Star Apps: Amy Acker
On CBS series "Person of Interest," Amy Acker plays Root, a hacker and assassin. In real life, the actress -- who has also played Fred/Illyria on "Angel" and Kelly Peyton on "Alias" -- jokes that her grade-school-age son is more tech savvy than she is. I chatted with Amy Acker about Season 4 of "Person of Interest," her most memorable fan encounters, and her favorite mobile apps.
Amy Acker plays Root on Season 4 of CBS series Person of Interest, which premieres Tuesday.
(Credit: CBS)
What's Root's defining characteristic?
Probably loyalty. She looks out for all the team and does anything the machine asks and never questions what the machine wants of her. But as long as the machine is doing the right thing, I guess she's in good hands.
Which of the characters you've played do you relate to the most?
Probably Fred -- before she was Illyria -- on "Angel." I don't kill too many people in real life or kneecap them. We were both from Texas, both love tacos, and are kind of on the nerdy side.
What are you most recognized for?
I feel like "Person of Interest" has such a huge following that it's that show more than anything else. But fans of "Angel" and "Alias" were more die-hard. They can tell you lines and which episodes they're from and what I was wearing when I said them. But it's nice to see how many people enjoy those shows.
To say that Root is a computer wiz is an understatement. How tech-savvy are you?
My son took a computer programming course this summer about learning how to make a video game from scratch. I made him teach me so I could say I know something about programming. I wrote a program, so that's as far as I've gotten. [Laughs] Being on the show has made me aware of how much I don't know but inspired me to learn more about it.
What's it like working with Jim Caviezel, who plays John Reese on the show and is best known for playing Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ"?
Jim's great. He always brings so much energy to everything and is such a great leader to the show. He trained with all these military people, getting ready for the show, so he knows how we should do certain things. It's always fun in scenes with him.
Has any actor ever made you nervous?
Chris Hemsworth. He's so tall, and when I did meet him, I was like, "No wonder you're a movie star." I'm glad I didn't have to act with him. But everyone has been so nice and kind, so if I was nervous working with them, they made it go away.
What's the craziest fan interaction you've ever had?
I remember one time, years ago, I was in London, and there was a girl, who was a huge "Angel" fan, who knew I'd be there. She told me while I was taking a break, eating chicken fingers, that she had been saving money to get here and hadn't eaten in two weeks. So I gave her my chicken fingers.
How did she respond?
We talked for a little while. She was sweet and was crying the whole time. I don't think it was me. She was mostly hungry.
How about with a "Person of Interest" fan?
I was at the drugstore and doing self-checkout. The scanner kept saying that I was not doing it right and talking back to me. A guy leaned in to me and said, "Root, why isn't the machine helping you?"
What can you tell us about Season 4?
I was so excited to get the first script, because at the end of last year, I had no idea what was happening. But it's going to be a whole 'nother level of excitement and tension. I probably cannot tell you more without being killed myself.
Then tell me what your top five mobile apps are.
1. Uber, because we live in New York, and it helps you get a taxi in Brooklyn.
2. Instagram, because I can see all my friends, and my family can see pictures of my kids.
3. Hipstamatic is great to take fun pictures.
4. Yelp, because you can find out what great restaurants are around you.
5. I've been bad about doing it lately, but I try to look at Twitter to hear what's going on in the news and around the world.
