FOXcom_Host: Valarie Rae Miller, who plays Original Cindy on Dark Angel (but you knew that), has arrived! Welcome, Valarie!

valarie_rae_miller: Hey everybody!

Alphonse: WHAT DOES ORIGINAL CINDY MEAN?

Scamp: What does "original" mean in "Original Cindy"?

valarie_rae_miller: That's a kind of compounded answer

casper: why do they call you original cindy? love ya

valarie_rae_miller: There are several theories and no two people involved with the creation of the show agree.
valarie_rae_miller: The most obvious is her style as a person because she's just an original person.
valarie_rae_miller: That's the basic one, but then there's also a main one
valarie_rae_miller: All of the main characters on the show have names that reflect personality attributes.
valarie_rae_miller: There's sketchy and as you saw in the first episode, he's not always on the up and up.
valarie_rae_miller: And there's Herbal Thought who's a Rastifarian and they're always involved in herb in certain ways.
valarie_rae_miller: And our boss's name is Normal who is just that, but he's so normal it makes him odd.
valarie_rae_miller: And then, of course, Original Cindy.
valarie_rae_miller: iIf you say it out loud and take your time when you say it
valarie_rae_miller: It's also Original Sin Dee
valarie_rae_miller: I didn't realize it at first, and neither did James Cameron
valarie_rae_miller: She's definitely a very sexy person.

darkangelfan: Have you met James Cameron? Were you a fan of his before you got this gig?

valarie_rae_miller: Yes, I had met him and I was a tremendous fan.

valariesfan: How psyched were you that you got a gig on a James Cameron show? Did that make a difference to you in pursuing the role?

valarie_rae_miller: No, not really. The project seemed like a really good project and the character was incredible.
valarie_rae_miller: I read the script and I was really impressed by it and that's why I auditioned for it.
valarie_rae_miller: The rest of the hype didn't really enter into the decision.
valarie_rae_miller: I had another job, I was supposed to be doing a talk show for Fox which started production the exact same day this show started production
valarie_rae_miller: So I hadn't taken auditions. It was the only one I took for about 4 months.

dawn: How do you like working with James Cameron?

valarie_rae_miller: As opposed to....

Sparkles: Where did the idea for the show come from?

valarie_rae_miller: I know several different answers I've heard to that question.
valarie_rae_miller: I know that Jim and the other executive producer Charles Eglee brainstormed on it for a while.
valarie_rae_miller: He was a big producer for Steven Bochco. He worked on NYPD Blue and he was one of the exec producers for Murder One.

JessicaAlbaishot: Is this your first work on television?

valarie_rae_miller: No.
valarie_rae_miller: I've done a lot of guest star spots on different shows
valarie_rae_miller: and I am currently the host of ABC's Saturday line-up called "One Saturday Morning".

originalpanic: What was the audition process like?

valarie_rae_miller: Quite extensive.
valarie_rae_miller: I think I auditioned maybe 6 or 7 times.
valarie_rae_miller: I read for the casting director first, then the producers 2 or 3 times because for every role that was cast, they saw about 1,000 actors.
valarie_rae_miller: After I don't know how many auditions because every actor who made it that far had something different.
valarie_rae_miller: They kind of went with people who were very specific as opposed to finding an actor who was exactly what was written on the piece of paper.
valarie_rae_miller: So while they might have known that they liked me, they had to make sure that what I was doing was what they were thinking.
valarie_rae_miller: And then they send you to a network test which is a room with about 20 or 30 people and then I had to go in again.
valarie_rae_miller: Usually that's the last step, but I had to go in again.
valarie_rae_miller: They wanted to be sure, it was me and another actress and I had to do an actual screen test with Jessica.
valarie_rae_miller: Then they had to negotiate to get me out of my contract for the talk show.
valarie_rae_miller: I think that's why me specifically had to go in so many times.
valarie_rae_miller: I was a big hassle because of the contract thing, so I had to prove that I was worth the hassle.

