Most memorably, she was Hannah on Showtime’s serial killer opus, Dexter. She’s also been in 24: Live Another Day as well as a variety of other movies.
She is Yvonne Strahoviski, and she recently discussed her role as Terra, in I Frankenstein.
Initial thoughts on the screenplay:
YVONNE STRAHOVSKI: Well, it was a lot to do with the character and the concept and being a part of something that was so embedded in tradition and mythology. We have this whole new fresh take on a story that’s been told many times, except we’re telling a different part of it that nobody’s really heard of before in a world that nobody’s seen before.
On Terra and her role in the development of Aaron Eckhart’s lead, Adam:
YS: You know, honestly it wasn’t that much of my focus. I now see it to be the case when I watch the movie. It’s definitely something that struck me when I saw it. The audience really does live through Terra’s eyes in discovering this world with her – the gargoyles and the demons and what it all means. But, at the time, I was focusing more on Terra and where she came from. Also, what her backstory was, which we don’t really touch on in the movie, but that was really informative for me as a starting point for building her character and who she was.
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On researching the science of the role:
YS: Absolutely. I had to do research. I didn’t know anything about it. I mean, I knew a little bit, but obviously it’s such a complex and technical thing to grasp. I definitely sat down with a couple of cardiologists and had them explain what it was all about, as well as a lot of googling and research and even watching open heart surgeries on YouTube. Anything I could find. There was a lot of reading that I did as well as figuring out Terra’s backstory while reading the novel. There were also things like learning to do suture for Adam’s back in a particular scene. That was something I had never done before.
Regarding acting on an effects heavy movie:
YS: Hmmm… Yeah, there’s definitely a big imaginative component to it. There’s a lot of green screen, CGI, and special effects. But, Stuart really made it a lot easier for me, personally. He knew exactly what he wanted with this. He had such a strong vision and he really kept us informed visually with what this world was going to look like. I remember him showing up to set and getting excited when he showed us certain sequences that were going to be done on the computer, even in their basic form, just so we could start getting an idea of what it was going to look like. So, we were definitely kept in the loop on that kind of stuff.
On the importance of balance in roles as an actor:
YS: Absolutely. I definitely think so. Not just light and dark, but all different types of elements. Different people, whether their intentions are good or bad. Different accents, different occupations, people who have had different experiences – that’s the beauty of being an actress. You get to portray all of these different people in one lifetime and pick their brains and pick apart a character for a certain amount of time. It’s a real learning experience and really makes you a keen observer of human behavior and real life.
