Elizabeth Mitchell
Previous Experience: V, LOST
Special Skills:: Aside from being an absolutely fearless actor who is capable of elevating virtually anything a writers throws at her (Seriously, did you see her recent guest spot on LAW & ORDER: SVU?), Mitchell is a tireless team player. To the point that she took the time to attend V’s panel at San Francisco’s WonderCon despite the fact that the show so clearly had one foot in the grave.
Game For: Absolutely anything. Although if we had our druthers, we’d love to see Mitchell headline a WEEDS-esque cable drama that would allow her to show off both her dramatic and comedic chops.

Ron Rifkin
Previous Experience: BROTHERS & SISTERS, ALIAS
Special Skills:: Duplicity. Whether he’s lying to a fresh-faced Sydney Bristow with regards to the real purpose of SD-6, or the entirety of the Walker family about their patriarch’s business interests (not to mention his own sexuality) Ron Rifkin’s been there, done that.
Game For: Again, anything. Of course, after five seasons of being criminally misused on BROTHERS & SISTERS, we for one would love to see Rifkin return to his electrifying ALIAS roots should say… NIKITA showrunner Craig Silverstein be on the lookout for a nemesis that is capable of giving Xander Berkeley’s Percy a run for his money. We’re just sayin’

Matt Long
Previous Experience: THE DEEP END, JACK & BOBBY, MAD MEN
Special Skills:: Aside from the fact that the genetically blessed actor inexplicably has yet to age since bursting onto the scene in the brilliant-but-canceled WB series JACK & BOBBY (Yup, still bitter), Long, thanks to a mix of midwestern Kentucky charm and piercing blue eyes, brings with him a demeanour that makes you want to root for him in virtually any role.
Game For: A television gig that lasts more than one season. And since there’s nothing we love more than playing couch potato casting director, the leading role in John Grisham’s reboot of THE FIRM would be the perfect fit. And not just because of the somewhat eery resemblance to Tom Cruise. Okay, maybe a little.

Judy Greer
Previous Experience: MAD LOVE, ARCHER, MISS GUIDED, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
Special Skills:: As anyone who has seen Greer can attest to, she has a major in scene stealing, with a minor in willingness to do anything for a laugh.
Game For: Any role that doesn’t pigeonhole her into the “best friend.” Seriously, after playing second fiddle to virtually every A-Lister under the sun (See: 13 Going on 30. Don’t See: 27 Dresses), Greer deserves better. Much better.

Bradley Whitford
Previous Experience: THE MENTALIST, THE GOOD GUYS, THE WEST WING
Special Skills:: Outside of his shocking turn on THE MENTALIST, Bradley Whitford can usually be found fighting (a) for little people, (b) the good fight.
Game For: Well, as THE GOOD GUYS so clearly illustrated, Bradley Whitford really is game for anything. Unfortunately, “anything” hasn’t quite worked out for the actor who has arguably had the least successful post-WEST WING career of any of his fellow White House staffers. Paging a role on Aaron Sorkin’s new cable-centric HBO series, line one.

Biggest Surprise: Despite the fact that the first half of SHAMELESS’ season had us wishing those poor Gallagher kids were more of a “Party of 6,” not-quite-father-of-the-year-candidate Frank deserves some serious credit for owning up to sleeping with son Lip’s not-quite-girlfriend Karen by taking his “golden shower” like a man.

Best Blowoff: After Ina Garten — aka the Barefoot Contessa — got herself in hot water by denying a 6-year-old’s Make-A-Wish request, the kid’s dad turned the tables on her by saying “thanks, but no thanks” when she realized the error of her ways. Personally, we think cancer patient Enzo made a great choice in trading the Contessa for a swim with dolphins!
  
Creepiest Practical Joke Ever: While his housemate was away, a Reddit user — Deluxe810 — transformed his roomie’s sleep space into a kill room like those used by DEXTER Morgan.

Creepiest Guest Appearance of the Week: Elizabeth Mitchell’s terrifying turn as a piano teacher accused of raping and killing a young girl on Wednesday’s LAW & ORDER: SVU may have solidified the talented actress’s chances at an outshining guest actor Emmy, but it gave us the willies.

Worst Export: Will anyone really be able to blame Canada when they declare war upon the United States after THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF TORONTO hits the airwaves?
 
Oddest Guest Gig: Wayne Brady looked both uncomfortable and confused while judging the final five contestants on RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE.
 
