There's a lot about actress Moon Bloodgood that stands out – her unusual name, her striking looks, and her kick-ass presence on such genre projects as Journeyman, Pathfinder and Terminator Salvation. But on Falling Skies, the TNT alien-invasion series premiering next month that's produced by no less a screen alien expert than Steven Spielberg, the actress stands out by simply being one of the few women in an ensemble that consists largely of men. Bloodgood plays Dr. Anne Glass, a pediatrician who's forced to tend to patients of all ages when the earth is attacked by relentless extra-terrestrial killing machines. I caught up with Bloodgood a few days ago in Los Angeles, and the actress told me about her lifelong love of sci-fi thrillers, and where she's like to see her Falling Skies character go. Check out our conversation after the jump.  

You've been in a number of sci-fi thrillers in recent years – Journeyman, Terminator Salvation and now Falling Skies. Were you always a fan of the genre?

I was. I loved Twilight Zone when I was a kid. I loved everything. And I kind of put them all in the same category, everything from Jaws to Aliens. I love horror films. The Exorcist is one of my favorite movies. So every time I get scripts that have anything to do with horror, fantasy or science fiction, I feel like I kind of understand them. They're easy for me to comprehend. I'm attracted to them. I get stimulated by them. They tend to be the scripts I like more. So I just think I end up doing those projects.

As a fan, what do you think distinguishes Falling Skies from other alien invasion stories?

Ultimately when you're gonna watch a show about alien invasion, I don't know that you're gonna see anything that isn't something you've seen before. I think it's getting harder and harder to create something that's unique. I think what's gonna make it unique is you either want to go on that journey with these characters or you don't. Fundamentally, our show is primarily a drama. The science fiction is secondary. That's always how we've approached the show. Everyone involved has approached it that way. The science fiction takes a back seat and the primary story is all the interpersonal relationships. I think you're gonna like watching Noah [Wyle], me and all the different characters and want to know what happens and the inner turmoil we face, and then get excited about the alien stuff. You will see things that are unique. The look of the aliens and some of the stuff you find out are like nothing you've ever seen. But I don't like banking on the fact that we're so innovative with this new show that it's like nothing you've ever seen. I'd rather keep it simple and stick to basics and say it's about a family, and what happens when things become so desolate it brings out the best and the worst of people.

Your character, as a doctor, is one of the more intellectual characters on the show but also brings a good deal of emotion. Can you talk a little bit about her?

Yeah, I like that you say I'm the intellectual. I think if I say it, it probably sounds snooty. [Laughs.] I say "cerebral." That's a word I like to use when it comes to my character. I like to think I'm also the mother hen. People come to me – I'm caring, I'm empathetic. I was a pediatrician so I'm not just a doctor. Choosing to be a pediatrician and work with children takes a certain amount of empathy, and you have to have a maternal instinct I think. So I'm Noah Wyle's confidant. I'm someone who knows how to be level-headed and fair and not let my emotions get the best of me. I'm not as damaged as some of the other characters, or I internalize that a little bit more. So it's definitely a departure from something I've played before. And I like being able to be the calm presence in the show.

Do you have a favorite moment from this first season?

There was some fun stuff. One time I get to actually fight an alien. Another time one of the females teaches me to shoot a gun. That was fun. Because I know how to shoot a gun. I got to pretend like I didn't and was out of my element. That was kind of a fun reversal for me, and sort of odd and weird and neat. It definitely kept my attention… I would say some of the stuff with my good friend Seychelle Gabriel; she was nineteen, she's twenty now. We got to do a lot of stuff, and that was nice. Because I don't get to do a lot of scenes with females. Probably my most emotional scene is when I kind of break down after zapping an alien; and I unlock all the pain and talk about my child, and some things come out. That was kind of cathartic for me as an actress and a person.

How would you describe your character's arc throughout this first season? How does she change as the season progresses?

In this season, you watch her start off as someone who'd kind of guarded about her feelings and then she slowly allows herself to feel for Noah's character. I think she also has to come face to face with the fact that she's scared. She gets hurt in one of the scenes, and like I told you, I learn how to use a gun. And I have to face the dark side of myself that's confused. I don't think my character is used to feeling that way. I think she's someone who's confident, who really likes continuity in her life. She's used to violence – her family was killed. But when she has to come face to face with an alien, when the alien dies, when she has to start using a gun and know that the threat is not just aliens but other humans, I think that's a sad moment. That arc happens in Anne, and then I think she starts to fall in love with Noah's character, because I think deep down inside she still needs somebody that she can actually lean on, because everyone leans on her. I would like to see her progress even more into the darker side of herself. I'd like to see her kind of start getting upset with the guys on the show. I think that would be kind of fun.

You've played some pretty badass characters. Is there anything that scares you in real life? What's your greatest fear?

I've had people tell me, "You know, Moon, you're such a tough girl, but when I get to know you you're quite fragile." [Laughs.] I'm scared of a lot of things. I'd say I'm tough in ways that other girls are not tough, but if I saw a snake on the road I would probably pee myself. [Laughs.] I'm scared of snakes. If I ever saw a ghost, I'd probably stop talking for three days. What else… I'm really scared of cars. The way people drive in LA, it terrifies me. You could take me on any rollercoaster on earth that goes any velocity and I will laugh my ass off and love it. You put me in a car in Los Angeles and I'm sweating if I'm on the passenger side. Because people drive like maniacs. So I think my tough persona is real. It's not fake and it's not put on and it's not bravado. I think it's a real part of me. I could get in a fight if I needed to. But I'm actually quite fragile underneath, and maybe that's something that comes out later when people get to know me. I'm afraid of a lot of things. I think I like horror films because I am afraid. I'm definitely afraid of sharks. That's probably why I Iove watching Jaws. So there's some sort of weird pathology to me that likes to watch things that I'm actually scared of. [Laughs.] Maybe a lot of people are like that. I don't know. Why would you do that? Why would you watch something that you know is gonna create anxiety in you? [Laughs.]

Thank you so much for your time, Moon.

Thank you!