In Conversation With Morena Baccarin

Morena was photographed by Brendan Wixted; she was styled by Cristina Ehrlich; hair by Peter Butler; makeup: Matin Maulawizada; interview by Alison Engstrom.

You’ve had such a great career so far from roles in series like Gotham, Deadpool and Homeland. What would you say has guided you and your decisions that you’ve made over the course of your career so far?

Thank you, I’ve tried to follow my gut with a lot of these things and when projects come my way. Since I have kids and have a family, a lot of it has been about the time away versus the time with my kids, which informs the jobs I do take. It’s been an interesting journey, it ebbs and flows, and as you mature you have different interests. I’ve been very lucky until now. 

How would you describe the road until now? 

It’s definitely been a battle at times, nothing has come easy. I started acting out of college, I went to Juilliard and I started acting professionally right after that. When I was coming out of school—I graduated in 2000—it was a time when the industry was not hip to different ethnicities and that parts could be played by people of color. My name is very exotic sounding, even though I have no accent, it was difficult for me to get a job. I would audition a lot, my agents would try to pigeon-hole me into this fiery Latina character, which was never my jam, or where I felt I could do my best. I’m not against playing that role once or twice, but it wasn’t my thing, my niche. I was interested in theater, it was what I was trained for, but during that time, big stars were lining up to be on Broadway. I did do some theater, I understudied a lot, and then I went to LA, and I ended up booking Firefly. It was such an interesting genre and moment because I played a character who was worldly and mature for her age and her time. She had this otherness feel about her. I ended up feeling like that was more my area and where I knew I had a sweet spot with Hollywood and I could play those characters.

I did that for a while but things dried up and it was difficult to get a job, but I kept plugging away. I had a year where I wasn’t booking anything and I took that time to reevaluate what was important. I remember telling myself, let’s start looking at auditions as an opportunity to play and act because that’s what I loved doing. I didn’t have kids; I was single, living in this tiny apartment in Hollywood. I told myself to have fun because if I wasn’t having fun then I shouldn’t be doing it and that changed everything for me, just realizing that. Once I saw every job, every meeting, every encounter as an opportunity to learn and try something new, it became more about the experience, as opposed to just getting the job. Then I started booking one thing after the next.

I had to fight hard for my Homeland job. My character was from middle America and she was married to a marine. I was a little young for the part, she was the mother of two kids, who weren’t toddlers, they were teenagers. I had to prove that I could play that age range and also that I could play being middle American. I had very short hair at the time, I had just finished V, where I played an alien, which was very fitting to the idea of playing a foreigner. I had to convince them it was okay to have short hair, be from where they were from, be married to a marine, and look different. That was a real turning point for me. Since then, it certainly hasn’t been easy, but it’s easier now. People’s perspectives have finally shifted about what America actually looks like.  

And that’s a great thing. Also, to What you were saying earlier, it’s about the law of attraction, when you stop clinging onto an idea or dream and let go, things come your way. Have you noticed a shift in the industry over all since then?  

I feel the industry has changed quite a bit but I think there’s a way to go, but we are getting there. If you look around, you see it reflected in shows like Bridgerton and our show, The Endgame, where you have two female leads, who are not white. I feel like when you can get into a trap of color-blind casting, it becomes a selling point, which is great, but I think we will get somewhere when we are not tied to norms. 

What’s the greatest piece of advice that you’ve received that has helped you navigate your path? 

I always watch people. I have worked with some incredible actors over the years–Sigourney Weaver, Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman—and I watched them work. I feel the actors who continue and have longevity in their careers are people who are in it for the work. They aren’t in it for the glitz and glam, the attitude, the free sandwiches, or the accolades. They are in it because they are curious about people, life, telling stories, and they treat people at work with respect. They have an incredible work ethic and that was apparent to me very early on. 

That’s great, I find so often that if someone had a bad experience they might want to parlay that onto someone else.

I find it’s a slippery slope for sure. It’s a very hard life, there are a lot of personality types, feelings, and emotions. I think you can get sucked into thinking, oh well, I don’t feel like doing this today, and you have this single-minded mentality. You forget there is a whole crew behind you who needs to make a living. They all have lives and they don’t care about you and your feelings. We are all working together to create something, I feel like perspective is everything. 

How have you stayed grounded as your career has blossomed and evolved? 