valariesfan: How different are you from your character on Dark Angel?

valarie_rae_miller: Pretty different, but with everything, therre's a part of you that's similar as well.
valarie_rae_miller: I'm pretty feisty, but not as feisty as Original Cindy.
valarie_rae_miller: Original Cindy is also a lot more outrageous in dress than I am.
valarie_rae_miller: I dress hip, but she's beyond anything I'd ever come home with or wear out of the house.
valarie_rae_miller: I really admire her strength.
valarie_rae_miller: I'm a strong person, but sometimes I wish that I could be as strong as she is all the time.

damien: She is a sexy person and so are you, are you single and how old are you?

valarie_rae_miller: I'm single, and I'm not answering the age question anymore because it's getting me in trouble at work.
valarie_rae_miller: The casting person will hear you're 22 and she wants someone who's 21.
valarie_rae_miller: I keep it vague for now.
valarie_rae_miller: But I'm legal.

Christina: Did you have any misgivings about playing a lesbian?

valarie_rae_miller: Not at all.
valarie_rae_miller: I think that was the main concern that a lot of other actresses had about the role.
valarie_rae_miller: They asked me if I was aware that she was a lesbian and if I had a problem with kissing another woman and I said "No"
valarie_rae_miller: Probably gonna be finer than a lot of the guys I had to kiss and I probably won't have to practice before and after I did the scene.

Scamp: Is Original Cindy going to have a girlfriend?

valarie_rae_miller: Hope so!

originalpanic: Will Original Cindy's sexuality be explored more fully?

valarie_rae_miller: Yeah, it will... each of the characters will be more fully developed as the show goes on and that's part of who she is, so definitely.

darkangelfan: Your character is a lesbian. Do you feel a sense of obligation to represent this community in a certain way?

valarie_rae_miller: I don't know that I would use the word obligation.
valarie_rae_miller: But I do believe that it's important when you portray anyone in a minority group that it doesn't become your sole identity.

dawn: As an African American actress do you find it hard to find really good roles?

valarie_rae_miller: Yes.
valarie_rae_miller: Most definitely.
valarie_rae_miller: But I will say I have been very fortunate because a lot of my roles have not necessarily been written for an African-American.
valarie_rae_miller: To the credit to the producers of the show, every role was cast open.
valarie_rae_miller: By that I mean, they saw Asians, Latinos, and Whites for my role.

Kris: Valerie how did you come about getting such an important role on a TV program at such a young age?

valarie_rae_miller: Just a lot of hard work and a lot of it is timing.
valarie_rae_miller: People always say luck, and I think a small part of luck is having the right skills in the right situation at the right time.

beanz: What about the show Dark Angel stood out to you above any other script you have come across?

valarie_rae_miller: The storylines were very interesting to me.
valarie_rae_miller: It was character-driven but action and action scripts at the same time.

MCGMAC: Did James Cameron, as a Canadian, insist on the diversity of the show?

valarie_rae_miller: I would say that actually everyone involved, all the producers, James certainly did, but Charles Elgee definitely did.
valarie_rae_miller: He writes a lot of the scripts.

ReluctantHero: how much of a role does James Cameron play now?

valarie_rae_miller: Now I would say he's more in a supervisory capacity.
valarie_rae_miller: He makes sure that everything is still following his vision.
valarie_rae_miller: But on the day-to-day basis, he's kind of passed a lot of the process on to his partners.

gmoney: Do you think James Cameron has made a good transition from film to TV?

valarie_rae_miller: I think so... Did you see the pilot?
valarie_rae_miller: The pilot rocked!

swtdreamz: He has a great vision by the way.

darkangelfan: In your words, what's the premise of Dark Angel?

valarie_rae_miller: 20 years in the future and much darker
valarie_rae_miller: It was The Matrix meets 90210 in an X- Files setting.

