Annie Wersching confessed that she secretly has a desire to be a Disney princess as she sings a few lines from The Little Mermaid in a very melodious voice. Thats hard to believe, considering the strong characters shes played throughout her career most notably bad-ass FBI Agent Renee Walker on 24, Emma Whitmore on Timeless, Julia Brasher on Bosch, Lily Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries, and Leslie Dean on Runaways are not princesses.
Thats gonna last until Im in my 80s. Mostly from the singing perspective, Ive always wanted to sing the Disney princess songs, said Wersching, who lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three children.
The actress reprises her role as Leslie as Hulus Runaways returning on December 13. In addition, shell appear on the December 8 and December 15 episodes of ABCs The Rookie, starring Nathan Fillion. She plays a serial killer named Rosalind Dyer whos been on death row for five years.
So theres gonna be a lot of me on your TV that week, everybody. Sorry, she joked. Its a really creepy, exciting role. (Rosalind) agrees to help them with (aspects) of her case in exchange for being able to get out of her cell for a little bit and lead them to where these bodies are buried. Of course, she masterminded a plan beyond all of that, so its a really fun episode. I got to work a lot with Harold Perrineau. My character has some pretty big connections to him. Im messing with him and Nathan quite a bit. It was really fun!
Wersching spoke about Runaways, which enters its third and final season. She wasnt shocked that the series, based on the Marvel comic book of the same name, was ending.
(Theres) a new wave of Marvel TV happening. We were sad and bummed, but I wouldnt say we were necessarily shocked. It wraps up nicely, but we left it open; theres a little bit of a window we left open in case there was a fourth season. We were definitely prepared for both, she said. I feel they did a nice job of giving it a nice, sweet wrap-up I think the fans will be sad and really sorry that its gone, but yet theyll also feel satisfied as to how its been wrapped up.
On Runaways, six teenagers from different backgrounds possessing super-powers unite against a common enemy their parents, who are members of a secret criminal organization called the Pride. Besides the Pride, Leslie is a leader in the cultish Church of Gibborim. She and Jonah (Julian McMahon, Nip/Tuck) one of the Gibborim, an alien race, and the Prides benefactor are the parents of Karolina Dean (Virginia Gardner, 2018s Halloween). At the end of last season, Leslie pregnant with Jonahs second child left the Pride and has been granted asylum with the Runaways.
We learn at the end of season two through Xavin (Clarissa Thibeaux, Tapped Out) that the baby inside Leslie is indeed also part-alien like Karolina. That poses a big risk because she knows and everybody else knows that Jonahs coming for the baby, said Wersching. Leslie in season three is about protecting that baby, trying to do whats best for that baby, and eventually she births the baby in episode four, which leads to a whole other set of interesting, slightly scary circumstances.
Jonah also gets a new body this season. He takes up residence in Victor Stein (James Marsters, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), another member of the Pride.
At the end of season two, James got together with Julian and tried to pattern his speech in the same way. I was like, Wow! That is really good. He really seemed liked Julian inside there, so that was cool to see how he gave it his own little twist to make it seem how different he was from Victor, she said.
Wersching enjoyed working with both Marsters and McMahon.
(James is) great. Its fun just connecting with him, having been in the genre world. I did Vampire Diaries and obviously he did Buffy and Angel, so we connected about playing vampires. Hes a real pro, a really nice guy, and a great guitar player! praised Wersching. I love Julian. I had so much good stuff with him and so many fun scenes. Hes just the nicest guy, and we had a really good time together. We want to work together again somehow, someday, so hopefully thatll happen.
Wersching also enjoyed working with on-screen daughter Gardner.
Shes fun. We had a good time. Shes a great actress too. Shes hilarious because she plays this bright, sunny, rainbow-glowing character but she could not be more of a trucker in real life, said Werching, laughing. She loves to drink, shes always flipping you the bird, shes always wearing flip-flops, she loves Matchbox 20 shes a hoot. Its funny when you know the real Ginny and then you see what she does with Karolina, youre like, Wow! Shes a really good actress!
In turn, Gardner praised Wersching.
Annies great. Shes talented. Shes wonderful and shes so nice, she said. Whenever I see photos of us, she and I look alike more than my mom and I look alike. It was just great casting.
Also this season, Nico (Lyrica Okano, Pimp), gets corrupted by sorceress Morgan le Fay (Elizabeth Hurley, The Royals). The Runaways team up with the titular heroes of Cloak & Dagger, which was cancelled in late October after two seasons.
Its gonna be really, really fun for all the Marvel fans. Itll be fun for everyone to see them one last time, said Wersching. That episodes really a great episode.
Wersching explained what attracted her to Runaways in the first place.
