' ;) so not necessarily apples to apples. Still, if Mrs Cochrane (my primary 1 teacher) steered me right (and she always did) then even 21.2 is higher than 14.

[ edited by Saje on 2009-11-06 12:57 ]

Saje | November 06, 12:38 CET

Really nice interview!
Great answers about 'V'm loved the Firefly/Serenity bits, and Dr. Horrible... YES, PLEASE! Make it happen, Joss!! Pretty please??

Oh, and I love her hair short.

maxsummers | November 06, 16:29 CET

Very enjoyable interview. As to the subject of her hairstyle, Morena has the whole "Audrey Hepburn/Roman Holiday" vibe goin' on with her short cut. Morena with long tresses is more overtly seductive, but the 'sexy pixie' look puzzles the brain as the alien leader because there's definitely a disturbing vibe just under the sweet surface.

Her performance as the Vistor's leader is excellent. She appears as one who has practiced human voice and expression cues to convey trust, and charm, but it's a very observed performance. But there's something "off" in her charm, yet so ticky to put one's finger on. In her body language, she possesses a somewhat off-putting reptilian stillness, and empty gaze. Very effective to be both so beautiful, yet disturbingly creepy at the same time!

Also, always good to see a positive response to mentions of Firefly and Serenity, and Joss in general, from our BDHs. Morena would be great as a villainess in a Dr. Horrible sequel, and a guest shot on Castle would rock too!

11thHour | November 06, 21:03 CET

Yeah, the original V miniseries pretty much dominated the talk around the water cooler (or in the hallways of my high school) during the week it aired. It was pretty big event tv, and so it is a very recognizable brand for many Americans over a certain age. That alone probably drew in a lot of viewers to the premiere. Whether or not they retain those viewers is permaybehaps another story.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

Oh, anyone else think it was strange how they threw in the guy who already knew everything about the V's (how stupid is it that they are calling them that?) with no explanation whatsoever? Seemed like they were trying to push the story forward in a leap without showing the chasm and the run to build up the momentum to jump the gap. Also was a little disappointed with the kids painting the graffiti V as a sign of support. I know they are trying to be different from the original show, but I always appreciated the V as a subversive call to action and resistance (and as such, it was a powerful visual). But the sleeper cell/terrorism angle was sort of an interesting modern twist from the old show. So I'll keep watching and see how it goes.

JossIzBoss | November 06, 22:20 CET

i thought they called them V's as in visitors since that's what they were referred to as for the first half before easing into the shortened 'V'. The pilot was pretty spiffy, but by no means the greatest in terms of strong openings...
And as for Baccarin in Dr. Horrible... YES. PLEASE.

withyoursockout | November 07, 11:40 CET

"V" did not stand for Visitors in the original; it stood for Victory. And I thought this change was quite cheesy.

JossIzBoss | November 07, 22:13 CET