One of the main ‘Bionic Woman’ talking points over the past few months has been the casting of ”Brit-Chick” Michelle Ryan for the lead role of Jaime Sommers. She is (or ‘was’) relatively unknown in the States prior to being casted, and there is still strong cynism from some quarters, at having an unestablished actress playing such a pivotal role. Don’t get me wrong, people are entitled to their cynicism, however, I would contest such pre-judgement with the idea that Jaime Sommers is not supposed to be a ready-made ‘Bionic Woman’..she’s a civilian..an ordinary person who has her life turned upside down by fate and technology. Her character should be one which is initially unsure of herself, because that’s part of the evolution of her story arc. I hope that viewers bear in mind that perhaps she was chosen for the role, in part, for her own potential..her own insecurity and inexperience? I imagine that initially that’s how Jaime is and how she will be after her body has been melded with bionics..at least until she grows into her role - something I am confident Michelle will also do given some time.
Infact Michelle alludes to the parallels between herself and the character she will be portraying, in this interview.
I feel like I’m constantly learning and growing. And I think that’s very much what [my character[ Jaime is going to be doing as we go along, finding out about herself. I mean, I’m re-locating myself for this job. I’m moving to Vancouver and living on my own for the first time and changing light bulbs and doing things for myself that I have not done before. So I feel like I’m as much on a journey of self-discovery as Jaime is.”
Read the full interview here.
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