The word Marvel is hard to turn down. You dont need much more convincing after the word Marvel. I didnt know much about the character. I hadnt read the comics beforehand and actually, even if I had the Deans are pretty different on the show than they are in the comics, she said. I had a conversation with (showrunners Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage). They described the plans for Leslie. I really liked the idea of her creepy factor running the Church of Gibborim. I liked what they had to say, I liked that it was Marvel thats pretty much all I needed. They were shooting in L.A., another big plus when you have small children.
Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, Wersching spent her youth competing in Irish dancing and belonged to the St. Louis Celtic Stepdancers. She earned her undergraduate degree in musical theater from Millikin University in Decatur, IL.
Her first TV role was Liana on Star Trek: Enterprise in 2002. Afterward, she guest-starred on various TV series and had a recurring role as Amelia on the long-running daytime soap General Hospital.
Next, she landed her breakout role, Renee Walker, on 24, which starred Kiefer Sutherland as protagonist Jack Bauer. Each season of 24 occurred in a 24-hour period with each episode comprising an hour. Renee was the most popular character in season seven and gave 24 a much-needed shot of adrenaline after a nearly two-year absence due to the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America Strike.
I think Renee was brought up pretty much by the books, and she came into the FBI following the rules and wanting to play by the law, then she was chained to Jack Bauer and all sorts of interesting things happened. He can be quite the influence, Wersching said with a laugh.
Like Jack, Renee wasnt above bending the rules for the greater good. Admittedly, Wersching was nervous about how people would react to Renee going toe-to-toe with Jack.
Jack and Renee have such a really, really unique relationship after only knowing each for just one day, she said. I think it had to do with the fact that she was no-nonsense and sometimes did what she needed to do, but she shows the human side of Jack that was in him earlier on before he went through so much and was hardened so much She helped make him a little bit more human and his ways made her a little less, so its a really interesting flip that they did.
Renee returned in season eight, although she was much edgier and darker. However, just after Renee and Jack consummated her relationship, she was murdered by a snipers bullet much to the anger of many fans.
People say to me, I was crushed when she died, said Wersching. I did all kinds of fun things on 24 I cut off a thumb, I stabbed an eye, I got buried alive. Im the only one to ever get two silent clocks. I got a silent clock when I was buried alive and thought I died. I got a silent clock when I was actually killed.
Wersching enjoyed working with Sutherland.
Kiefers great. Hes like family at this point. When you spend so much time with someone you form a special bond, she said. He was a great teacher for me. I feel like I could just sit there and watch him work for hours. During my time there, I tried to soak up as much as I could because hes such a pro and such a great actor.
Another character Werschings also known for is Lily on The Vampire Diaries, based on the popular series of books of the same name by L.J. Smith that ran for eight seasons on The CW.
I knew that the Mama Salvatore character was this iconic character that had always been talked about throughout the first 5-6 seasons. I knew it was a character that the fans had been longing to know more about and had been waiting and waiting to meet. Then all of the sudden, its me! I liked that she was this bad-ass Ripper (an infamous nickname given to sadistic vampires) yet also this proper mother from early 1900s, she explained.
Wersching laughed hard when she was asked what would happen if all of her best-known characters got together for a girls night out.
Oh wow. Oh man. That would be quite a mess, I think. Its hard for me not to imagine them kicking ass in some form, so theyd have to do paintball or something aggressive because theyre all really aggressive women. I mean, cmon, a time-traveling assassin, a Ripper from the past I feel like they could all get along in a really snarky way. There would definitely be some mayhem throughout the night. And if theyre drinking, all bets are off, she said, laughing.
Even though its been nearly 10 years since shes played Renee and has gone on to other well-known characters, shes still remembered best as Renee. In fact, Renee is Werschings favorite character.
I played her the longest. I just spent so much time with her. I went on such a journey with her from being a goody two-shoes FBI agent to being a bad-ass. She was my favorite. I feel like I got to know her the best, she said. I really loved Emma from Timeless as well. She had a snark to her that was fun to play. That show was so fun, getting to dress up in costumes from different time periods. Emma made her way in a mans world very easily.
She pointed out that shes never been a regular on a legal or medical drama.
I feel like I do genre shows and cop shows, genre shows and cops shows, genre shows and cop shows, said Wersching. I love them. Theyre so fun. Its fascinating to me that Ive never done a law show or a medical show. I cant believe Ive never played a doctor. Its funny that Im almost always some version of a cop The genre stuff is fun. Even though youre in a genre show, its different from the other ones. The genre fans are really hardcore and passionate and super-supportive. The cool thing about genre fans too is theyll follow you to your next jobs as well, which is really sweet.
