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Interview: Elizabeth Mitchell Talks About V Season 2!

by Craig Byrne

If Internet chatter is much to go by, Elizabeth Mitchell is definitely one of the most popular actresses on television right now. After a few seasons of playing Dr. Juliet Burke on LOST, Mitchell hopped over to V playing the series lead, Erica Evans, an agent of the FBI who not only has to deal with the alien Visitors... she has to attend to a rebellious teenage son as well.

VisitorSite.net was one of several media outlets to visit the set of V back in September. While we were there, we were able to talk to many members of the cast and crew about what to expect from the show's second season, which premieres in less than a month, Tuesday, January 4 on ABC. Be sure to come back to the site every Tuesday until then for new interviews.

Please do not reproduce this interview on other websites. If you would like to re-post this, please e-mail and ask permission before posting.

"It's really cool," Mitchell says of the season premiere. "What I loved is that I had all these hopes for what I thought it would be. I kind of in my head had written it, and then it was actually better, which is very rare. Not because my mind is such a great place to be, but it kind of is, and I was really happy with it. I was very happy with where they went with the red rain."

"I destroyed all of her babies. That tends to get to a mother," Elizabeth says of her actions in the final moments of Season 2. As we enter the second season, does Anna know who did it? "She doesn't seem to suspect me yet. Not even where we are so far [Episode 4 at the time of the interview]. That's probably coming, don't you think? I feel like if I keep making such bold moves, she'll figure it out." This kind of impending danger is exciting for her. "I don't think we should feel like anybody's safe. I kind of love the idea that all of us could get bumped off with the slightest provocation. That, to me, is exciting. So I try to keep that going."

"I think that they're trying to be a little bit more offensive, which is nice. They're actually getting into it," Elizabeth says of the Resistance and its role in Season Two. "We have a lot of new Resistance members. The whole thought of 'wouldn't it be nicer if there were more people' is something everyone thought. We knew the Resistance should be bigger. In the original V, it got to be so nice, and big, and kind of wonderful, and I feel like that's where we're going, though still keeping it personal, and still keeping the people that we like. Then we're getting more into who these people are, but in a kind of fun, dramatic way. It is still very plot-driven, but the characters are getting more interesting."

"Erica's kind of stepping up as a leader, which is good. She's definitely sincere about what she wants," Mitchell says. "She's still a mess, but she's a smart mess, instead of a hot mess," she laughs. The Resistance will have new challenges in Season 2, especially with distractions coming to Hobbes and Ryan in the form of the picture that Marcus teased in Season One and the birth of Ryan's child.

On the FBI side of things, Erica will get yet another new partner. The character's name is Chris Bolling, and he will be played by Jay Karnes. "Erica and her partners," Mitchell sighs. "They should just put on a red shirt. I don't know how it's going to go. He's really smart, but they've all been really smart. I've enjoyed him, actually, because he has something on her. Like he knows her really well. I like that. We don't know anyone who knows her from the past. Everybody's dead for the most part, except her son, so I like having a character that knows Erica's past."

A love interest is also in the cards for Erica as we get into the second season. "It hasn't happened yet, but it's promising. I think I'm like the Virgin Queen. There's that thing, truly, of 'oh, it's gonna happen.' I'm like 'Really? Really, is it gonna happen? When is it gonna happen?' That's supposed to be coming," she says, although she does not know who the love interest will be. When one journalist jokingly suggested Marcus [Anna's right hand man], Elizabeth revealed that she and Christopher Shyer had actually discussed the notion. "Christopher and I really enjoyed working together," she reveals. "We were thinking, 'wouldn't that be the move no one would expect?' It would be really fun." Getting serious, Elizabeth Mitchell then talked abot who she thinks are the two men that are most on Erica's mind as far as romantic interests go. "I love the idea of both Father Jack and Hobbes. I do. I love Father Jack because he's the best of all of us. To me, anyway. With the way that he is, and who he is, and maybe it's just the fact that Joel is so lovely. But you know, Charlie [Mesure, who plays Hobbes] is smokin' hot, so I feel like there's that. And he's the bad boy, which is always enticing. I just would want to make it real. I mean, he is a mercenary who kills innocents on occasion. I feel like maybe that might be a little bit of an obstacle."

When she's not seeing love, Erica will be seeing action, and Mitchell has revealed that many action sequences are coming soon to our TV screens. "I got so bruised a week ago, and I think it's great, of course. I come home and I'm like 'YEAH!' and my husband's like 'Not fun for me. Not fun for me. Don't like it.' It was great. We've had a bunch. I've been flipping people around, although a week ago I just got the c-r-a-p (I have a five year old, I have to spell it) beat out of me. I got decimated. And then we'll have to see if I came about. I mean, I seem to still be on the show, but it doesn't look good." As for who did the beating, Mitchell won't tell us who did it. "I can't say. I wish I could, but it's a big reveal. But I do get completely decimated."

Now that Laura Vandervoort's Lisa is heading more to the side of the Fifth Column, there may be a bit of an alliance between herself and Erica. "I enjoy Laura so much. She's just a beautiful young woman. It's fun to be around her, so I have no problem feeling nurturing towards her. I think that the only sadness in that is that I have her, and she kind of looks to me, and then of course I mess up so much with my own son, but maybe that happens. Maybe if you don't mess them up from birth you can do a better job," Elizabeth laughs. "With Anna as her mother, though, I feel like I win. I'm not going to hit you across the head and break your legs, so we're good."

With Erica's own child, Mitchell admits that Erica has made "massive mistakes" but she is still trying to do her best. "I love working with Logan, and he and I beat each other up nicely," she says. "So that's really fun for us. We like each other, and we trust each other, so we push each other around well." As for Tyler, Elizabeth has hopes that things will work out. "Sometimes I can reel him back in. I'm doing everything I can. I use every tool that I have to get him back, so hopefully that works. Didn't work so well with Anakin, so..." she laughs.

Very high on the anticipation list for V fans is the arrival of original series villain Jane Badler playing the mother of Morena Baccarin's Anna. "She's fun to play with. I like Jane a lot. We haven't been on camera together, but she is warm, and kind, and absolutely - I don't know what it is. I keep being surrounded by stunningly beautiful women who are so nice, and I'm completely for it. Because you think to yourself when you're going up, well, you know. They're that beautiful. They can't be nice. But they are! So it's been really good. I've been happy."

Mitchell is very happy with what is coming for the show's second season. "What I hoped would happen with the show, is happening with the show, and they went back and they did all of that great work that's going to make it its own show, which is really nice. I think it's going to make a lot of people happy. I know that we're enjoying it," she says.

V Season 2 premieres Tuesday, January 4 on ABC. Come back to VisitorSite.net next Tuesday for another interview!

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Read our V Season 2 interview with Jane Badler

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V returns January 4, 2011 on ABC.