Actress Ashley Scott.
In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, Ashley Scott talks about her brief but memorable stint playing Asha Barlow on Dark Angel.
In the second season of Dark Angel, Logan Cale a.k.a. Eyes Only gets some additional help with his cable-hacking battle against the criminal element and corrupt government officials. It arrives in the shapely form of Asha Barlow. An old friend of Logan’s, she is part of S1W, a terrorist group with their own score to settle with the “fat cats” who are enjoying the good life while the rest of the public is left to live in squalor. A tough gal with her own secrets to hide and demons to fight, Asha has a heart of gold and is willing to risk her life to fight for the rights of others. These are just a few of the qualities that attracted the ebullient and beautiful newcomer Ashley Scott to the role.
“When I read the [audition] sides for the character I immediately fell in love with her,” enthuses the actress. “She’s such a cool chick. Asha is a revolutionary. She sees what she wants and goes after it, mostly on behalf of a good cause. The character can be hard-as-nails but at the same time sensitive. I wanted her to be a likeable person. The writers have obviously added her to the mix to spice things up. However, she’s not there to destroy relationships or come between anyone, in particular, Logan [Michael Weatherly] and the programme’s genetically-enhanced heroine Max [Jessica Alba]. Asha is there to lend a helping hand, and I’m all for that.”
Scott’s busy schedule leaves her little time for such leisure activities as watching TV. So she had to do some homework before trying out for the role of Asha. “I sat down and watched tapes of a few Dark Angel shows so I’d at least know the basics about it,” she says. “Of course, now that I’ve been on the series I’m in love with it. I can’t wait to read each new script we get. I’m so glad, though, that I did that initial research before I went in to read for the part because it gave me something on which to base my character. I became familiar with the type of world Asha lives in and the problems she and those around her are faced with. Since I’ve begun playing her, I’ve been able to take that initial foundation, build upon it and as a result turn Asha into a real person. Hopefully, that growth process will continue.
“When it came to the audition itself for Dark Angel, it wasn’t bad at all,” adds Scott. “Everyone was wonderful. I read three times before going in for the final tryout. That’s the big one where 20 people from the Fox Network are sitting at a table ready to watch you do your thing. So I just did my little ‘Ashley playing Asha’ act for them,” laughs the actress, “and that was that. Before I knew it, they offered me the job. I was so psyched!”
Old friends Asha and Logan cross paths in Dark Angel’s second-season opener Designate This. The story picks up where the first-season finale, And Jesus Brought a Casserole, left off with Max a prisoner of the sadistic Dr. Elizabeth Renfro (Nana Visitor) at Manticore. Logan suspects the government organization is laundering their budget through Veteran Affairs. If he can connect the two groups he might be able to locate Manticore’s new headquarters and rescue Max. He happens to pay a visit to the local VA office on the same day as Asha and S1W. The militants promise to “straighten things out,” and proceed to dole out food and justice to the innocent citizens who are truly in need. Asha is surprised to see Logan there and curious as to why he is so interested in Manticore.
“I was a bundle of nerves my first day on the Dark Angel set,” recalls the actress. “It was like walking into a new school and not seeing anyone you know. All these thoughts go through your head like, ‘Am I going to fit in? Are they going to like me? Will I do OK here?’ I needn’t have worried, though, as everything turned out just great. Everyone was so kind and welcoming to me, one, because I was new on the series, and, two, I was new to the business. They were especially aware of the latter and really took the time to make me feel comfortable with what I was doing. It’s been like that ever since.
“As for the episode itself, I thought it was a wonderful introduction for my character,” continues Scott. “Prior to that, Asha had [supposedly] been behind-the-scenes and working elsewhere on behalf of Eyes Only. All of a sudden, ‘Bam!’ she turns up. There I was brandishing a gun, pretending to be one hot mama who’s out to help bring down the big, bad establishment! It was such a blast.”
In Designate This, Max discovers that Manticore has infected her with a genetically targeted retrovirus designed to kill Eyes Only. However, before Alec (Jensen Ackles) tells Max, she unwittingly passes the virus on to Logan. Luckily, Max is able to get her hands on an antigen and Asha gives Logan the life-saving injection just in the nick of time. With Logan and Max now unable to touch, Dark Angel fans began to wonder if he and Asha would wind up become romantically involved. Scott insists this is not the case.
“Like I said earlier, Asha isn’t here to wreck things between Logan and Max,” she notes. “She’d worked closely in the past with Logan and they get along very well. Yes, there is an attraction of sorts between them, I think, but they’re really just friends. Asha cares a great deal about Logan. My character also knows how he feels about Max, and was upset for Logan when he had to go through that period where he thought he’d lost her. She hopes that they’re eventually able to find a way to neutralize the virus Max is carrying. Naturally, Asha’s and Logan’s relationship could change over time. I don’t know what the writers have planned. For now, though, she’ll be around to back Logan up when it’s too dangerous for him and Max to be together.”
Except for brief encounters with Alec and Joshua (Kevin Durand), most of Asha’s time has been spent with Max and/or Logan. Scott has nothing but praise for the show’s leading lady Jessica Alba and co-star Michael Weatherly. “They’re terrific,” says the actress. “I give Jessica a lot of credit. She works her tail off, she really does. She’s so young and yet carries the weight of the whole series on her shoulders. I don’t know if I could do that. I have a great deal of respect for her and Michael, and I’m so thrilled that the two of them have fallen in love with each other off-screen. They’re floating on top of the world, and it’s nice to work around that kind of positive karma.”
Born Ashley McCall Scott on 13thJuly in Louisiana, the actress began working in front of the camera as a model. “I’ve always been pretty relaxed in front of people and crowds, but modelling helped make that even easier,” says Scott. “Honestly, though, I didn’t move to Los Angeles with dreams of becoming a movie star. I take life by the seat of my pants. Acting was something new and exciting to me. In doing it, I’m learning so much not only about the business but also about myself. It’s something that, I hope, is making me a better person.”
Scott’s big break came in 2001 when she was cast as Gigolo Jane in the Steven Spielberg feature film Artificial Intelligence: AI. “I’ve been given this incredible string of opportunities over the past year,” she explains. “I’d been with my agent for probably only two weeks when I received a call one day from him. He said, “I don’t even want to tell you this because I’m afraid you’re going to think it’s easy to get a job in this town. You’re going to have an opportunity to work with Steven Spielberg.’ I couldn’t believe it! My part in AI was very small but talk about a great way to start out in the business. As busy as Mr. Spielberg was, he found the time to sit down and explain exactly what was expected of me. It was interesting to see what true greatness and professionalism is all about. He was just terrific to work with.”
The actress’s future on Dark Angel is currently up in the air as she has recently been cast in a pilot for a possible new WB show Birds of Prey. It would revolve around the adventures of three female crime-fighting legends, Barbara Gordon/Oracle (Dina Meyer), Dinah Lance/Black Canary (Rachel Skarsten) and Helena Kyle/The Huntress (Scott), who is the daughter of Batman and Catwoman. “Whatever the future holds for me I just want to make sure I’m up for the challenge and do the best job possible,” muses Scott.
Steve Eramo
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