‘Mass Effect 2′ role an out-of-this-world departure for ‘Chuck’ actress

‘Mass Effect 2′ role departure for ‘Chuck’ actress

LOS ANGELES — Yvonne Strahovski’s locks aren’t the only thing different about her “Mass Effect 2″ role.

As sassy brunette human operative Miranda Lawson in the sequel to BioWare’s immersive sci-fi saga, the 27-year-old blond Australian bombshell employs her actual accent in the game’s interactive dialogue sequences, which she usually downplays in her role as sensitive spy Sarah Walker on NBC’s “Chuck.” She says there are other differences, too.

“The biggest difference is the script,” says Strahovski. “With television, you’ll have a script with a beginning, middle and end, whereas with ‘Mass Effect 2,’ it’s not a physical script. There are a million different avenues you can take, which I guess can all end up in a similar place. It’s all very confusing. I’m in awe of the whole process.”

Strahovski’s face was digitized for the role of Lawson, but the superhuman body is not totally to scale. Strahovski says “things are a little bigger in some areas” on her digital counterpart, who is clad in a white, skintight spacesuit throughout the role-playing game — except during a steamy encounter that occurs if players push the right buttons.

“There are many options,” teases Strahovski, “and anything can happen.”

Associated Press Writer Ryan Pearson contributed to this report.

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