Her resume reads like the Favorite TV Shows category on my Facebook page. My So-Called Life, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Dawson’s Creek, Nikita, The Vampire Diaries, American Horror Story, Pretty Little Liars and now, Teen Wolf.
Ms. Morell, Beacon High’s guidance counselor, is the latest mysterious woman Bianca has brought to television over the last 15 years, and I caught up with her yesterday to talk all about her killer career, what’s to come on Teen Wolf, the power of “Emaya” and whether the ageless star has actually located The Fountain of Youth!
TheInsider.com: What attracted you to Teen Wolf?
Bianca Lawson: I think it’s a really great show. I love the supernatural aspect and the darkness. Morell’s got a lot of layers and a great mystery about her that will slowly reveal. One of the things I loved about her is that while she gets to interact with lots of people, but her approach and her energy is different with every person. In that way, it brings up a lot of questions about her: Is she an ally? An enemy? A frenemy? What’s her motive? You ride that fine line and until you get to the ultimate answer of who she is. And that’s fun to play and fun to watch.
Insider.com: And that ultimate answer comes this season?
Bianca: It’s not fully explained, but by the season finale certain elements of her will be resolved. There’s a lot of answers coming – but those open up a lot more questions. After I shot my last episode of the season, Jeff [Davis, creator] was like, “This is what I’ve been hiding from you the whole time!” I was excited.
Insider.com: This is not the first mysterious character you’ve played — I mean, we didn’t know for a long time what Maya’s true intentions with Emily were. Do you enjoy that or is it frustrating to not have access to answers?
Bianca: I love it, actually. I feel like you get to add things as an actor that might not be on the page when you don’t know everything. It’s like life. You meet someone and think one thing, but the longer you’re with them, the more you learn and your opinion can change. You’re constantly discovering new things about people – which can be exciting or disappointing, and I like that mysteriousness of finding out the truth of someone.
Insider.com: You played a teenager on Buffy in 1997 and a teenager on PLL in 2012 — clearly you look ageless, but is it strange to still be playing high schoolers more than 15 years later?
Bianca: It’s interesting. I have played adults, but the things that end up getting the most publicity, or become the most popular, are when I’m playing a teenager. It’s a blessing for sure, but when you’re up for other jobs, you can be perceived as too young – even though I’m an adult [laughs]. Obviously it allows you to have a very long career, so I see it as a blessing that allows me to play more characters. I mean, Emily on Vampire Diaries was over 100 years old and Kendra was young but she led the life of a slayer, so she had a different experience which gave her an ageless quality too. It’s flattering but can be frustrating if there’s a part I really want but [casting directors] perceive me as being young because of my roles. For me, I’ve always seen myself as a character actor, so whether they’re 15 or 50, I think I can play it.
Insider.com: So you’re officially shooting down rumors you made a deal with the devil or found the Fountain of Youth?
Bianca: [laughs] I wish I found the Fountain of Youth – I really do. But, yes, I am officially denying, on the record, that I’ve made a deal with the devil.
Insider.com: You mentioned Emily, do you think we might see her again on The Vampire Diaries?
Bianca: You never know! You never know! It’s another one of those shows where there are all these great characters who come in and out, and their stories never finish.