When Stunt Casting Goes Awry: Kourtney Kardashian’s appearance on ONE LIFE TO LIVE proved why acting should be left to professionals.
 
Quote Of The Week: “Snooki is an old Italian word for talentless slut,” said Steven Schirripa on CONAN.
 
Proof We’re All Doomed: MTV got its highest ratings in five years thanks to the season finale of JERSEY SHORE.

Reason #4234 We Love Twitter: Comes LOST executive producer @damonlindelof’s honest reaction to this week’s MAD MEN negations between AMC, Lionsgate and creator Matthew Weiner, “Not that I’m sour grapes, but TEN MILLION DOLLARS a year for 13 episodes of a single show seems pretty fair, no? #SOURGRAPES”

Reason #4235: Comes @sutterink’s follow up, “You can’t ask a network for 10 million, then bitch when they want to expand their ad revenue source. Whore or saint, pick one.”
 
Most Best Reason To Throw Your Cowboy Hat In The Air And Shout Yeehaw: FX renewed modern western JUSTIFIED for a third season.
 
The Lame Attempt To Get Publicity For A Failed Show Award Goes To…: Bravo, who this week announced that THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF MIAMI’s reunion show would be a live broadcast.
 
Most Disturbing Political Development: Does anybody really think that Donald Trump is going to run for president? No. So why is the coif-challenged blowhard being treated as a serious contender by news outlets and allowed to continue beating the birther drum, much to the not-so- secret delight of the GOP?
 
Bravo Series We’re Most Looking Forward To: PROJECT RUNWAY alum Chris March — known for his outrageous designs and over-the-top style — will headline MAD FASHION, in which his team develops flamboyant outfits for big-name clients.

Conspiracy of the Week: Is it just us, or did anyone else scream “product placement” following AMERICAN DAD’s completely bizarre and out of place riff on Major League Baseball that was perfectly timed to coincided with the start of the MLB season?

On tonight’s second season finale of V, the Fifth Column will have a solid sixty minutes to fight for our planet’s future. And while forty-four minutes (subtracting for commercials!) of screen time wouldn’t normally seem like enough time for a ragtag group of freedom fighters to stave off whatever nefarious plan a royally peeved Queen “B” Anna has up her sleeve, Erica Evans is no normal freedom fighter. How’s she going to do it, what unexpected obstacles arise and of course is this the end of the line for V? We caught up with the always awesome Elizabeth Mitchell to find out.

Are you really up for saving the world in less than hour?
Elizabeth Mitchell: It’s going to be tough. Luckily there is a lot in that hour, we do get a lot accomplished! But I definitely think we need a third season to completely and completely save the earth in the fashion in which it deserves.

Adding to the complexity of tonight’s season ender is that at least according to a certain spoiler pic (above) your character seems to find herself in somewhat of a bind… literally!
Yeah, that happens too! That part was actually great because I got introduced to a very cool person (Note: For the identity of said mysterious newcomer, feel free to click here!) Plus as an added bonus, those straps those totally antique kind of things that allow me to play games with the crew. I’m basically Houdini, seeing how fast I can get out! I think it was 45 seconds on each one until they finally strapped me inso tight I was like, “Okay, sorry, I’m in here for good.” It was fun.

What does the arrival by this “very cool person” bring to the table?
Quite a lot, and it’s very exciting. That part of the episode was really fun and provides for a tremendous amount of entertainment.

Aside from this new character, the big buzz surrounding tonight’s finale is of course the death of a major character.
It’s several deaths actually and they’re all big.

Will the death be one that resonates with fans? Or is it an extra or two who were hired last week?
Regardless of who you like and who you don’t like it will be something. It isn’t a person that we hired the week before! IThere are no “red shirts!” Actually, all of the red shirts stay alive. We’re talking big deaths.

While it’s pretty safe to assume one of the big deaths won’t be your TV offspring Tyler, we’re not going to lie, we’ve talked to quite a few fans who probably wouldn’t mind seeing that. His choices this season as a character have been incredibly frustrating. Do you think there is any chance Erica will ever be able to knock some sense into the boy?
I always believe that there’s a possibility to bring Tyler back. What you have to remember is that you’re talking about a teenager during an incredibly tumultuous point in his life, so yeah I do believe he can be saved. We just need to have a little patience, we’re all crazy kids growing up, that’s what makes us so fun.

