Jeri Ryan joined the cast of “Leverage” last fall as an experienced con artist named Tara. The sultry star returns for six episodes beginning tonight at 10 on TNT as she temporarily replaces actress Gina Bellman, who is on maternity leave.
It’s a situation Ryan is familiar with.
“I always joke that I’m the designated pinch hitter,” Ryan said in a recent telephone interview. “ ‘Shark’ was the only TV series that I ever did from the pilot. Every other series, I was added midway through. I’m kind of old hat at that by now.”
She doesn’t have much in common with a woman who makes her living as a grifter, but that’s what makes the part so much fun.
“Tara’s very street-smart,” she said. “She’s very savvy. She’s very in your face and doesn’t really care what anybody thinks of her. I love that she’s completely unapologetic about using her sex appeal or using whatever she needs to do to get the job done. I just love her. She’s a fun skin to inhabit because she is so different from me and so much more out there than I am in real life.”
Despite her roles on “Boston Public,” “The O.C.” and “Shark,” Ryan is still most recognized for playing Seven of Nine on “Star Trek: Voyager.” But she doesn’t mind.
“That’s a blessing as an actor,” she said. “To be able to play a character that became so iconic is really cool and to be able to have touched a lot of people is a pretty special thing.”
Landing a role on “Boston Public” weeks after “Star Trek: Voyager” ended helped her escape being typecast.
“ ‘Star Trek’ is notorious for pigeonholing its actors and getting them stuck in just that one role, so that was a big concern when I signed on to the show to begin with,” Ryan, 40, said. “I was just really, really lucky. I was so relieved when I got ‘Boston Public.’ Like, OK, I am going to have a career after this.”
The mother of a 15-year-old son with ex-husband Jack Ryan and a 21-month-old daughter with husband-chef Christophe Eme said she would love to be a regular on a TV series again, but is looking for a show that will keep her in Los Angeles near her family.
Until then, she would be delighted to return to Portland, Ore., to film more episodes of “Leverage.”
“I absolutely think the door is left open (for Tara’s return), and I would come back in a heartbeat,” she said. “I loved this character. I loved working with these people.”