TrueAngel: Loved the pilot, should of made it 4 hours, i woulda watched every min. of it

valarie_rae_miller: You would've been watching by yourself! I would've been asleep!

MCGMAC: I thought the pilot was great too!

valarie_rae_miller: Watch tonight. The show gets better.

beanz: how much are you allowed to add to your character 'Original Cindy' over and above what the writers/directors dictate?

valarie_rae_miller: Actually, quite a bit. We all have our own input.
valarie_rae_miller: When they hired us, they had a basic framework for each character
valarie_rae_miller: and what each actor brought to the character shaped what they are right now.
valarie_rae_miller: And they write around us, which is really funny.
valarie_rae_miller: We can make suggestions. We do all the time.
valarie_rae_miller: A lot of Original Cindy is the way she looks and dresses and I have so much say in that.
valarie_rae_miller: And we are on the phone daily with the writers giving our opinions about the dialouge.

nokaoi1: Hi Valerie, How do you see your character growing in the coming weeks?

valarie_rae_miller: Original Cindy will definitely be a lot more involved in the main story line
valarie_rae_miller: and you'll get to see her take some action.

hirax: What can you tell us about the next episode if you can say anything?

swtdreamz: COULD YOU PLEASE TELL US WHAT"S GOING TO HAPPEN ON THE NEXT EPISODE?

valarie_rae_miller: Each episode is actually getting better.
valarie_rae_miller: That's from me reading the scripts.

originalpanic: Does Original Cindy have her own storylines in future episodes?

valarie_rae_miller: Yes.
valarie_rae_miller: It's a different take.

WidespreadSickness: What makes this apocalyptic show different from other ones?

valarie_rae_miller: Although it's in a time of a depression, I don't think the characters themselves are depressed.
valarie_rae_miller: Especially Original Cindy.
valarie_rae_miller: She's a party!

valariesfan: Do you feel that the world could eventually end up the way it is on Dark Angel? Post-apocalyptic?

valarie_rae_miller: Anything is possible.

moonie: How often do you have to work? Taping the show?

valarie_rae_miller: It varies.
valarie_rae_miller: We shoot an episode in about 8 or 9 days, so it depends on how the shooting schedule is arranged.
valarie_rae_miller: and how much of the story each character is in.

DarkAngel: Do you actual film some parts of the show in Seattle, WA?

valarie_rae_miller: Most of the show is filmed in Vancouver.

cabrules: Why is the show set in Seattle?

valarie_rae_miller: I think that Jim and Chic saw it as a city that is very representative of the US and that it was or could be a racial melting pot in the future

valarie_rae_miller: and the landscape is real interesting.

damien: What type of atmosphere is there on the set?

valarie_rae_miller: It's a really great place to work, and I"m not just saying that.
valarie_rae_miller: It's very supportive. I can genuinely say this is the greatest group of people I've worked with.
valarie_rae_miller: You can go into the offices of the exective officers and they know the names of everybody from the janitors to the security guards.
valarie_rae_miller: Chic (Charles Elgee) has one of the security guards in the building playing bongo drums on the show.
valarie_rae_miller: It's like a big family. I think he almost cried.
valarie_rae_miller: It really is like a big family.

trippyD: What's your favorite part of working on the show?

valarie_rae_miller: That's kind of hard, because when I did the pilot it was one of the most fun experiences I've had in life as a work experience and even as a period of my life.
valarie_rae_miller: It was more fun than Disneyland!
valarie_rae_miller: and I love reading the new scripts when they come, because we never really know what the script is going to be like.
valarie_rae_miller: It's so exciting!