Not fun is the uncertainty of your future, have you heard anything with regards to the prospects for a third season?
I have lovely people who make daily phone calls trying to find out the answer to just that question, but I honestly haven’t heard anything. I would love to be able to tell you I have, but i think the truth is that ABC isn’t quite sure. Our numbers have been incredibly steady and with DVR we’re actually somewhat healthy so I really just think it will come down to what ABC wants next season.

The trend for actors seems to be to take a pilot as a back up plan, yet you haven’t?
I have had a couple of calls, I’ve read some lovely pilots, and I really do think that it’s going to be a fun TV season. I’ve read some really fun stuff, but i’m holding out hope we get to come back and finish what we started.

V airs Tuesday at 9PM on ABC (ATV in Canada)

On a uncharacteristically-chilly day in beautiful Vancouver British Columbia, I stood, waiting patiently alongside a group of of reporters for some much needed sustenance after a very long morning spent on one of the very cold sets of ABC’s V. Tired, cold — and did I mention hungry? — we stood.

And then, she appeared.

A beautiful woman with blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes, taking the time to introduce herself to each of us, welcoming us to the set and making note of each of our names. Just like that, we forgot about the cold or the fact that it had been a long morning. Gone were the hunger pangs. (Okay, fine, I’ll admit, if someone had asked me to choose between basking in her glow or slipping over to a craft services cart for a bagel, I’d have at least hesitated before going the martyr route.)

She introduced herself to us as if any introduction were needed. Because, let’s face it: Show me a television writer unfamiliar with Elizabeth Mitchell, and I’ll show you a poser. But while Mitchell may be one of the most popular actresses currently working on the small screen, she swears that this is a relatively new phenomenon.

“I was such a dork and nerd in high school and was so massively unpopular,” she says, explaining during our exclusive chat why she goes out of her way to be some welcoming. “I try and treat people the way I wish I was treated at 16.”

In other words, Mitchell is as warm as Katherine Heigl is chilly while offering up details on V’s high-anticipated return (Erica vs. Anna? Yeah, we’re so there!), her alter ego’s love life and, of course, whether or not she’ll be putting in another appearance on a certain time-hoppin’ island. 

I have to start off by asking that from what I’ve seen, you would make a fantastic fictional mother. Which begs the question, why exactly does your TV son Tyler not seem to appreciate you?
Elizabeth Mitchell: It has a lot to do with a father-y kind of thing that’s in the second episode back. We’ll find out what the problem really is, which was one of my favorite episodes to shoot. Tyler really is an optimistic, yet tortured soul, but he’s also a teenager. I get it. Teenagers are my favorite people now but at the same time they’re all kinds of impossible raw nerves. I remember what kind of energy I was putting out at that age and it wasn’t very nice. I was a tall streak of misery as a teenager. I had a mattress on the floor and really liked The Eagles because my dad liked them so I would just sit there and yell, “GO AWAY!”

What can you tell us about this mercenary character that Erica will be recruiting to help combat the V’s?
Erica must make a deal with the devil, who is played by Charles Mesure and is absolutely terrific. In fact I’m lucky, because I’m six feet tall and actually physically imposing, it’s very hard to get the drop on me. Charles is just huge in both personality and build so he comes in and kind of dwarfs Erica, yet she’s the one who has to keep him in line. It’s a nice dynamic, especially because she hates him. For his part he doesn’t care for us either, but they tolerate each other and they’re good together which is kind of freaky.

Will Erica’s mounting resistance continue to take her away from her parental responsibilities?
She’s going to come to a lot of understanding about her role as Tyler’s mother, but she may not be able to do anything about it because there is a clear and uncertain threat. Right now, the resistance is so small and up against something so huge. But I think by trying to save the world, she’s trying to save her son as well.

Would it be safe to assume that as Tyler gets closer to Anna, Lisa might start to gravitate towards Erica?
That would be fantastic and would certainly make sense. Laura [Vandervoort] is lovely and I would enjoy that very much.

The new promotional poster touting the new chapter really seems to pit Erica against Anna?
Have you seen the one where they made it look like we’re kissing?

No, but I’d imagine a certain segment of the fandom might very much enjoy that.
Why wouldn’t they, it’s kinda fun!

With your face (alongside Morena Baccarin) quite literally being used to sell the show, do you find there is more pressure on you as an actress, versus an ensemble series like LOST.
On LOST I got to jump right in. There were no repercussions, no exposition and I had no story to tell. V is great, it’s different, but I really like it. There’s a certain amount of ability to kind of set the tone on the set and I’ve always wanted to have that and it’s nice. It’s one of fear.

