From the interview archives.

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American actress Annie Wersching is best known as FBI special agent Renee Walker in the 24 series but she’s no stranger to the small or big screen, having also played in everything from Castle to General Hospital and The Vampire Diaries. VULKAN caught up with Annie to talk about her upcoming Marvel series Runaways and her role in Timeless.

“Runaways” tells the story of a group of teens who find out their parents are super villains in disguise. Can you tell us a bit about who Leslie Dean is?

Leslie Dean is a very powerful and charismatic leader of the Church of Gibborim; a sleek, highly efficient and hypermodern celebrity church based in Los Angeles. Leslie’s life revolves around the church and she is responsible for saving and enlightening a tremendous amount of people over the years. She helps parishioners reach their fullest potential and does a lot of good in the community…however her idea of “good” may not exactly line up with our Runaways idea of good. 🙂

Who is your favourite super villain of all time?
I think the best kind of villain is one that you feel for even when you know you shouldn’t.  Heath Ledger’s Joker comes to mind…but there’re so many good ones! 

If you were one yourself, what kind of lair or secret hideaway would you have? Or would you prefer to be hidden in plain sight like the Runaways teens parents?
Although a secret lair would be fun, there’s nothing creepier than a villain right amongst you…

 What other Marvel series would you be interested in getting involved in?

All of them? Anything with the word Marvel in it…sign me up! 

In “Timeless”, people utilize time travel to fight crime and protect the world as we know it. What period of time would you travel to given the opportunity?
1920’s Paris would be amazing. And we actually went there in an episode!  I would also love to go back to the 60’s and get a sneak peek of my parents when they first met and their courting days…how great would that be to see! 

What event would you want to try to change the outcome of? Would it be for the better of the world (ending a war) or personal gain? (saving an ill family member, or, more greedily, winning the lottery.)
I’d like to believe I’d have a bigger scope but nope …selfishly it’d be hard not to go back to times where family members were sick….to save My mom. My dad. My grandparents…all of ’em! 

Who is Emma Whitmore and how does she fit into the mix?
Emma Whitmore is quite a mystery! I’d like to say I know everything about her story, but I’ll be learning right along with the audience in Season 2! At first glance she appears to be a time traveling pilot who’s hidden herself in the past for a decade in order to hide from big bad evil Rittenhouse. Cut to the finale and we discover that she actually works for the Big R and she steals the mothership! Say what?! We have much to learn about Ms. Emma! 

 
What was the most challenging part of this role?
The most challenging part is simply the unknown. Not fully knowing Emma’s true intentions makes it a little harder to fully develop her…but I like a challenge! And that mystery only adds to her intrigue. 

Do you think, if we had this sort of technology, we should use it to try and alter past events, or is it more important to let the world carry on as it is and learning from our past mistakes?
Oh man. ARE we learning from our past mistakes? I can certainly think of a few major things I wouldn’t say no to changing.  

 
Earlier this year we also saw you in the Lifetime movie “The Other Mother” where you played Jackie. How do you think you would deal with another woman imposing herself on your family, particularly your daughter/son?

Well, if she was a murderous lunatic like the new woman in “The Other Mother,” I’d certainly have to go all Renee Walker on her ass! Mama Bear would be in full effect! 

In what ways would you say you are similar to Jackie?
I connect to Jackie in all the ways I think most mothers do. I’m protective like she is. I certainly have faults just like she does, but at the end of the day I’d do anything for my boys. Anything! Even tackle a crazy woman with a tire iron… 🙂

You’ve played such a wide variety of roles in your career thus far. Do you have a favourite, one that stands out amongst all the others?
It’s hard not to choose Renee Walker from “24” because I played her the longest and I learned so much… I have a soft spot for her 🙂

On that same note, what is one series that you would’ve liked to dive into your character a little further?
I would’ve loved to delve more into the world of the psychotic plastic surgeon, Dr. Kelly Nieman, I played on “Castle.” What a trip that chick was! There certainly was much more of her story to be told. 

You’ve worked with Kiefer Sutherland a few times now (“24” and “Touch”), what has been one thing you’ve learned with working with him?
Hard work. He applies himself 100% to his role and that was a wonderful thing to watch and learn.  He plays hard, but works even harder.

What would you say is the best thing to call Kiefer Sutherland for. Busted tire? Lost pet? A lighthearted joke to pick yourself up?
Oh that answer most certainly is for a drink!