Please Change Disks to Continue...: Yvonne Strahovski: A Cult Tribute

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Alright, I know you were all expecting a review of the Road Warrior here. As it turns out, damn thing was checked out of the library yet again. The world doesn't want me to review these movies I tell you! Thus, here's a Cult Tribute for you guys instead. For continuities sake, we're going to keep this Australian themed, as we take a look at one of my favorite actresses today, one of the most beautiful women in the world and someone whose gifs are starting to become a trend in pretty much all of my columns here. I think I made it pretty easy to guess who this is. Thus, let's not waste time, and dive right into a Cult Tribute for the talented Aussie Yvonne Strahovski. Calm yourself Mazza.

Yvonne Strahovski: A Cult Tribute

What You Already Know

Yvonne Strahovski is an actress from Australia, best known for her work in TV shows like 24: Live Another Day, Dexter and movies like I, Frankenstein. Her most notable role (and best) however was as CIA agent Sarah Walker in NBC's Chuck, the greatest action/comedy show ever about a nerd getting a spy computer imprinted into his brain. It's also one of my favorite shows of all time, and forcing me to choose between Sarah Walker and Buffy Summers in a most bad ass female character discussion might leave me in tears. It's seriously too close to call! Oh, Strahovski will also soon be appearing in ABC's The Astronaut Wives Club, a show you've likely heard of, but didn't know she was in. More Yvonne is always better than no Yvonne.

What You Didn't Know

For starters, about the fact that Strahovski isn't Yvonne's last name. Her original last name is in fact Strzechowski, which she changed at the request of Chuck producer Josh Schwartz because Strahovski would be easier to say. I know, us Americans and our need for simple names. As you'll notice there, Strzechowski sounds a lot more European than Australian. You'd be correct; while Strahovski was born and raised in Australia, her heritage is actually Polish. Both of her parents were from Warsaw, Poland, and in fact left for Australia some time before she was born. Thus, Strahovski is fluent in Polish, which fans of Chuck will know as she used it in three episodes ("Chuck Versus the Wookie", "Chuck Versus the Three Words" and "Chuck Versus The Honeymooners"). Considering how well she speaks Polish on top of her Australian and American accent (which unlike most foreign actors is amazing. You literally wouldn't know she isn't American), Strahovski might be the best language/accent actress in Hollywood today. No wonder she's fabulous.

For all the talk we could give about her film/TV work and her incredible beauty, Strahovski is very accomplished in more areas than you'd believe. Just three years ago, she appeared on Broadway in a revival of the famous play Golden Boy, playing the role of Lorna Moon (famously played by Frances Farmer in the 1930's). Golden Boy ran for over 50 performances, and Strahovski received numerous acclaim for her performance, including a Theater World Award (the play itself was nominated for eight Tony Awards). Not bad in the slightest. Furthermore, she's dabbled in voice work, particularly with video games. Know the critically acclaimed science fiction series Mass Effect? Strahovski has appeared in three of those games, providing the voice and model image for the character Miranda Lawson. Shockingly, she also received critical acclaim for her performance in all three games. So to recap; Yvonne is good at film, TV, stage and voice acting? That pretty much makes her a five tool performer. That's a baseball reference by the way. You know, the former American past time before deflated footballs and idiotic overlords brainwashed the public?

Best Performance

I, Frankenstein. Just kidding; not that Yvonne didn't try her best in that, but the movie was a lost cause the moment the idea was even thought up. Lawrence Olivier wouldn't have salvaged it. Thus, we're going to go with a Chuck episode "Chuck Versus Phase Three"(though her Golden Boy performance is up there). Some background; Chuck (the wonderful Zackary Levi) has been kidnapped by a terrorist known as the Belgian (Richard Chamberland), who attempts to lobotomize Chuck in order to get the Intersect (that computer in his brain I mentioned earlier) out of his head. Dark stuff. Strahovski's Sarah, at this pointing dating Chuck, flies into a rage (Chuck was going to propose) and sets off to find him. Let's just say that a lot of asses are kicked along the way.

There's perhaps episodes of Chuck that better show Strahovski's versatility as a serious and comedic actress, but I've always been impressed with her performance here the most. Sarah Walker was always one of the strongest female characters on network TV, a successor to the Buffy Summers' of the world who saved the lead male more times than the lead male saved them. Here though, Strahovski takes Sarah from Buffy to full on Linda Hamilton/Eleanor Ripley (ironic as Hamilton would go on to play Strahovski's mother in law in Chuck later that season). She is the mother of all ass kickers, going through everyone from enemies to her own allies (though at a much lesser extent) in order to rescue the man she loves. I remain blown away by it. Again, perhaps not the most versatile performance Strahovski gave. But in terms of fierce, unbridled, violent energy, it doesn't get better than her performance here.

Prediction; pain

Conclusion

I think it's easy for many to sit back and say that Yvonne Strahovski (especially after the unfortunate mess that is I, Frankenstein) is nothing more than a really, REALLY beautiful woman. And hey, they aren't wrong about that; Yvonne Strahovski is easily be one of the five most attractive women on the planet right now in my opinion. But she's also far more than that. Her performance as Sarah Walker was always excellent, one of the strongest female characters to be created in the past ten years. She was one of the few highlights in Dexter's final years as the show did everything, but fling itself off a cliff. She was quietly really good in the quietly really good 24 reboot. Hell, I wouldn't have touched The Astronauts Wives Club with a ten foot pole, but I'll probably give it a look now that I know Strahovski's in it. She's a good actress, and that's not even taking into account her voice and theater work that really shows her range. I frankly think she's one breakout performance away from being a star. Give her the right script, the right director and the right people around her and you're going to see something special. I hope so at least. I want to see more Yvonne Strahovski. And you should too dammit!

That's it guys. Off till tomorrow, where there will be an NHL preview, a review of Mad Max: Fury Road (so much Australia in here!) and a Sega Saturday entry. So much stuff! Till then, I got nothing. One more Yvonne gif for the road?