Oh yeah, I definitely get the impression that you rule by fear. That’s actually what everybody says about you behind your back!
I just want everybody to panic, all the time!

I suppose Extras are instructed to never look you in the eye?
God no, nobody can! Not even my fellow actors. Not until they say action, then they better be careful! It’s nice, it’s nice to set the tone and has been really fun for me.

Earlier in the day, executive producer Steve Pearlmen hinted that somebody is going to die. I image it’s not going to be Erica?
It could be anybody.

I say that because you’ve had quite the unfortunate track record as of late when it comes to surviving hit TV shows.
I have. Falling down a whole twice!

Were you surprised that you returned to LOST, only to die again. Just in case fans weren’t still reeling from Juliet’s initial death, here it is in super-painful slo-mo!
I kind of thought they shot me then looked down at me as I was dying and kicked me. But I love working for them [Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse], no matter what they do they’re pretty brilliant guys. So if they want me to come back and die again, awesome.

I have to be honest, when we were told there was a possibility that you wouldn’t be available for interviews today, my first thought was that you were back in Hawaii shooting LOST!
I do return, but I don’t know when. I’m contracted for two. Soon. V has been really good about co-operating with LOST because you know I was let go from LOST and that was it. I booked V and right in the middle they were like, wait a minute, come back and do LOST. Both shows have been really good to each other which is nice.

As a working actor, do you have ever take a moment to reflect on the fact that you played a major part in a show that will surely go down in history as one of television’s greatest?
Absolutely. I loved it. I loved the people, the experience and truly truly loved the role. Even when everybody hated Juliet, I just thought she was gangbusters. I just think she’s amazing and really fun to play. To play a tortured abused woman who comes back and is basically kind of a sociopath but then works for the good guys and then on top of all that there’s romance… I mean come’on, how often does that happen? I feel like I couldn’t even come up with that, I’m glad they did.

Since you brought up the subject of romance, in between saving the world and her family, will Erica find anytime for love?
Oh I hope so. Right now she’s kind of like Queen Elizabeth, you know the Virgin Queen. But there should be some romance, there certainly is plenty of opportunity and I feel like there are definitely things being lined up in that direction. But her choices are a Priest, a mercenary and a married guy which she’d never do I think. She’s pretty moral that Erica.

Although one one imagine she’s going to have to make some pretty tough decisions in these next batch of episodes?
Yes, especially if she’s going to get lucky.

And finally, how long will we have to wait until Erica and Anna meet face to face?
Oh that’s coming. We do have to wait for it but I don’t think it’s a wait that is going to make us uncomfortable or feel like it’s stretching it out. It’s something that’s good to wait for. There have been teases here and there, but what we have building here and what’s building there is pretty extraordinary. Trust me, when they come face to face it will be pretty explosive.

V returns tonight on ABC at 10PM (CTV in Canada)

Bob D’amico/ABC

Who is excited for the 4th Season Premiere of Lost? That’s me, raising my hands and flailing about with glee. In my quest to complete Season 1 through 3 before January 31 (that’s a story for another day), my love for the show has been completely renewed. Also helping to get me pumped about the new Thursday night time slot? A remarkably sincere and charming woman by the name of Elizabeth Mitchell (LOST’s own Juliet) who recently spent a good chunk of her afternoon chatting with me about what to expect and why she loves her character! A big thank you to all of the readers who contributed questions!

Lost is one of my favorite shows. It’s been one of my favorite shows, so I’m excited to talk with you about it.
Oh, I love it too! I’m always really happy to talk about it.

You’re no stranger to being a star on one of TV’s most talked about shows, specifically your arc on ER. How is Lost different?
I think the main difference is that the character was so complete in how much we got to see, how much they wrote for her, there was a beginning, a middle, and an end. There was just a huge arc where we got to see so many facets of this very complicated person [with Legaspi on ER]. And I don’t think I’ve had the opportunity to do that yet. And I also think that LOST is kind of huge in a way that I’ve never worked on a show that’s quite like this. I’ve never worked on a show that has this kind of following. ER was also huge, but a different kind of huge. Not better, not different. And I think with LOST, you have people who follow it pretty religiously and know every detail about it. I think they were so smart, the way they brought the character in. We have all the protagonists, we have everybody that we love and then to bring in someone that was a threat to them, that was an antagonist, always going to be someone that we were unsure of was a really good move. It gave them something to explore the other characters, and explore this character, and every single time that they added something to the character, I was always impressed with the way they did it. And the Ben role, as well. They did great things with the two of those roles. And I’ve really loved what Michael’s done, actually.