Atheneris: It seems that the writers are giving up a lot of cool plot elements at the beginning. Do you think they can keep this kind of action going indefinately?

valarie_rae_miller: They definitely will.
valarie_rae_miller: Each show gets better.

bugzzibuzz: have you guys played tricks on each other on the set already?

valariesfan: Who's the practical joker on set, or is it all pretty serious?

valarie_rae_miller: Not a lot of practical jokes, but a lot of goofiness.
valarie_rae_miller: Jessica always tries to make me laugh at weird times.
valarie_rae_miller: The guy who plays Normal is always dancing and he looks really goofy, but he's not really goofy in real life.
valarie_rae_miller: I don't want to say too much, but we have a lot of fun and I don't want to tell any personal secrets that might get me in trouble when I go to work tomorrow.

TheGman: What is it like working with Jessica Alba

valarie_rae_miller: She's my friend

TrueAngel: Whats it like working with Jessica Alba, and is she in real life close to her character?

valarie_rae_miller: It's the same thing that I said with myself.
valarie_rae_miller: She definitely has certain qualites that Max has...
valarie_rae_miller: but she's a lot softer of a person. she's really sweet.
valarie_rae_miller: She's addicted to chewing gum.
valarie_rae_miller: She's a lot more open than Max is, definitely.

yoss: do you hang out w/ Jessica Alba after shooting?

valarie_rae_miller: Some, but usually just work really late hours, especially her.
valarie_rae_miller: We all kind of hang out here and there.

legend10013: do you spend any time off set with other cast members? and if so which one's

valarie_rae_miller: We all kind of do
valarie_rae_miller: Herbal Thoughts is played by Alimi Ballard.
valarie_rae_miller: He and his girlfriend had a dinner with everybody and we just randomly do things together.
valarie_rae_miller: We went to Karaoke a few of us.
valarie_rae_miller: We went to a Karaoke bar and we were the only American people in the place and we had people dancing and singing along.
valarie_rae_miller: Then sometimes we go out for dinner.
valarie_rae_miller: We're trying to go out to go dancing, but we can't get it together when everyone is in town at the same time.

LyraAngel: How is it like working with Michael Weatherly?

valarie_rae_miller: Michael's sweet. He's such a nice guy and he has a weird sense of humor.
valarie_rae_miller: He has the cutest little boy in the whole world.
valarie_rae_miller: I love his little boy. He's my favorite person under 5 feet tall.
valarie_rae_miller: I hang out with Michael sometimes too.

Griptor: Are you, the cast and the crew satisfied with the positive response the show has gotten so far?

valarie_rae_miller: Yeah, I'd say so.

BakedGoods: How does your experience with Disney's One Saturday Morning help on the set of DA?

valarie_rae_miller: I'm very comfortable on camera.
valarie_rae_miller: It's a totally different show. It couldn't be more different.
valarie_rae_miller: But when I shoot "One Saturday Morning", it's just me, 12 or 14 hours a day, for about a month.
valarie_rae_miller: So, the hours here, as difficult as they may be, I'm used to them.

damien: Do you think that the children that watch on Saturday morning will perceive you any differently after watching Dark Angel?

valarie_rae_miller: No,
valarie_rae_miller: I think it's so weird because it's such a different character.
valarie_rae_miller: I don't even know that they'd be aware that it's the same person.
valarie_rae_miller: My family and close friends don't even put the two together.

ReluctantHero: how hard do you have to work to stay is such great shape?

valarie_rae_miller: Jessica and I work out a lot.
valarie_rae_miller: I work out probably 3 to 5 days a week, depending on my shooting schedule.

cobra: Has anyone gotten hurt on the show?

valarie_rae_miller: I slipped and fell down a couple of stairs...but no, nothing major.
valarie_rae_miller: knock wood, LOL

swtdreamz: Is it fun or kinda scary when filming?

valarie_rae_miller: They're so well choreographed thanks to the stunt department, usually it's more fun than scary.
valarie_rae_miller: But I'd have to stay, Jessica's stunts are a lot more involved than the ones I've done so far.
valarie_rae_miller: But I'd venture to stay that they're still probably more fun than frightening because they're so well choreographed.

ReluctantHero: how long do we have to wait before we get to see you fighting beside Max?

valarie_rae_miller: Real soon.

