Morena Baccarin Movies and TV Spotlight

Excited for Deadpool? Find out more about the film’s leading lady in our Morena Baccarin Movies and Television Spotlight

Chances are you’re at least a member of one of the fandoms she’s a part of. Baccarin is no stranger to the comic book and sci-fi worlds in entertainment. She got her first major breakout role in Joss Whedon’s series Firefly, followed that with a stint on Stargate SG-1, voiced over characters in the animated DC Universe, provided memorable guest stints on shows like How I Met Your Mother, and ventured into sci-fi again as an alien representative on the show V. She was most recently seen on the Showtime hit drama Homeland and on FOX’s Gotham series. 

In this February’s Deadpool film adaptation, she’ll be bringing to life another comic book character and bolstering up her fandom cred with another bad-ass female role under her belt. As Vanessa Carlysle, she will be leading opposite Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool. Carlyse is a former prostitute who falls for Wade Wilson and is his girlfriend before he becomes the Merc with a Mouth. She also goes on to get into the mercenary business in the comics as Copycat, and in the film Baccarin will be a new incarnation of the character. 

Let’s take a look back at Baccarin’s most memorable film and television work in anticipation of the movie we’re all really going to see on Valentine’s day. 

Morena Baccarin Movies and TV Spotlight: Firefly (2002)

Joss Whedon’s space western about the endearing rag-tag crew of the ship Serenity, is a fan-favorite canceled too soon. After only one season, the show managed to create a whole legion of fans who wanted more of the tales of Captain Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his friends traveling through the galaxy. Baccarin played Inara Serra, a professional “companion” to men and women of her choosing. While she was also Mal’s lover, she was an integral part of the crew trained in Martial Arts, swords and archery.  This is the show that most genre fans want to see more of, constantly asking Whedon if there is a hope for more seasons or another movie. The answer is: probably not.

Morena Baccarin Movies and TV Spotlight: Serenity (2005)

Eventually Browncoats were able to see more of Inara, Mal and company on the feature film Serenity, a film continuation of the Firefly show. The cult film was Whedon’s first feature film, years before he helmed the first Avengers picture. In it, Baccarin reprises the role of Inara and also voices the security terminal in the records room. 

Morena Baccarin Movies and TV Spotlight: Animated DC Universe (2005-2016)

On the Justice League animated TV series, Baccarin provided the voice for Black Canary/Dinah Lance. She’d also go on to play Cheetah in Batman: Brave and the Bold. In recent years she has voiced Talia al Ghul in Son of Batman and will reprise her role in this year’s Batman: Bad Blood, the direct to video animated feature. (Image credit: Cason Pilliod)

Morena Baccarin Movies and TV Spotlight: Notable TV appearances (2006-2016)

Baccarin has made very memorable cameos on various television series over the years. In fact, years before co-starring with Ben McKenzie on Gotham, she had a short stint on his breakout show The O.C. back in 2006. Fans of How I Met Your Mother will remember her as “Crazy Eyes” Chloe, the girl who mistakenly calls Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) “Swarley” and has the crazy eyes for Marshall Erickson (Jason Segel). She’s also appeared on shows like Medium, Numb3rs, The Good Wife,The Mentalist and provided for Gideon on the CW’s The Flash. 

Morena Baccarin Movies and TV Spotlight: Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate: The Ark of Truth (2006-2008)

As the genetically altered daughter of Stargate crew member Vala Mal Doran (Claudia Black) with an alien species called the Ori, Adria was Baccarin’s second foray into the sci-fi television world. Her character was a recurring threat to the Stargate crew as a higher being intent on taking over numerous galaxies. In the film Stargate: The Ark of Truth, Adria almost succeeds in gaining unlimited power but is stopped by the deactivation of the Ark and locked into an eternal battle with another god-like being.

Morena Baccarin Movies and TV Spotlight: V (2009-2011)

In the alien invasion series V, Baccarin starred as Anna, the extra-terrestrial representative and queen. She and the visitors come to Earth claiming to only need some resources while slowly pushing their agenda to gain control of Earth. The show only lasted two seasons on ABC and was based on the 1983 mini-series of the same name. Baccarin received a Saturn Awards Best Actress nomination for her work on the show. 

Morena Baccarin Movies and TV Spotlight: Homeland (2011-2013)

Showtime’s hit political drama Homeland took Baccarin to a whole new genre. In it she played Jessica, the estranged wife of the show’s main anti-hero Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis). During the series she and the daughter she had with Nicholas suffer to maintain an ordinary life while being associated with his infamy as a known terrorist. In the third season, her character ceased to be a series regular. 

Morena Baccarin Movies and TV Spotlight: Gotham (2015)

Gotham is Fox’s crime drama centering around the early days of James Gordon (Ben McKenzie) as a cop before becoming the commissioner who’d go on to work closely with Batman. The show has become an origin for not only Gordon’s character but has expanded on Bruce Wayne’s backstory and some of Batman’s key villains like Catwoman, The Penguin and The Riddler. On the show Baccarin plays Leslie Thompkins, Bruce’s therapist and surrogate mother figure who works with Gordon as a medical examiner for the Gotham City Police Department.

(Photo credit: FayesVision / WENN.com)