Summer Glau

Summer Glau probably had no idea at the time but a 2002 guest spot on "Angel" was about to ignite her career in the most magical way. Drawn to the allure she always exudes on screen, Joss Whedon crafted a role in his next series with Summer in mind. That show was "Firefly," the character was River Tam and the rest is history.

Although the space-opera lasted only eleven episodes it didn’t matter — the world and people that populated Serenity’s decks were forever etched onto the hearts of Whedon-fans the world over. Since then Summer has hopped from sci-fi project to project, but this Sunday marks her first major foray outside the genre walls.

In Lifetime Movie Network’s "Deadly Honeymoon" Summer plays Lindsay Forrest, a newlywed whose husband mysterious disappears on their honeymoon cruise. But when the investigation turns up some mysterious evidence, it’s revealed that the blushing bride might not be as innocent as she seems. It’s a classic LMN movie and one of the reasons Summer came on board.

I chatted with the delightful actress (in my unending quest to interview everyone who has delivered Joss-speak) about her first Hollywood wedding, what it means to be a part of the Whedonverse and what that long rumored "Sarah Connor Chronicle" wrap-up movie could be about!

PopWrap: Lifetime Movies are somewhat iconic, was playing one of their heroine’s part of the appeal?

Summer Glau: I have loved Lifetime since I was a little girl and those performances have stuck with me throughout my work as an actress. I’ve always dreamed of getting to tackle one myself. When this script came to me I had to jump on it.

PW: Any favorites?

Summer: "Mother May I Sleep With Danger," [laughs] I love that one! Any with Tori Spelling!

PW: Like many LMN leading ladies, the audience never really knows Lindsay’s real motivations, did you enjoy creating two characters in essence?

Summer: That was my goal throughout the entire shoot. ’ve never worked harder than I did for this movie. I read the story and the challenge for me was to keep viewers guessing until the end. She’s feisty but very vulnerable. You can see her being a classic girl next door. I, of course, made a choice about what I thought happened, but I tried to portray it in an ambiguous way.

PW: The movie does leave it up to the audience to decide since Lindsay never twirls her mustache and cackles over her money. Was that important to you?

Summer: [laughs] That’s what I was hoping for. I invested a lot of emotion and a lot of thought in this character – I wanted it to be a complicated, believable story. It was like a puzzle and a marathon. We shot it in 21 days and I was crying almost every day. It was intense.

PW: Has making this movie affected your opinion on cruises?

Summer: I haven’t been on one yet and I’m not running out to buy a ticket.

PW: And you have your first fake wedding in "Deadly Honeymoon," don’t you?

Summer: Yes! It was a moment for me. I think for most girls, you can’t escape the magic of putting on the dress and imagining what it would feel like. There are a few moments where Lindsay gets teary-eyed, and it felt real to me. Although my boyfriend was there, so it was funny for him to attend my wedding to Chris Carmack, but he was such a good sport.

PW: Lindsay is the latest in a long line of characters that seems to be nothing like you personally.

Summer: I always feels there’s a part of me in every character, but I do tend to play unrelatable or extreme characters. I guess that’s something I’m drawn to in characters.

PW: Which character, would you say, has been the most similar to Summer?

Summer: The character I felt was really natural for me to access was River. “Firefly” was my first job and there was a part of me that was that fragile, emotional teenager. And the sparks just flew for me with her.

PW: Since then you’ve become something of a genre girl — what’s it been like to be adopted by the fanbase?

Summer: I couldn’t believe it. When I first started working for Joss people tried to explain it to me, but there’s no way to fully understand what it feels like to be in the Whedonverse until you’re part of the family. And I still can’t believe the support I feel — the undying devotion that a lot of this genre’s fans give their actors is remarkable. And one thing I love is that they’ll give me a chance if I try something different – they’ll support me. They may not love it, but they still come watch it. I don’t know what it’s like for other actors who have to find new fans for every job we do. I feel like our fans, especially from "Firefly," are incredibly supportive.

PW: I think the fever pitch of it all was the petitions to keep "Sarah Connor Chronicles" on the air [at this point, Summer loudly exhales] it still sounds like a sore subject for you?

Summer: It’s still difficult for me every day. That was the job I got most attached to because I’d never shot a series for that long – you start to really feel like a family. When we first started it was Me, Lena [Headey] and Thomas [Dekker] all day, every day. And we created something we didn’t know if people would respond to but we felt the love and I was super attached and super in love. It’s still hard to let go of.

PW: Thomas brings up a possible movie on the season two DVD commentary — what are your thoughts?

Summer: I heard there were ideas of doing that – we certainly had an awesome idea for season three that carried the storyline from season two, but was a stand-alone arc as well. I could absolutely see us be able to do a film with the same characters. I’ll never give up hope on that. I know that everyone would absolutely come back.

PW: So let’s work the fans into a frenzy — what was the idea?

Summer: Lets just say it would take place in another time and I might be working on Allison a little more than Cameron. I was really excited about that idea.

PW: Well, fans are also hoping to see you in Joss’ "Avengers" movie in some capacity. Any plans to reunite?

Summer: I’m always planning on it, but I don’t want to put pressure on Joss. He has so many actors devoted to him. Right now, there’s no truth to it but of course I would kill to work for him in any story he wants to tell. "Avengers" is going to be amazing, so I’d take any opportunity I could to work for him.

"Deadly Honeymoon" airs April 25 at 8pm on Lifetime Movie Network