I think kids are really good at that (laughs). Kids show you quickly what life is all about. It’s been great for me. I had my first kid in my 30s, and now I have had my third, and it all comes back to them. Watching these little people mature, grow, learn, and looking at the world through their eyes is so magical. It puts everything into perspective. When you are at work and you are feeling glamorous and then you come home and you instantly have throw up on you, you are changing a diaper, or there is screaming happening and you are trying to get everyone to sleep (laughs). They have a way of keeping you real. 

Your newest project, you mentioned,  is the heart-pounding NBC thriller The Endgame, where you play Elena Federova. What was your initial reaction when you read the script and what excited you the most?

I didn’t want to like it, I had been on an arc show before and I kind of wanted to take a break from that. I had just had my baby, who was three months old, and we had been through this difficult, but magical time, where everything hit pause in the pandemic. It was very stressful and scary, there were many tragic elements to it, but it also afforded me an opportunity to be with my kids for a long time. It made our world small, which was nice for a change. I wasn’t quite ready to head back into the world full-time. I didn’t want to like it but I kept turning the page and reading; I got sucked into the script, the story, and this character who was good, bad, delicious, and this criminal mastermind with a moral compass. It was a fun character to create; getting to do an accent, create her backstory, and to not so serious about it. This is entertainment at the end of the day and to be able to have a really good time doing something, I realized I needed that after those two years. 

Completely, did you feel like no time had passed or so much time had passed when you got back to set? 

I felt different; I felt like I had earned it and I really needed it for my soul; I felt like I had lost touch with the creative part of myself. It was nice to dig into that again. 

How did you master the accent of your character? It’s spot on!

I had a dialect coach, Howard, and we would just drill into each episode and I started to get the hang of it a bit more. I wanted her accent to not be one thing, I wanted her to be a worldly character because she grew up in many countries. I felt that was the key to unlocking this character. 

Can you talk more about the plot and your character arc for the first season for those who haven’t tuned in yet?

I play Elena Federova, who is an international arms dealer. When the pilot starts, she has been captured by the FBI and taken to an undisclosed, tight-security, location which ends up being Fort Totten, which is a real place in Queens. You see through a series of events what happened and that she’s orchestrated getting arresting and planned seven bank heists across New York City. You start to realize, as the season goes on, that she strategically picked this place in New York because she knows who agent Val Turner is, played by Ryan Michelle Bathe. She is an FBI agent, who has been a bit disgraced because her husband was involved in lying in a case and has since been arrested. You come to find out that all these events, she is going to slowly, one by one, take down corrupt members of the U.S. government. 

No easy feat, there are a lot of them! Is it nice that you get to film in New York and then go home, does that also influence your job decisions? 

One hundred percent, it’s the best that I don’t have to travel and I know my kids are here. They can stay in school and be in their routine. It’s one of the best parts about it. They are so invested, they come to set, they want to know what happens, they know all of the characters. 

Are they interested in what you do?

They are interested in the storytelling aspect of it, they don’t care I am on TV. They are invested in how it gets made and what the story is about, which I think is really cool. 

Outside of acting, you also are a voice for the IRC, such a great organization. What inspired you to get involved with the cause and can you share more about your work and how other can get involved?

Now I am involved in two organizations that I am really proud of. The IRC reached out and invited me to an event one night, they were honoring the Brokaw family for their work, in New York City. I went and was so blown away by the night, the organization, and all they did. Being an immigrant myself, I really connected with the cause, and then befriended their public relations person. I said, use me, call me for anything, and anyway I can help. I eventually became an ambassador for them and I traveled to some countries to do research and see firsthand the work they do so I can speak about it intelligently. It’s been incredible.

Most recently, I’ve become a board member for Waterwell, a theater company in New York. The way it’s described is civic-minded theater and art. They do productions and right now there is a play about union labor laws; they are also behind the education program PTAS, which is a professional performing arts school, for middle and high school. They are in charge of the drama period there. As a board member, I am essentially fundraising for them and getting the word out. 

That’s great. Is there any type of role or other hat you’d like to play to explore that you haven’t yet? 

I’m sure (laughs). There is a lot out there I haven’t done yet, I am interested in challenges and stretching myself. I haven't done a period piece yet, I’d love to do more comedy, and to dive into different people. 

Since you are a New Yorker, what do you look the most forward to this time of year? 

Being outside as much as possible. You start to feel that sense that you can’t take one more cold day, especially having kids. So we will pack the stroller with a blanket, toys, food, and everything and be out all day all, it’s the best feeling. 

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Watch ‘the Endgame’ on nbc with new episodes returning april 11th

A special thank you to Slate PR