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Scarlett Byrne is a Marvel fan

SINGAPORE — We remember Scarlett Byrne for turning in a snobbish performance in the later installations of the Harry Potter series of movies as girlfriend of the villainous Draco Malfoy. But the 23-year-old had waited a long time for the opportunity, which saw her working alongside veteran actors many dream of working with.

Byrne plays Lexi, a gorgeous alien-human hybrid with the powers of telekinesis and superhuman strength. Photo: AXN

Byrne plays Lexi, a gorgeous alien-human hybrid with the powers of telekinesis and superhuman strength. Photo: AXN

SINGAPORE — We remember Scarlett Byrne for turning in a snobbish performance in the later installations of the Harry Potter series of movies as girlfriend of the villainous Draco Malfoy. But the 23-year-old had waited a long time for the opportunity, which saw her working alongside veteran actors many dream of working with.

“When I first worked on Harry Potter, I really had not worked on anything that huge,” Byrne gushed, her heavy British accent punched up with enthusiasm. “That was definitely my ‘training wheels’ in a sense. I mean, (these) were some of the greatest British actors in the world!

Byrne has had her fair share of small roles, having played supporting roles in Syfy’s Lake Placid and the medical drama series Doctors.

But it seems her newfound popularity has helped her land a regular spot on the hit sci-fi series Falling Skies, playing a human-alien hybrid Lexi Glass-Mason, complete with ethereal blonde hair and superwoman strength. “I finished Harry Potter when I was 20, 21? I turned 23 while doing Falling Skies,” Byrne added. “Lexi’s definitely been the next step from Pansy Parkinson.

“I didn’t realise how significant she (Lexi) was going to be when I first got cast in the role. She’s constantly changing, and it was a challenge because she was really straightforward and very complex,” Byrne said. “She’s so interesting and I believe that’s what drew me to her in the first place. Lexi is different; she’s the only one of her kind. As a character, she’s really lost in the beginning, looking so different and having grown so quickly, she’s judged straight away. She’s new as well, so there’s that pressure to do her justice.”

But are we to expect saucy alien scenes from Byrne any time soon? She doesn’t know of any yet, but she’s amused all the same. “You’re talking about a love interest!” she chuckled. “That’s such a funny question! You have to remember that although she’s in a young woman’s body, she’s technically still a baby. From her point of view, she’s not bothered or interested in a love interest. Yeah, so Draco’s got nothing to worry about.”

Nonetheless, she has played a mean Slytherin and now a powerful alien-hybrid. So we had to ask Byrne what her ideal superpower would be. “To fly!” she exclaimed. “It’s funny, because I’m afraid of heights, so I have no idea why I would say that.

What matters to Byrne most is her acting career. “I couldn’t think of anything better than to keep working,” she said. “If you asked me when I was 16, I would’ve been like, ‘I’m going to go to school!’ But at this stage right now, I would love to be a (Marvel) superhero. I just want to be able to ride a motorbike and shoot a gun.”

Sounds silly? She thinks so too. “(But) God, I love it! I went to see Guardians Of The Galaxy … It was so funny and great; I’m a big big fan of Marvel.” Fingers crossed, we could soon see her as an alien superhero crashing a spaceship with Chris Pratt or blowing up a planet, a notion that she’s more than willing to concur. “I think at my age, I would jump at any chance to play a superhero.”

 

Catch Falling Skies Season 4, Thursdays 9.45pm on AXN, Starhub Channel 522.

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