One of the biggest things we’ve heard from readers is an outcry for the fact that you and Michael were robbed of the multiple nominations you so definitely deserve. I can’t imagine why you aren’t being celebrated as much as you have.
Thank you very much. I’ve had the best time, as far as people on the street, or people talking about the character. It’s the strangest thing, but very gratifying to get that kind of feedback. When you do theatre, you go back stage, and people will talk about it, whether or not they liked it, and they definitely let you know, haha, and a lot of times you’ll do television, which I’ve been doing forever, or film, and you never really hear, but with LOST, I hear it all the time. At first, I heard when I was hated, hahaha, and then as the character, they started to make her more and more and more and more and more kind of interesting, I would hear this “hey, I actually really liked that, I thought that was really cool” or someone walking down the street saying “you terrify me and I work with really scary people”, but all of that has been really fun. It’s been really great to play a character that people are interested in. And that is something that I really experience first hand. I have played characters that I’ve heard about, but not on this daily basis. I can’t explain it other than to say that it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.

Why do you think fans embraced your character so openly and the character that Michael plays so openly, when other characters (ahem, Nikki and Paulo…) don’t fare as well?
I really do think it was a setup for the other characters. I think that what happened is that we really fell in love with our survivors. We didn’t want to see more survivors. We wanted to see someone come in who was posing a threat or being something different. I just think we didn’t want to see other people, who weren’t going to be the people that we love, unless they were with the people we love, and I think that’s why they were so smart when they did the Ben and the Juliet characters, that they kind of dropped them in as these great antagonists, we were really worried about Ben and Juliet. And there’s a little bit of, not a thrill, but a sense of unease that goes through us when we see these two people interacting with the people that we actually really love. I think it was a particularly good setup for me. I was very surprised with how it turned out. You wouldn’t think that these characters would be remotely likeable, but the way they’ve written them, they’ve written in that.

I agree completely! When people ask me who my favorite characters are, never would I have thought to say Juliet and Ben in the beginning, but now hands down, I say Juliet and Ben every time.
They’re so interesting, I mean, they really are, and they keep writing them so interesting, they’re just really interesting people. And they keep that going. They keep going into what makes us identify with them, and we can’t believe we’re identifying with them, and then we’re feeling like we’ve really been cheated, and we can’t believe we like her. The minute anyone started to like Juliet, they turned it right around and were like “oh you were dumb to like her”. I love that, I thought that was great.

I love when a twist comes up like that, you’re right back where you started, and she has to redeem herself for me!
Absolutely, it’s like “She’s just bad news. Well, no she’s not.” I love all that, she’s really fun. I think it was fun for them. They had a very clear idea for what they wanted when they brought Juliet in and I think it was really fun for them that they got to continue to write for her in a way that they wanted to.

What’s coming up for Juliet in the fourth season?
A little bit more of the same with a new set of circumstances. Based on the end, we know that someone is coming to rescue everyone and that has to be dealt with. There’s more that happens in her relationships. There’s more that happens where we see, as it always is on LOST, a little more of who she is, and a little bit less of who she is. She skirts the line pretty nicely. She has been with the survivors for, well, I mean in LOST terminology, a little bit of time now. She’s a little bit more rougher, and I’m kind of enjoying that. There’s not a tremendous amount of makeup that goes in to that, there’s a lot of dirt.

I was wondering, do you have like six of the same dirty outfits that you have to wear?
I really do, I think I have four. They wash them, and they dirty them again, which I think is hilarious, too. So you think you’d be with these people, we might smell terrible, but no, everybody is all clean, it’s just movie dirt, but they do do a wonderful job of keeping us really really pretty filthy.

Do you have a flashforward or flashback that we will be seeing?
I do have one, yes!

Everybody thought that your two flashbacks from last year were some of the best of the season.
I really enjoyed mine last year. I really did think that they were some of my favorite work that I’ve ever done. I had such a good time.

