On The CW's The 100, scores of humans took to the skies as the Earth blew itself up with nukes. After 97 years of living in space, though, that group of survivors, realizing that their resources are low, decide to send 100 young adults back to the planet to see if it has become habitable again.
These young adults, "The 100," arrive on Earth to discover that the planet is habitable. However, they eventually learn that they are not alone: there are other survivors, Grounders, who somehow survived the devastation of Earth. Regardless of the dangers posed by these Grounders, the rest of the space inhabitants eventually make their way to the planet to start a new life.
However, this season of The 100 raised a new question: what exactly happened to Earth in the first place? Part of that mystery revolves around an artificial intelligence called A.L.I.E. The series recently teased that A.L.I.E.'s creator believes that it is the one responsible for the nuclear attacks that originally devastated Earth.
A.L.I.E. has a physical representation in actress Erica Cerra, at least to those who possess a certain chip that allows them to see her, such as Jaha, the former chancellor. And now, the survivors realize that A.L.I.E. has a mission: to lead the worthy to the "City of Light."
Sci-fi fans will immediately recognize Cerra as Jo from Syfy's cult science fiction comedy Eureka. We spoke to Cerra about her enigmatic role on The 100 and tried to determine just what makes the AI tick.
So how did you get the role of A.L.I.E.?
I was hired from a taped audition.
So your character isn't really human, but is an artificial intelligence. As an actress, what kind of challenge did that pose for you in portraying her?
Playing an emotionless character can be tricky. You want to make sure she doesn't fall flat. She has to be interesting and likable even though she has no comparable characteristics to a human. How do you do that? It was challenging. Hopefully the audience can connect with her and appreciate my attempt [laughing].
What exactly is the City of Light and how will that save humanity?
I think the city of light is the idea of "heaven." The perfect place, with "no more pain or suffering."
Why do you think A.L.I.E. has this special relationship with Jaha?
I think she sees his desire for something more in life, something bigger and better, and they've bonded through that.
How far will A.L.I.E. go in achieving her goal?
You will see....
So you've done a bit of sci-fi, such as Eureka, and now The 100. Is there anything in particular about sci-fi that keeps drawing you to that genre?
I find it more interesting than normal life TV stories, I have always enjoyed the imaginary world.
The 100 airs at 9 p.m. EST Thursdays on The CW.
Photo: The CW
