Morena Baccarin Makes It Look Easy

With poise, brains and an ever-expanding filmography, Morena Baccarin is stepping into a powerhouse phase of her career.

Flying in from filming in Canada for this weekend shoot—fitting, given the pace she’s keeping up with these days—Baccarin is cool, calm and focused, ready to land on a solid final result and get back to her husband, fellow actor Ben McKenzie, and their three children.

This fall, the busy Baccarin reprises her role as Mickey Fox in CBS’s Fire Country and its spin-off Sheriff Country, and reunites with Gerard Butler in Greenland: Migration early January. Fresh off Deadpool & Wolverine, she continues to balance blockbusters with sharp indies like Elevation and Edward Burns’s Millers in Marriage. On the still-streaming front, she also stars as The Sorceress in Masters of the Universe, and appears in The Wrecking Crew.

And then there is the Emmy nod for Homeland, as well as her breakout role in Firefly. Born in Rio, raised in New York and trained at Juilliard, she is (as the humble and soft-spoken Baccarin will never tell you) an outstanding humanitarian force, working with the International Rescue Committee and arts nonprofit Waterwell.

How does it feel to expand into the universe of Fire Country? It’s getting a lot of CBS-series buzz.

 “Fire Country, Sheriff Country! I get confused all the time! We’re doing Something Country! All I know is next up is Wine Country. It feels great. I got sucked into the show immediately when I started watching it for a little research. I think these guys know quite well how to do that perfect combination of intrigue and melodrama and soapy problem-solving. It’s really fun.”

What do you think the fans will like?

“Well, I was drawn immediately to how easy this character is to identify with. I think she’s somebody that everybody’s going to want to be friends with. Also, she’s doing some pretty big and heroic things, and there’s a lot of comedy in it as well. I think she’s a very down-to-earth character, but I think that it’d be fun to try to watch her try to figure out the crime-of-the-week kind of thing.”

It looks like it is a very physical role. How does the actual filming work for you?

“It all depends on the day. We have a good amount of talking about the case, which is always really fun, and putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Then there are some very active days where there’s a lot of running or fighting. I just did a stunt scene recently that was really scrappy and really hard. Definitely walked away with some bruises. It’s good. It’s equal parts using your brain and then physicality.”

When we talked last, you said that you enjoy swimming laps. I remember that about you. Do you still do that to get away from the day and let your mind rest?

“Oh my God, that’s so funny. Today, yes, I went to the pool! I find that it’s really helpful—it’s very meditative, and it’s good exercise. It’s just really nice to do that. I try to do a combination of a lot of different things to keep myself not bored, but swimming laps is still one of my favorites.”

Are you pretty good at letting work stay at work and leaving all of that for the day?

“Yes. Kids are pretty good at reminding you of what reality is and where you actually belong, so it’s not hard.”

I also remember that you’re pretty simple about your beauty routine. Is there anything you are into right now or anything you’ve had on set with you that you’re liking?

“Yes! Still simple. I can’t live without this wand I have that has these hot and cold settings. I’ve become utterly obsessed. I have some very long hours, and I like to do this easy routine of putting on an eye-patch on and then turning on the cold setting to get my face nice awake in the morning. It’s really good.”

You grew up in Brazil until I believe you were around 10…does Brazilian beauty still play a part in any of your life, even with your simple approach to skin care?

“I don’t think that stuff ever really leaves you. For me, it definitely plays itself out in different ways that aren’t necessarily beauty-related. I’d say my way is whatever get-together we’re having, there’s always music and dancing happening.”

I love that. If you think back to when you moved to the States and started working, what advice would you give to that young girl?

“Oh, that’s a really good one…let me think. I think I would say: ‘Just stay true to yourself and listen to your gut.’”