A Field Guide To Morena Baccarin

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Summer is on its last legs, and we're a little bummed about that, but at least there are some great shows on the horizon! "Homeland" is one of those programs, and we're very excited to have Morena Baccarin come back on our TV: she's a cutie with a booty (and a willingness to show said booty to the public) and we can't wait to see what happens to her and her maybe-terrorist hubby next season.

Morena Baccarin was born on June 2, 1979 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her mom is famous Brazilian stage and TV actress Vera Setta, and being around actors and entertainment people definitely had an influence on Morena. In one interview, Morena says that she didn't consciously choose acting as her career choice, but having grown up around her mother, spending so much time in theaters, she "thought it was the norm, what everybody did." The family moved to New York when Morena was seven, Vera eventually went back to Brazil, and Morena was enrolled first in a public school, then New York City Lab School for Collaborative Studies (with Claire Danes, co-star of "Homeland"), and finally the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. After graduating, she attended Juliard for theater; Morena notes that her parents were extremely supportive of this decision, encouraging her to sharpen her talents when other parents were discouraging their kids from pursuing art as a career. "It's all part of what you go through as an actor," her mother told her. "Just suck it up and wait."

Baccarin finished her schooling in 2000, and though she had reasonable success on stage and in movies for a couple of years, her real breakout role was Inara on the short-lived but unanimously-loved space-cowboy-opera known as "Firefly." Though we can't speak for the rest of the world, this is where we fell in love with Morena. She played a Companion, a high-class courtesan whose mastery of the sensual and societal arts gave her great confidence and Zen-like composure in the face of danger; Inara was a badass babe, a sex icon, a source of brilliance, and she also had the nicest room on the spaceship. Her next big gig (although she also had multiple appearances on "Stargate SG-1" and "Heartland") was playing Anna, the cold and manipulating Visitor queen on ABC's "V." Why is it that Morena is so good at doing science fiction? Was she pigeon holed after "Firefly," or is there something about her sleek structure and big beautiful eyes that suggest she was designed by aliens?

You know, now that we think about it, it would be pretty smart of aliens to design a celebrity like Morena who's comfortable with taking her clothing off for the cameras. It's not like she's constantly dropping trou--in fact, she's concerned about being viewed as someone who relies on nudity too much. When she was photographed for Allure's famous Naked Issue, she said, "I didn't want it to be an overload, like 'That girl is always taking off her clothes.' This is for the art of it. It's beautiful." Indeed, it is.

We don't want Morena to feel pressured into doing more nudity, but gosh, we are seriously hoping that this next season of "Homeland" allows her character to get a little more sexual catharsis with either her husband or her lover--preferably both. Either way, we're going to keep watching, wishing, and waiting to see what this gorgeous (and, unfortunately, married) woman does with her days.

For more, check out:
· Morena Baccarin's Twitter
· And this unofficial fan site with tons of pictures, interviews, and more: Morena Baccarin Source (morena-baccarin.net)