Read more:
Bad-Ass Woman: The Powerful Roles of Annie Wersching - Showbiz Junkies
- Who Does Matt End Up With in The Vampire Diaries? - CBR - Comic Book Resources - April 21st, 2024
- Oregon Man Staked His Mother's Throat Believing She Was a Vampire [Horror IRL] - Dread Central - April 21st, 2024
- V Rising 1.0 will let you sip the blood of history's greatest vampire - PCGamesN - April 21st, 2024
- Mourning the Muse You've Never Met | Mary Boone by Vampire Weekend - Impact 89FM - April 21st, 2024
- Abigail Directors Reveal the Method to Their Vampire Madness - Syfy - April 21st, 2024
- 'Abigail' takes audiences on bloody vampire heist The Daily Texan - The Daily Texan - April 21st, 2024
- New Teaser For Anne Rice's Interview With The Vampire Reveals 'Laws Of The Vampire' - Age Of The Nerd - April 21st, 2024
- Abigail Review: The ballerina vampire film is on pointe, and its a blast - Fort Worth Report - April 21st, 2024
- Music Monday: Vampire Weekend's Fifth Studio Album, Only God Above Us Proves That The Band Was Not Just A ... - Cardinal & Cream - April 21st, 2024
- Abigail Filmmakers Radio Silence on Their Genre-Hopping Vampire Thriller and Honoring Angus Clouds Final Performance - Variety - April 21st, 2024
- Abigail Review: Dan Stevens and Melissa Barrera in an Exuberantly Over-the-Top Vampire Horror-Comedy - Hollywood Reporter - April 21st, 2024
- 'Interview With the Vampire' Season 2 Trailer Learn the Laws of the Undead - Collider - April 21st, 2024
- New Interview with the Vampire Teaser Shares the Laws of the Vampire - ComicBook.com - April 21st, 2024
- 'Abigail' Review: This Ballerina Vampire Has the Perfect Bite - The Mary Sue - April 21st, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire Season 2 to Include 'Cool Twist' Not Seen in Original Books - CBR - Comic Book Resources - April 21st, 2024
- Review: New York City is Vampire Weekend's muse on 'Only God Was Above Us' - America: The Jesuit Review - April 21st, 2024
- Ikki Unite, the Feudal Japanese Vampire Survivors-like, Arrives on Switch and Steam - Co-Optimus.com - April 21st, 2024
- 'Abigail' review: A vampire bloodbath with pools of sticky stuff - Detroit News - April 21st, 2024
- 'Blood Hunt' #5 Demands a Heavy Price to Bring Down the Vampire's Reign - Marvel - April 21st, 2024
- Vanpires Are Back: 17 Vampire Books to Read - The Everygirl - April 21st, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire season 2 will be bigger, and include a huge twist that's not in the books - Gamesradar - April 21st, 2024
- A vampire ballerina and hired hitman hit the screens this weekend - WDIV ClickOnDetroit - April 21st, 2024
- Abigail's Directors Tell Us Why They Included The Vampire Ballerina Twist In The Movie's Marketing, But I Still Wish It ... - CinemaBlend - April 21st, 2024
- 'I get bored easily': Jacob Anderson reveals 'worries' about Interview with the Vampire season two - El Paso Inc. - April 21st, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Teaser Trailer Unveils the Laws of Being a Vampire - ComingSoon.net - April 21st, 2024
- 'I get bored easily': Jacob Anderson reveals 'worries' about Interview with the Vampire season two - Yahoo New Zealand News - April 21st, 2024
- Amazingly Accurate Real-Life BG3 Astarion Shows The Vampire Ready For Combat - Screen Rant - April 21st, 2024
- Interview With the Vampire Star Teases Teases Major Season 2 Twist - ComicBook.com - April 21st, 2024
- 32 astonishing ancient burials, from 'vampire' decapitations to riches for the afterlife - Livescience.com - April 21st, 2024
- Zendaya Becomes A Kick-Ass Buffy The Vampire Slayer In Photo-Realistic Art - Screen Rant - April 21st, 2024
- Nosferatu: First Footage Shows Off Bill Skarsgard as the Vampire - TheWrap - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend and Amber Coffman Cover Grateful Dead's Peggy-O - Pitchfork - April 12th, 2024
- Watch: Goose Welcome Vampire Weekend for Half-Hour Jam on Night Four at The Capitol Theatre - jambands.com - April 12th, 2024
- Woman found dead in Italian church was dressed like vampire and looking for ghosts - Express - April 12th, 2024
- Goose Welcome Vampire Weekend for Half-Hour Jam on Night Four at The Capitol Theatre (A Gallery + Recap) - Relix - April 12th, 2024
- A Guide to Vampire Weekend's Most Jewish Songs and Lyrics - Alma - April 12th, 2024
- Review: Vampire Weekend's 'Only God Was Above Us' sinks its teeth into nihilistic perspectives - Washington Square News - April 12th, 2024
- Watch Vampire Weekend Join Goose for a 31-Minute Redition of "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" | Exclaim! - Exclaim! - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend's Only God Was Above Us: Review - Consequence - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend Covers The Grateful Dead's 'Peggy-O' On SiriusXM - Digg - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend Covered Grateful Dead With Amber Coffman On SiriusXMU: Watch - Stereogum - April 12th, 2024