Agent_Cryptonic: Valarie, do you feel FOX might put Dark Angel into an actual movie later next year?

valarie_rae_miller: I don't know, but that's a good idea.
valarie_rae_miller: You should write in.

xRiel2000: What movies have you been in? So I can go rent them...

valarie_rae_miller: LOL!
valarie_rae_miller: Nothing major, a lot of TV stuff.

RabinZero: The music is awesome in the series? Will there be a CD of it coming out?

valarie_rae_miller: I just asked Chic the same question yesterday.
valarie_rae_miller: There's definitely a good chance.
valarie_rae_miller: There's a song from the pilot when Max is wearing that red dress that everybody is asking about and that's from a rapper whose album hasn't even been released yet.

ReluctantHero: Has the show helped you get recognized elsewhere? what projects are you working on now?

valarie_rae_miller: Hollywood's really funny.
valarie_rae_miller: There's a couple of projects right now that I cannot get into read for.
valarie_rae_miller: So, give it a couple of weeks, we'll see.

legend10013: How would you feel if they made the show into a cartoon as well?

valarie_rae_miller: I looove cartoons! I would love it!
valarie_rae_miller: They could put it on around "Batman Beyond".

FOXcom_Host: Valarie has to take off soon, so now's your chance to send her your comments!

Cyberfreak: Any word on possible merchandise? Toys? Anything?

valarie_rae_miller: We've all kind of joked about it.
valarie_rae_miller: There are definitely some ideas floating around right now.
valarie_rae_miller: If they make an Original Cindy doll, I wanna see it first, so that I can have approval, so the doll does not come out BUSTED!

guyjax671: CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT THE BAR CODE MEANS?

valarie_rae_miller: It's actually in their genetic DNA coding. It's the way the Manticore marked the specimens.

valariesfan: How likely do you feel it is that this show will continue to be such a huge hit?

valarie_rae_miller: I think it's a really good show and I think that each show gets better because the characters are more established.
valarie_rae_miller: But that's not always a surefire road to success.
valarie_rae_miller: Because a lot of good shows don't last, and a lot of bad ones keep coming back, like Herpes!

FOXcom_Host: Time to say goodnight to Valarie Rae Miller : -(

Christina: Just wanted to say that the show is great and what an awesome cast! You guys are really a great ensemble.

valarie_rae_miller:Oh, that's nice.

prometheus26: I love the show and your character, Valarie. Keep up the good work.

swtdreamz: I LOVE DA SHOW

valarie_rae_miller:Thank you!

LyraAngel: i love the show!

FOXcom_Host: Thanks for being here tonight, Valarie!

valarie_rae_miller: Thank you so much for all the great questions and your interest.

valarie_rae_miller: and all of us really appreciate your support, and have fun, keep watching!

SkottDaMan: The show freakin rocks!

bugzzibuzz: awesome show

cykbryk: YA ALL ROCKS

ishak540m: can't wait to see it next week

dan_1885: luv ya val!!!!!!!

Keplian: Wonderful show

BakedGoods: Bye!! Love ya!

Griptor: Say hi to Jessica for me ;)

Zach: best of luck to you and all the rest of the people on dark angel

nokaoi1: love ya bye

dan_1885: Dark Angel rocks

cykbryk: GOOD NIGHT

bugzzibuzz: bye

dan_1885: bye babe

cykbryk: YOU ROCKS

IceFire: Love the Show

rogue: love the show

dan_1885: bye babe!!!!!!!

guyjax671: BYE SEE YOU NEXT WEEK

Cyberfreak: Love the show!

swtdreamz: YOU KEEP UP DA GOOD WORK

icewinddale88: bye it's been nice talking to you

AdamB: Keep doin what yer doin...love the show...BYE!!!!

FOXcom_Host: You've been really great chatters - Thanks again for being here, and good night!

Tommy: Dark Angel will make Fox #1................................................ just wait and see........