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Michelle Ryan at the NBC All-Star party held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. on July 17, 2007.
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Struggling as a bartender and surrogate mom to her teenage sister, Jaime Sommers (Michelle Ryan) didn’t think life could get much harder. But, when a devastating car accident leaves her at death’s door, Jaime’s only hope for survival is a cutting-edge, top-secret technology that comes at a hefty price.
With a whole new existence and a debt to re-pay, Jaime must figure out how to use her extraordinary abilities for good, while weighing the personal sacrifices she will have to make. Ultimately, it’s Jaime’s journey of self-discovery and inner strength that will help her embrace her new life as the Bionic Woman.
Star Michelle Ryan and executive producer David Eick (Battlestar Galactica) talk to MediaBlvd Magazine about their new NBC action-drama series.
MediaBlvd Magazine> Bionic Woman has action and adventure. What was at the heart of Jaime that made you want to play her?
Michelle Ryan> I think it’s absolutely the human side of her. I haven’t read a script like Bionic Woman. After I left the soap, I said, “I’m never going to try out for anything with huge options.” And then, I read the script for Bionic Woman and was like, “Okay, I take it back. She has these deeper abilities, but at the core of it, it’s this young woman’s journey of self-discovery and her rise to empowerment. I feel like I’m on that journey, so I just felt an instant connection. There’s this young character that comes along farther down the series, who also has certain abilities, and Jaime takes her under her wing, immediately. She’s very compassionate, and she questions things, every step of the way. When Jonas (Miguel Ferrer) and Antonio Pope (Isaiah Washington) are saying, “This is what we should be doing because we’re the good guys,” she questions everything. And, I love that she’s this very grounded, multi-layered character. There’s so much to play with her, aside from the action sequences and the sci-fi element. At the core of it, she’s a human being, and I just feel like she’s got so much depth. I want to find my voice, and I want to be strong and confident, and I feel like playing Jaime is helping me get there.
MediaBlvd> Growing up in England, did you have any contact with the original Bionic Woman, or did you know anything about the show?
Michelle> I remember seeing a couple of clips, as a child, and thinking that Lindsay Wagner seemed like a very nice, very pretty lady. But, that’s really the only memories I have of it. I haven’t heard from Lindsay Wagner. Everyone asks, “Have you met her?,” and I would like to. She’s seems like a very nice lady.
MediaBlvd> Do you think that being British allows you to bring anything different to the role?
Michelle> I don’t necessarily think it does. I just identified with Jaime as a young woman, and I think that’s universal, so it doesn’t matter where you’re from. There’s this strength that she has, in this inner steel, mixed with this soft side, and I just feel that that’s something I identified with, as a young woman.
MediaBlvd> In looking at the Bionic Woman from the late 1970s, in comparison, this is a more complicated, conflicted, interesting hero. Do the times require a different kind of hero?
David Eick> I think the angle that that show was taking had a lot to do with the different social movements in the culture, whether it was woman’s lib or the ERA. There was a great deal of talk about what a woman can do, and what a man can do. Can she be valued to the same extent that a man can? And, while that debate is hardly over, it’s less of a question, in the minds of most people. Once a woman has done everything a man can do, do we judge her differently? What does that make us think of her? That was part of the motivation for this character. In addition, rather than relying on that tried and true formula of having the action girl be a real ass-kicker, and be really intimidating and in your face, proving to you that she’s not going to be underestimated. What if you didn’t do that? What if you took the Peter Parker approach, where these abilities are as shocking, unusual and difficult to juggle, as they would be, to you and me. She is uncertain how to use her abilities, and she doesn’t know whether to choose being home for dinner with her sister, or to go on some crazy mission for this organization. That became a very unique approach to it, as opposed to just the black and white approach.
MediaBlvd> Michelle, did Jekyll give you an audience with sci-fi people back in England, or were you already a star there?
Michelle> I got started on a soap when I was 16, and I was very well known for doing that. Then, I left the show two years ago, and worked non-stop, in lots of different roles. I sought out lots of different characters, just because I like to keep the variety and have a challenge. Jekyll was my first showing to the sci-fi fans. And then, it just happened that Bionic Woman came up, which also had a huge sci-fi element. So, Jekyll was really my introduction to the sci-fi fans.
MediaBlvd> How are you dealing with all of the attention that you are getting, as a result of this show? Is that something that you were prepared for?
Michelle> Having spent five years on EastEnders, I felt like that was the best preparation because, at times, the show was watched by 20 million viewers an episode. I feel like that was the dress rehearsal for this moment. And, I’m just in a little cocoon in Vancouver, working all hours. People have emailed me pictures of the big billboards and I feel kind of detached, which I think is good because I can just focus purely on the work. And then, I go to L.A. and do some press, I’m like, “Wow, this is real and this is happening, and it’s huge and it’s everywhere.” But, I’m just enjoying the ride and trying to focus on doing the best I can do. I feel like I’m giving all of myself and I’m loving it. I feel like a kid getting to live out all my childhood fantasies, and it’s great.
MediaBlvd> Having been a part of such an iconic show, back home in Britain, do you feel like you’re relaunching yourself here, with an American audience?
Michelle> It does feel like it’s a fresh start over here. I’m so well-known in England for playing Zoe, who was actually quite a soft, even slightly weak character. I love the fact that, if the show works, I’ll be known as a very strong, feisty character, and I think it’s a nice progression for me. It’s exciting. What better way to be launched to an American audience than by playing the Bionic Woman. I feel so lucky to have gotten this job.
MediaBlvd> Moving out from the UK, do you find your life parallels your character, being out here on your own?
Michelle> I definitely feel a connection. I feel like I’m on this journey of self-discovery. I moved out of home, and 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 definitely feel like it’s helpful, being away from home. There are no distractions and I can just be fully focused on the work. I feel like I’m at the same turning point as Jaime is.
MediaBlvd> Which was harder to learn, a Cockney accent or an American accent?
Michelle> The American accent is definitely something I had to work on. The Cockney accent, just having been in and around London, I did very easily. And now, the further we’ve gotten into the series, the easier and easier it becomes.
MediaBlvd> What have you been doing to entertain yourself while you’re in Vancouver?
Michelle> I’m working all hours, so I’ve only been out a couple of times. I went up to Grouse Grind, but that wasn’t really relaxing. That was climbing up a mountain. But, I just go around to the restaurants with the assistant directors, or some of the cast, and just hang out. I love Vancouver. It’s such a lovely place. And, I just hang out in my apartment, if I’m not working.
MediaBlvd> What is the importance of the relationship between Jaime and her sister, Becca (Lucy Hale)? Do you think it’s necessary to have that human element to contrast the sci-fi elements?
David> The tone, and goal, of the show is a very grounded, humanistic story. You should be able to feel like you can look out your own window and see these events taking place. The escapist quality becomes a unique thing, as opposed to imbedded in the aesthetic of the world that you’re in. It’s the antithesis of something like Buffy or Dark Angel, or a show where you’re dealing with a universe that’s altogether unique or different. This is our universe, in which this unusual character have suddenly emerged.
MediaBlvd> David, can you talk about acquiring Isaiah Washington for the cast?
David> It’s certainly good for the show. He’s a tremendous actor and, just in watching the dailies and a couple of the early cuts, he’s really sensational. He elevates everything around him, and brings a level of gravitas to the show. It’s all good. I couldn’t be happier.
MediaBlvd> What is the dynamic between Jaime and Pope, when they first meet, and where does it go from there?
Michelle> Initially, Antonio Pope comes in and he’s quite threatening towards Jaime and quite abrupt. And, there’s this whole triangle between Jae (Will Yun Lee), Jaime and Antonio. Jae is trying to keep Jaime in touch with the human and spiritual sides of herself, so she doesn’t lose her identity as a human being. Whereas Antonio Pope is saying that you need to give in to the machine and bring out the animal instinct because the human side is the weak side. And then, that’s when the fight comes in, where he and Jae are trying to train Jaime, and they have very different styles of training her. Antonio Pope crosses the line and he does something that really offends Jaime, and she completely flips. That’s where this really intense fight comes out, and he brings out the animal instinct in Jaime.
MediaBlvd> Since you’re a few episodes into filming now, can you talk about some of the crazy action stunts you’ve had to do so far?
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David Eick at the San Diego Comic Convention on July 28, 2007.