- Savannah Basley Co-Stars in SyFy's REGINALD THE VAMPIRE Season Two - BroadwayWorld - April 12th, 2024
- Review | Vampire Weekend's 'Only God Was Above Us' is sure to get stuck in your head - UI The Daily Iowan - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Survivors Contra Crossover DLC Will Come to PlayStation Later in the Summer - Push Square - April 12th, 2024
- OGWAU Is Vampire Weekend Keeping Things Fresh - HeadStuff.org - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Survivors is Crossing Over With Contra - GameRant - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Survivors Headed to PS5 and PS4 This Summer - News - VGChartz - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Survivors teams up with Contra for new DLC and fangs its way onto PlayStation consoles this summer - VG247 - April 12th, 2024
- The face of a 500-year-old vampire with a brick between her teeth - Metro.co.uk - March 24th, 2024
- Scientists recreate face of 16th-century vampire buried with brick inside mouth - WION - March 24th, 2024
- Montreal daily apologizes following backlash over Netanyahu vampire cartoon - The Times of Israel - March 24th, 2024
- This Major Aspect of 'Interview with the Vampire' Makes It Better Than the Movie - Collider - March 24th, 2024
- Stare Into the Screen Not the Sun: Vampire Weekend to Livestream Special Solar Eclipse Show - Rolling Stone - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Dormitory Anime Cast to Cover Every Little Thing Song for Ending Theme - Crunchyroll - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend will livestream Austin eclipse show - Brooklyn Vegan - March 24th, 2024
- 10 Essential 80s Vampire Movies You Might Have Missed - Flickering Myth - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend, Slightly Stoopid, Portugal. The Man, and more shows announced at Dillon Amphitheater (so far) - Summit Daily - March 24th, 2024
- 'Interview With the Vampire': Meet the Real Armand With Assad Zaman (VIDEO) - TV Insider - March 24th, 2024
- Xbox Game Pass gets cowboy vampire-slayer classic today, just in time for weekend - ReadWrite - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend Tease Punky, Jammy New Offshoot With An Imaginary Backstory - Stereogum - March 24th, 2024
- The GLAAD Wrap: Trailers for The Acolyte and Interview with the Vampire, New Music from Xana, Anglica Garcia ... - GLAAD - March 24th, 2024
- Interview With the Vampire Season 2 Will Unlock Deeply Hidden Memories - Gizmodo - March 24th, 2024
- Netanyahu caricatured as vampire in Canadian newspaper: 'Every Jew understands the meaning' - Ynetnews - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend tease a new offshoot project with an "imaginary back story" - NME - March 24th, 2024
- Scientists Reconstruct Face Of 16th Century 'Vampire Woman' Buried With Brick In Mouth - Study Finds - March 24th, 2024
- Here's a haunting, beautiful Interview With The Vampire season 2 trailer - The A.V. Club - March 24th, 2024
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Most Important Moment Features One Word - Den of Geek - March 24th, 2024
- TV Shows Like 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' That'll Suck You In - The Lineup - March 24th, 2024
- Remember When Pedro Pascal Was on Buffy the Vampire Slayer? - Remezcla - March 24th, 2024
- Interview With The Vampire Season 2 Goes Bigger Than Ever, See The Extended Look Into Fan-Favorite Series Return - Giant Freakin Robot - March 24th, 2024
- Fury Over Antisemitic Canadian Newspaper Cartoon Depicting Netanyahu as Blood-Sucking Vampire - Algemeiner - March 24th, 2024
- INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE: Memory Is The Monster In Stunning Extended Season 2 Trailer INTERVIEW WITH ... - CBM (Comic Book Movie) - March 24th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Extended Look: Memory Is Monster - Bleeding Cool News - March 24th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire trailer season 2 trailer is brimming with queer lust and the return of Lestat - Gay Times Magazine - March 24th, 2024
- Everything we're obsessed with in the new 'Interview With the Vampire' trailer - Pride.com - March 24th, 2024
- Pedro Pascal Was Saved By Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Giant Freakin Robot - March 24th, 2024
- AMC reveals an extended look at Interview with the Vampire Season 2 - Claire and Jamie - March 24th, 2024
- "Interview with the Vampire" Season 2 Trailer Previews the Return of AMC's Anne Rice Series on May 12 - Bloody Disgusting - March 24th, 2024
- Scream directors explain how their new vampire horror movie fits into the Universal Monsters universe, and share ... - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- 'Blood Hunt' Connecting Cover Holds the Line Against the Vampire Armies - Marvel.com - March 16th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero