The Sci Fi Reporter had the chance to catch up with Mira Furlan, star of the hit TV series Lost and cult Sci Fi Show Babylon 5. We hope you enjoy this very personal journey into the life of this fine actor.

SB: Mira, can you tell us a little about yourself and your work on the stage in live theatre?

MF: I began as a theatre actor in the former Yugoslavia. I became an actor because of my love for theatre. And, although in my former country and my former life I worked the most in TV and Film, Theatre has always stayed my first and big love. There is nothing like the feeling of being there under those spot lights, feeling the breathing of the audience and having that direct rapport with them. There is the feeling of power on stage that the actor cannot ever have in front of the camera. However, the subtleness and precision of film acting is challenging and fulfilling in another way. Michael Caine said in his book "Film Acting": "Stage acting is like surgery with a scalpel, film acting is - laser surgery."

SB: In 1987 you we're voted Yugoslavia's Best Film Actress of the year, What kind of exposure did you receive upon winning the award?

MF: Yes, the Eighties. I was the "In" Actress in the former Yugoslavia, I was on every front page of every magazine and the scripts we're coming to me... Unfortunately, we lived in a small socialist Eastern European country where "fame" was never connected to money. So, in a way, that "fame" and popularity (which came primarily through a couple of very successful TV series that I've been in in my youth) brought me just that feeling of being exposed, the feeling that my private life was not mine anymore etc, that my privacy became public domain. That has always been very hurtful and painful to me. There was never any protection from that intrusion, the protection that maybe money can buy. When the war happened in our country, I proved to be the perfect target in the merciless war propaganda battles. So, yes, I can say that I truly know the "dark" side of fame.

SB: A letter to my co-citizens, How difficult was it to write?

MF: It was hard to write that letter, of course. But it was also easy, because I felt I had no other choice, It was an attempt to preserve the minimum of integrity, of sanity, of my own individual self. Because war erases our individualities and makes us into tools some and someone's politics. My whole being rebelled against it. I didn't, couldn't be a part of all that hatred and cynical, cruel bloody games, so I chose to leave, for better or for worse.

SB: How did you find your time on Babylon 5, and did you enjoy the direction of Delenn's character development?

MF: "Babylon 5" happened to me when I first came to the U.S., after leaving my country, my friends, colleagues and family, my career, my language. I desperately needed a new "family" and, miraculously, found it in that show, in those lovely people that I worked with and that are still my friends.I loved playing the spiritual, strong, complex Delenn. I experienced many truly rewarding acting moments on that show, thanks to the brilliant writing of J.M. Straczynski and the wonderful, gifted cast of actors I worked with.

SB: The character of Danielle Rousseau is very complex, what we're your first impressions when taking on the role?

MF: I loved what I read in that first episode which is still my favourite. It had the darkness, the ambiguity in the relationship between Danielle and Sayid, It had so many underlying elements that we're inspiring and gratifying for me as an actor. That episode, "Solitary", reminded me a little bit of the wonderful film by Liliana Cavanni, "The Night Porter", with Charlotte Rampling, where a very complex relationship develops between the torturer and the victim.

SB: Do you have a favourite past time or hobby away from acting you would like to share with us?

MF: I do a lot of yoga in my spare time, I read a lot and love music. I also still love to travel and am looking forward to this trip "downunder" because this time I want to see some other wonders and miracles of that sensationally beautiful part of the world, some that I haven't had a chance to see before. It is a gift to be able to see the wonders of this beautiful planet in this short life.

SB: What do you enjoy most about your convention appearances?

MF I love meeting the fans, I enjoy their stories, their personalities. As an actor, you're an observer of human nature and every particular encounter with another human being is enriching. It's also rewarding to find out that my work had given people pleasure or insight, that it had moved them or touched them in any way. That knowledge makes it all worth while.

SB Thanks Mira, we wish you a wonderful time Downunder and all the success in the future.

Contact "Sci Fi Reporter" Logo designer Kristina G.