Gannett News Service
September 13, 2001
CIA goes undercover with 'Alias'
by Mike Hughes
When "Alias" airs on TV this fall, it will seize attention.
Here is a show that has flash and fun, action and angst.
"Alias" is the story of Sydney Bristow, a 26-year-old graduate student
working for a secret division of the CIA. She is supposed to be keeping
her extra-curricular activities a secret, but when she tells someone,
her world is turned topsy-turvy.
The show -- scheduled to premiere (uninterrupted by commercials) at 9
p.m., Sept. 30 on ABC -- has drawn early buzz. It's hard to believe it
began as whimsical notion.
"The premise of the show is ludicrous," says J.J. Abrams, the creator
and producer. "The idea that there would be a young woman ... in grad
school who is a spy (doesn't) interest me from the outside."
Then how did he come up with it?
That goes back to "Felicity," Abrams' much-praised drama on the WB
network about an introspective college student.
"We're all just sitting around talking about stuff," he recalls. "I
said, 'You know what would just rock is if Felicity was recruited by
the CIA, because then she'd do these missions internationally -- in
these incredibly high-stakes, life-and-death situations'."
Then he took it seriously.
When Abrams created the show he already had an actress in mind.
Jennifer Garner has been a regular in two FOX series ("Significant
Others" and "Time of Your Life") and has had lead roles in TV movies
and miniseries. A former ballet dancer, she usually is cast accordingly.
"I'm more surprised all the time," she says. "It's like, I know inside
that I usually play the vulnerable girl-next-door."
It was a bold casting choice, but Abrams was already familiar with
Garner. She had a recurring role on "Felicity," where she met her
husband, actor Scott Foley. As soon as Garner heard about the "Alias"
idea, she jumped into action.
"I wanted the role so badly (that ) I actually looked in the Yellow
Pages and found somebody who taught tae kwon do and went every day for
a month," she says in order to prepare for the physically demanding
part.
Actually, Abrams says, he already planned to give her the role. "We
didn't test Jennifer. We just cast her."
Additionally, this is much more than an exercise in fighting.
Sydney keeps slipping into alternate characters and personas -- donning
wigs and different costumes. "It's one of the greatest jobs," Garner
says. "Each day is different. You're completely re-inventing yourself."
At the core, however, Sydney is a little like Felicity: She's a
sensitive, introspective college student.
Abrams long has admired the psyches of smart women ever since he was an
outnumbered male at Sarah Lawrence College.
He says being around smart women "actually had an enormous impact. My
mother is a very strong woman; my wife (has) one of the most brilliant
minds ... I'm drawn to that."
Abrams has written or co-written some fairly macho movies, including
"Armageddon," "Joy Ride" and "Forever Young." His TV series, however,
have centered on angst-ridden coeds.
For "Alias," he added extra layers of that angst. By the end of the
first episode, Sydney finds she can trust no one, she can talk to no
one and she's never really known who her father (Victor Garber) who may
also be a spy.
"She must be the loneliest person in the world," Garner says.
At least, Sydney has some zesty gadgets and gimmicks. For Michael
Vartan, who plays a CIA operations officer, this is fun stuff: "When
you watch James Bond, being a young kid, you think, 'Wow, if I could
only be a spy for a day!'"
Now he can. So can Garner -- the former ballerina and former
girl-next-door.
© Gannett Co., Inc. 2001
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