Do you get a lot of direction when it comes to the motivation for your character or did you have to make a lot of it up on your own?
I did make up a lot of it on my own. And then there’s some of it that I got some great help with. Jack Bender is one of our great directors and he and I had worked together before and we worked pretty closely. And Steven Williams, the same thing. He directed the first flashback that I did, and Jack directed the second. We worked very closely in walking that line and making sure we didn’t go too far one way or the other, and I had very strong feelings about what I wanted and they were very clear about some things that I didn’t know, and it was a really nice collaboration. I think that the three of us had a really great time creating this character. And of course the writers, I mean that’s not to say that you don’t get everything on the paper because of lot of it is there.

I was reading the ABC site, just to get a little info on your bio. The character bio that they have up for Juliet made me laugh for about an hour. It says “Before crash – lived in the others community, fought with Ben about something, possibly their relationship” and then it says “on the island, helped break down Jack’s resistance.”

[laughter induced chat-break]

Did they give you more information than that when you were given this role?
[Elizabeth still laughing] Yes they gave me a bit more. If they don’t give you facts, they give you something emotionally equal. I knew that there was a reason that I had to help my sister. I wasn’t exactly sure what it was. They do give you a lot. You’ll call, and be like, ok guys, I have to have something, and they’ll tell you. I think they want to, because they have to keep all these secrets. I’m pretty good at keeping the secrets, so it’s kind of fun to hear, and then it’s also not, because I like the Christmas morning feeling, I like to be surprised.

In a normal season, when there’s no season, and there’s not shooting, how far ahead do you shoot?
Thinking about last year, we were a couple ahead, like two or three. This year, to have already done eight, and no one’s seen them is very strange. We can’t really talk about anything, because we haven’t had the first reveal about what’s going on which will happen on January 31!

I’m very excited…
I’m very excited!

At my house we have Thursday night viewing parties, so we’re all excited that Lost is moved to Thursday because now we have a reason to all be together to watch it!
Oh I love that! I’m glad it’s going to be Thursday too; it’s a really nice night. It’ll be a nice place for it to be, you have to have something comforting to watch.

Something you remember….
We’re in dire straights, under terrible circumstances.

What do you and Juliet have in common?
Probably, she has a stillness that I sometimes have. A way of being able to just sit and watch people, but she’s much better at it than I am. I think that I definitely want to put people at ease, whereas Juliet feels not remotely that compulsion at all, unless she can get something from it. I don’t know…I have very very strong ties to my family. I love them; I would do anything for them. I am captivated by them. That is kind of a driving force for Juliet so that certainly wasn’t hard to latch onto. Everything with her sister, I saw it on the page, and found it devastating just to read it. And I was like, I’m going to be a mess when we shoot this. That thing with the TV screen, and she thinks she’s dead, honestly, I read that, and was bawling my eyes out. I was like, this is crazy to do this to somebody. I mean, this is Ben, he did it, it’s crazy. I think that’s something, I love my family so much, and I think Juliet is that way condensed into one person, her sister.

Where do you think Juliet stands in regards to her alliance with Ben versus her alliance to Jack?
Sometimes I think it’s who is going to end up being stronger. I think her feelings for Jack are a surprise for her. I don’t know that she’s necessarily as controlled on that as she is about everything else. Her anger for Ben, her unbelievable rage for Ben kind of comes out every once in a while, but otherwise it just boils away under the surface. But if he were able to get her to her sister, do you know what I mean? Who knows, I don’t know, it’s kind of who holds the cards. I think there is stuff that is as yet unexplored with Jack. I think there’s a tenuous yet somewhat strong weird trust between the two of them, so we’ll have to see if that works out or not. I mean there’s obviously an attraction but I think there might also be a trust. It’s interesting. I really enjoy the two characters. The way they’ve written the two characters, there’s so much there. There’s so much chemistry. Just the way that they wrote them, they made them such equals. They made them free for combat and great for lovers.

All of those Kate and Jack fans are up in arms about the whole Jack and Juliet thing!
There is a lot of love with Jack and Kate and the way he cares for her and the way that she kind of looks up to him. It’s gorgeous. I love watching them together. At that’s why I think it was so interesting to bring in Juliet to create a completely different circumstance. You don’t get the feeling that Juliet looks up to Jack and you don’t get the feeling that he really takes care of her, but when he does, it’s kind of a surprise to her. I think both are incredibly valid, both are interesting, and I think they were wise to try something different, a true difference, a true problem, which I think is nice.