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Michelle> I’ve had so many incredible action sequences. We’re using a Krav Maga style of fighting and the stunt coordinator has been coming up with some really dynamic moves for Jaime. It’s a lot of flying, spinning kicks. They’ve had me up in a harness, doing these crazy stunts. I’m a real adrenaline junkie, so I absolutely love doing it and, as much as possible, I’ll do my own stunts. There are lots of punches. There’s a whole big sequence with Pope and Jaime, where he tries to bring out the animal instinct in Jaime. That’s a really dynamic, hardcore fight. There is also a lot of high-speed running and lots of jumping. My dance training comes in very handy because I have good flexibility and we’re doing all these big flying, spinning kicks. They look really dynamic and sharp on screen. I learn the fight before I go on set and quickly preparing, and then we shoot it. It’s moving very fast.
MediaBlvd> What were the challenges of fighting with Katee Sackhoff on that rooftop, in the rain?
Michelle> It was freezing cold. I love working with Katee. I think she is absolutely brilliant. She has so much energy, and we just get on so well. And, I think the biggest challenge was just, purely, the rain. Katee is a very good fighter, and pick up routines very quickly, so I think the biggest challenge was just the fact that it was freezing cold. You just use all of that, and block it out. We have some amazing fight sequences coming up. We just have such a good time working together, and there’s such a good dynamic, energy and chemistry.
MediaBlvd> Because you are such an adrenaline junkie, is that what attracted you to doing this role? And, is there anything you would like to do in the future that you haven’t done, as far as a stunt?
Michelle> That’s absolutely what 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 this vulnerable side. And, it’s this ebb and flow of Jaime taking 10 steps forward and then two steps back. I love the fact that I get to do all these stunts. It gives you a real buzz, as you go through the week. And, what I haven’t done, which is what I think is coming up, are some water sequences. I had a chat with the writers because I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if Jaime falls into the water?,” and I think that’s coming up. I should be careful what I wish for, really.
MediaBlvd> There are a number of new sci-fi and fantasy shows this season. Why do you think that is?
David> I think Bionic Woman is in its own category because you’re talking about a remake. In addition to whatever sci-fi or fantasy elements there are, we’re also remaking a title, so that’s going to give it its own kind of attention. In the last five years, I have only worked in what they call genre programming. It’s not the limit of my experience or appetite, but it’s just where I’ve been for a while, so you get a little myopic, being in that world. It’s hard for me to say what might motivate other creators, writers or programmers, who also move in that direction. It does seem that, during troubled times, our storytelling turns to the allegorical and, to put it mildly, I would characterize these times as troubling. I don’t think that it’s any coincidence that you’re seeing a lot more escape and fantasy in storytelling.
MediaBlvd> What do you make of the fact that since the first Bionic Woman was on TV decades ago, a lot of the science fiction has simply become science?
David> There’s actually a line in the script about how science fiction isn’t fiction anymore. To be honest, we constantly struggle in the writers’ room to stay current. Seems that more and more, when you come up with a crazy idea, you realize the reality is even crazier and that you were actually being too tame. Some things are just so hard to believe, even if they’re true, that they don’t play as true. So, you have to strike a balance between not just what is scientifically possible, but what’s still scientifically believable. That’s the challenge, and we continue to walk that line. It’s a really interesting problem to try to tackle in the genre.
MediaBlvd> Any time you redo a television show or character, you always have to win over the fans who are comfortable with the original cast and the original show. What is the challenge of making this character your own?
Michelle> First of all, Lindsay 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. And, I love the fact that we’re bringing back this strong, young female character. I think it gives a great message. I just connected with the character when I first read the script, so I’m just doing it from the heart and hoping that people identify with Jaime, as much as I do. I can only focus on what I need to do, and just put it out there and see what happens.
MediaBlvd> Did you research people with artificial limbs, or talk to people who had survived devastating car wrecks, before you started the project?
Michelle> No, I didn’t. I feel like, at each stage, Jamie learns something new. So, I specifically didn’t do that because I feel like Jaime is trying to deal with her sister, as well as a boyfriend who wasn’t entirely honest with her. She’s learning as she goes along. I feel like I just let it come along, organically, as the character evolves and learns more. I am sort of aware of what’s going on in the world and the fact that technology has advanced so much with cloning, and I’m hearing about a man who has a bionic hand and how it moves..
MediaBlvd> David, this show has gone through a couple different incarnations, with some revisions and retooling. Can you talk about the process of getting it to where it is now, and where you see it going for the rest of the season?
