Original Bionic Woman actress Lindsay Wagner returns to Warehouse 13 on Syfy in the recurring role of Dr. Vanessa Calder in “Fractures” on August 27.
Over the past two seasons on Syfy’s Warehouse 13, Dr. Vanessa Calder (Wagner) and Artie (Saul Rubinek) have developed a growing romance. In the Warehouse 13 episode called “Fractures,” their latest attempt to take the relationship to the next level puts both of their lives at risk after the theft of Lewis Carroll’s mirror interferes with Artie’s plans for a date.
Ahead of Warehouse 13 and “Fractures,” The Deadbolt spent a few minutes with Lindsay Wagner to learn more about her character, how Wagner relates to Dr. Calder as compared to Jaime Sommers, and where things stand with Artie and Vanessa going forward.
THE DEADBOLT: Now that you’ve played Dr. Calder a number of times, in what ways do you relate to her as compared to how you related to Jaime Sommers?
LINDSAY WAGNER: I don’t know that I relate the two characters, to be honest with you. Dr. Calder is very seasoned, she’s mature. Jaime was very young and optimistic. Not that Dr. Calder isn’t optimistic – I don’t mean to be saying that – but Jaime had a lot of enthusiasm based on a lack of experience, if you will, and encountered difficulties and painful life lessons, as all young people do, and was in a very exaggerated circumstance.
Dr. Calder’s been through that state already. She is very clear about what’s going on in her life and in the strange life that she lives. The only way I can really compare the two is that it’s not exactly the same.
But Jaime had to live a secret. She had two lives. That’s similar in that Dr. Calder lives a life out in the world and covertly goes and does this work for the warehouse.
THE DEADBOLT: So, there are more differences than similarities?
WAGNER: You know, you ask that question and I thought there’s absolutely nothing in common. I’ve never even thought about comparing the two before. But those are two odd things that they have in common, they’re having to live double lives. That always brings about certain life challenges.
It’s just that Dr. Calder’s been doing it for such a long time that noting is new or odd to her. Whereas Jaime, everything was like, “Whoa! What’s going on here?” So their characters are pretty different.
THE DEADBOLT: How do you view her energy with Artie and their collective truth going forward in relation to where they’re at right now?
WAGNER: Well, I feel that both of them have been through so much in all the years they’ve been doing what they’ve been doing. For Dr. Calder, certainly living a double life, Artie kind of has a mono life because he doesn’t have to pretend anything. That’s all he does. And because she has to hide what she does in the other relationships that she has, her relationship with Artie is something that allows Vanessa to be all of who she is.
She can be completely herself with him because she doesn’t have to hide anything, obviously. That’s very difficult. Even in the so-called real world, people who work for our government, CIA agents, things like that, they’re living private lives out of necessity for their own safety and for the way that the whole espionage type world is set up.
THE DEADBOLT: That would be difficult.
WAGNER: That’s the kind of thing that Vanessa’s having to live all the time, is living this double life. One can only imagine that it’s very stressful and uncomfortable to never be able to just relax, say what you want to say, be how you want to be, and just be open.
I think that for Vanessa it’s such a joy to be in an intimate relationship where she can truly be all of herself. That’s a blessing for anybody, when we find people who unconditionally love us and we can just be whoever we are. That’s something really wonderful for Vanessa and I know for Artie too.
Warehouse 13 airs Monday nights at 9/8c on Syfy