Right, they didn’t throw in an old boyfriend to ruin a budding love story, they had a new character that made Jack think.
I think it was a really interesting choice. I think they made a female version of Jack, though obviously, she’s not necessarily our hero, although we don’t know.

Is there anyone else that you haven’t gotten to spend a lot of time with that you’d like to?
Know what I really enjoyed? I had one tiny little moment with Hurley (Jorge Garcia) on the beach. He is so much fun. His timing is so good. He is such a pleasure to work with because he’s right there. I always thought Juliet and Sayid would be interesting together. I really loved working with Yunjin, I thought that brought out a wonderful side to Juliet. I loved working with Evangeline because she was almost like an irritated big sister, and I thought that was really fun, to kind of see what that particular relationship was like. Even the way the two of them move. You have wonderful Kate, who is scrappy, and so tough and strong and so scared but righteously certain, and I love that about her. And then you have Juliet kind of strolling next to her, very calm, very still, very not putting up much, putting forth anything. I liked watching the two of them together. I thought it was a fun mix for that episode.

Why should fans start watching now in Season 4?
I think now is a good time because the writers know exactly, not that they didn’t before, but with the end date, which very rarely happens, if ever, in television that you get to have a beginning a middle and an end, they are so ready and so set to take everybody on a ride, and I think that ride starts on the 31st. That’s how we felt watching it, that’s how we felt reading it. There was more talk this year than there was last year with the “oh yeahs”. It’s hurtling forward. It’s a rollercoaster. It might be a good time to join up, haha. People are like “oh it’s so complicated’ but it’s actually not so complicated in the simplest way of watching it. It can get more complicated if you choose. It’s basically these people trying to survive.

What actors or actresses do you look up to?
Emma Thompson. I just think she’s wonderful. Any of your funny ladies who also do beautiful work. I’m always pretty captivated by them. Who is not in love with Meryl Streep? Sophie’s Choice is one of my favorite movies. I find her stillness is really captivating. I really love, did you ever see Juliet Stevenson did a movie called Truly Madly Deeply?
?I haven’t seen it!
You know what, you’ll love it, you should go out and rent it! Bring a tissue box.

I love something that makes me cry, so I probably will love it!
It’s so lovely, and she’s with Alan Rickman. And I just, that performance is one of my favorites. It’s simple, it’s a simple small tiny little movie. It’s so freaking honest, and so not glossy or beautiful or any of the things that we fall into. It’s more just kind of this sweet, raw simple performance and I love it, I thought she was great.

What TV do you watch if you get downtime?
I watch 24 when it’s on. I love BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

Oh I love that show!
Love that show, didn’t at first, and then got completely hooked.

Exactly how I was.
Yeah! That’s pretty much it. I kind of sneak around and will watch a few things here and there. I watch GREY’S ANATOMY here and there. Sandra Oh especially. I think she’s just phenomenal. She’s done some things that just blow me away. I find her to be very brave and very interesting to watch as an actor. I have a two year old, so there’s not a lot, but there are things I get captivated by.

Anything coming up besides LOST?
No, there’s really not. I probably should have done something the last hiatus, but I was so thrilled to spend time with my 2 year old. Now with the writers’ strike, my hands are kind of tied. Probably nothing, not to say that I’m not always looking for stuff that I’m into. I read like crazy, so I think I’ve always been along the lines that some day I will probably do my own thing. It’s something for me to look forward to. It’s nice to be 37. I think there’s so much out there.

The whole attitude of Hollywood has changed in the past couple of years. A few years ago, it was all about 20s and 20-somethings, and now, people in their thirties are striving and having the time of their lives.
Yes, I think that we as women have kind of spoken. We don’t want this stuff. We’ll watch it, because who doesn’t enjoy youth, and that crazy vitality and hormonal rush that is being a young person, but there’s also a tremendous majority of people who are over the age of 30 and 40 who love their entertainment and who want to be entertained with people like them. I think that’s the way things should be. It’s nice to keep it a little more balanced.

Could there be a lovelier person on the planet? She’s so not the ruthless woman she plays on TV! Make sure you set your recorders/DVRs/PVRs/TiVos now for January 31 on ABC. I think we’re in for a fabulous season!

This afternoon, theTVaddict.com’s very own Amrie [of My Take on TV Fame] has the distinct pleasure of interviewing elusive LOST star Elizabeth Mitchell. So if you’ve got a question for one of television’s most fascinating and talented actresses, please post away in the comments below.