David> One of the things I learned very early in my career, when I was running a television company for Sam Raimi, was that in the genre, whether it’s horror, science fiction, fantasy, superhero or whatever, there are so many permutations of what you’re doing and more of what you’re not doing, and people will bring their own perspective to that. Some people come in thinking, “If it’s got someone with super strength, it must mean it has to be really funny and kooky.” And, other people come in and say, “It’s got someone with a tortured soul who’s had this thing perpetrated on her, so it’s got to be very dark and twisted.” Other people might say, “It should be very female and soft.” Finding the show is a very tricky thing and, having done non-genre shows, I just think it’s just a very different exercise. Finding not just people who get “it,” but defining what the “it” is that you want everyone to get and then finding those people is its own sort of separate kind of endurance test. So, there really is no difference from most of the genre shows I’ve done, in that there’s a lot of turnover in the process. It’s just the way it works.
MediaBlvd> Do you ever look at any medical technology headlines for stories?
David> I’ve got a small group of guys on the writing staff who do that. By the time it gets to the writers’ room, it’s just an idea. I don’t know the specifics of where it came from. What we’ve been inspired by, other than the fact that there is a book we made everyone read, all about groundbreaking technology.
MediaBlvd> David, what is the decision process behind the effects?
David > When you do a remake, the goal is always to try to look for the details to reinvent. Oftentimes, the larger themes aren’t that different. It’s still about a female point of view. It’s the female perspective into an action adventure drama, and so, that aspect of it remains. But, you’re always looking for details to spin in different ways. On Battlestar Galactica, we got a kick out of the fact that we were all keeping the fighter pilot ships almost identical to what they were in the 70's show, but making Battlestar Galactica itself a complete departure. That kind of thing is fun to do. You pick places where you want to pay homage, and where you really want to reinvent.
MediaBlvd> What kind of template will this show have? Will there be a bad guy per episode, or will there be stories like that run through the entire season?
David> It’s a hybrid. Every episode has a beginning, middle and end, but there is a serialized element to it. Ideally, you can pop into the series, midway through, and get a sense of a clear story that is enjoyable in a narrative context. But, also, for those fans following the show week to week, there’s a larger story arc being unraveled as the episodes continue. The bad guys are of a variety that include what we call black science, which are people in a classic science fiction context, looking to take advantage of advanced technology for ill-will. And, The Burket Group is the organization that has been created to thwart that, specifically. But, as often as not, Jamie will go on a mission that’s altogether her own, where she’s perhaps trying to investigate something that might reveal a mystery about her new way of being, her bionics, her life expectancy, and whether or not she’s going to be able to live a normal life, and to what extent. Those stories will dovetail into the so-called mission stories. And, even in a mission story, sometimes the organization will tell Jaime, “Here’s your mission,” and she’ll either say, “No,” or she’ll say, “Okay, I like that aspect of it, but not that,” or she’ll say, “Okay, I’ll take it, but only if I can do it my way.” It’s unorthodox in the Mission: Impossible construct, in that she is going to be receiving missions and going on them, but not necessarily in a straightforward way.
MediaBlvd> Today, young women are portrayed in media and pop culture as overtly sexualized, or as the murder victims on dramas. Can you talk a little bit about the responsibility, or maybe even the pride you get, playing a character that’s so different than what we’ve seen?
Michelle> I just love this character. I feel like, of all the parts I’ve ever played, this is my favorite. It’s great. I love the fact Jaime is a tomboy. She’s in her trousers and jackets and, yes, she’s sexy and, yes, she’s smart, but she’s very much a modern woman, in that she doesn’t need to flaunt that. She gives the guys as good as she gets, and she doesn’t flirt to get what she wants. She’s direct and smart, which is just great. I’m always drawn to strong characters. I feel like I want to be like that. So, I hope that’s what young girls feel when they watch Jaime. I love the fact that she can’t cook, and that she has man troubles, like everybody else, and she has body image issues, like most women do. And, she has all these bionic abilities, but she’s very real. She’s trying her best. She puts on this bravado, but underneath, she’s scared. When she goes on this mission with Antonio Pope, he’s pushing her all the time, and there are certain moments when she’s really scared, and she has to dig deep and find herself and her inner strength. It’s a really great responsibility, and it’s very much in the writing. She’s this strong, empowered young woman.
