Favourite Actor(s) - Amy Acker

Across four roles on three television shows, Amy Acker has been consistently amazing. I'm definitely excited to see her get her Shakespeare on in Joss Whedon's upcoming adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing. In this blog post, I'll briefly explain why I Heart Amy Acker. Note: Now and again I may write about other actors I love.

Containing spoilers for Alias, Angel, and Dollhouse.



I essentially love every character Acker has played in the shows mentioned above. If Amy Acker was on screen during her regular stint on Alias, chances are someone was about to die. That is why I loved Peyton on Alias, she normally took out numerous people at a time while being all deceptive and badass.

Fred on Angel was a sweet, intelligent girl that many people underestimated. The woman survived a hell dimension for numerous years, helped save Team Angel when seemingly everyone in L.A. had fallen victim to Jasmania, managed to find Gunn tolerable, and her friends still looked at her like some delicate princess. While I had always enjoyed Fred and found Acker consistently entertaining, I didn't love her until Illyria. With that role, she proved she could out-act everyone on Angel (and they have a bunch of talented cast members). The mannerisms, the detachment, the head tilt,  the deeper voice, her movements - Amy Acker seamlessly went from playing a woman on her death bed to whatever the frak Illyria is supposed to be in the space of one episode. Do I like Illyria more than Fred? No. Was Amy Acker's complete transformation worth it to show off her range? Definitely.

After diving back into Dollhouse over the summer, Amy Acker stood out again. Clare Saunders is one of my favourite characters on television. I had always enjoyed her. The constant warnings against long term imprints, the genuine care for the dolls, her inability to leave the dollhouse, her life as the previous number one doll, and so on. In Vows, the season two premiere, we watch Clare deal with the fact that she isn't a real person. Firstly, we see the anger bubbling up. Getting all rat-happy on Topher, resenting and pitying Echo at the same time - her presence caused Whiskey to get slashed, but at the same time, Clare would be as helpless as everyone else if Alpha hadn't got knife-happy. I love her interaction with Boyd - the explanation that she is seemingly afraid of everything, their little chats throughout the series, they really should have had 'scowly babies' together. Y'know, if Boyd wasn't the big bad. Amy Acker completely destroyed the scene with Topher. Watching Clare freak out about the fact that she isn't real, admitting she has a fear of dying despite being in the body of another person, and her intense hatred of Topher all made for what has to be my personal favourite Dollhouse scene. On one of the commentaries, Whedon stated that a lot of the show was about the dolls overcoming their programming. Caroline seeps through into Echo - the leader that wants to help people and take down the big bad. Alpha's past life as a crazy person resulted in Whiskey getting slashed, because of his obsession with Echo. Tony/Victor's need to protect Priya/Sierra is present throughout the show. Clare's hatred for Topher came through, hinting at a connection existing between them before the dollhouse. It makes me sad that we didn't get the chance to see that storyline explored further. Her performances in Omega, Epitaph One, and Vows are truly stellar.

Even in one-off guest appearances, she makes an impression (Private Practice, for example). Really, she needs to land a lead role in a great cable series, she definitely has the talent to carry her own show.

Currently watching: Felicity, Happy Endings, How I Met Your Mother, and Pan Am.