FOX Summer Glau plays the beautiful but dangerous Cameron in ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,’ which airs on Fox. Glau says she enjoys playing an empowering role — and kicking some serious butt.

From ballerina to gun-toting cyborg, Summer Glau is ready for the role. Glau, a San Antonio native and former dancer, has been recently spotted blasting through walls and fighting people twice her size as a Terminator. Glau has one of the primary roles in Fox’s “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” the pilot for which nabbed an impressive 18.36 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings. As her character Cameron Phillips, Glau plays a good Terminator set on protecting John Connor, the future savior of mankind, from evil cyborg machines. The 27-year-old, who is already in the midst of filming the show’s second season, took a break from ass-kicking to give 210SA a call.

You’re not exactly a brawny Arnold Schwarzenegger-style Terminator. Has the new direction been good for your character?

I think it has actually helped. ..... Arnold is an action hero. He’s an icon. And no one wants to try to make a replacement for him. ..... It’s been easier to me to come in and play a Terminator that’s completely opposite of Arnold.

Has the Governator told you what he thinks of your Terminator portrayal?

I think I would have a heart attack if I ever met him.

Is it difficult to remain so emotionless to act as a cyborg?

Yes, absolutely. Honestly, when I first read for the role, I really didn’t know what to do with it. I never played a role like that before and really had no point of reference for what it feels like to be a robot. ..... When I realized Josh Friedman had written the series, I was surprised and nervous because I was a big fan. ..... His idea for Cameron was very complicated and much more than a robot. She’s the most advanced model so far for a Terminator ..... one who really understands humanity better and is able to mimic humans better than anyone before her. And I think she’s really capable of understanding what it means to have emotions. It’s much more fun and more challenging to play a robot like this.

So how did you get under Cameron Phillip’s “skin” to play the part?

David Nutter was our director for our original pilot, and he spent a lot of time with us ..... talking about the scripts and how we were going to do this. ..... We just felt this huge responsibility to make it cool and make it smart. ..... I talked to David and to Josh about how I was going to attack this role and make decisions on how human I wanted to play her. My main concern was I want people to find a way to relate to her and care about her. ..... One thing that I found really interesting is that Cameron is indestructible, and she’s brilliant because she’s a computer. But there’s also a very vulnerable side to her. She’s a fish out of water. ..... She’s an expert infiltrator, but she’s very childlike in her sense of wonder. ..... I feel that there are a lot of opportunities for humor there too. ..... She makes mistakes when she’s trying to be human.

What kind of training have you had to help you fulfill the roll? Was your ballet training any help?

In all my work as an actor, I started out being a pretty shy girl. The hardest transition for me from being a dancer to being an actor is being able to assert myself vocally. ..... (As a dancer) you’re onstage, and all you see in the audience is blackness. ..... When you’re an actress, you have to dig so much deeper, and you have to be so much more vulnerable. People are right there, and they can see your eyes. When I play roles where I can be physical, it’s much more comfortable for me. I’ve been able to utilize physicality quite a bit as the Terminator.

On screen, you kick a lot of butt. Did you have to have martial arts training?

I did this sci-fi movie called “Serenity.” I did tons of martial arts, and I trained for months and months. ..... It was so hard doing the marital arts, and I thought, “Oh, no.” I thought I was going to have to gear up again.

So it wasn’t as bad as you thought?

I’ve been practicing working with a lot of different firearms and doing car stunts. But hand-to-hand, it’s more like wrestling. Terminator and Terminator fights are interesting because there’s a different fighting style. But for the most part, we just break a lot of walls and throw people through things, and it’s a lot of fun.

Are the fight scenes the best part of the series for you?

Most of what we do is wait for the shot to be set up. ..... The actors spend a lot of time just waiting for everything to come together. ..... I love those times when I’m working on choreography for a fight scene.

Does playing such a strong role give you a feeling of empowerment?

I’m not really into computers, and I hate the ideas of Terminators existing. ..... But, you know, what I do love is being part of a show that I feel really celebrates women. It’s a show about two women, two very different women, who are coming together for the same purpose: to protect a man. ..... It’s difficult for actresses to find roles that are really empowering. ..... I’m really glad to be a part of a show that gives such a great opportunity to two girls.

You skimped down to your birthday suit for a couple of scenes. Would you consider that empowering as well?

I had to get naked twice in the pilot. We were out on the freeway, and we were out lying on the ground during the time-travel scene. ..... It was really miserable. But at that time, Lena (Sarah Connor), Thomas (John Connor) and I had just met, and it was really a bonding experience for us. ..... That was two Januarys ago in Albuquerque, N.M. It was just freezing. We’d be naked all night when it was 20 degrees outside.

I don’t suppose the Terminator can catch a cold.

I did (get sick). I ended up in the hospital. I had a kidney infection. It was bad. I was so sick with the kidney infection, I had to call one of the producers in the middle of the night to take me to the hospital.

Jeez. Is that the worst acting-induced injury or illness you’ve had on the set?

We get injured all the time. I have bruises on me right now. I cut my hand the other day punching through glass. We have an amazing stunt team and special-effects team. ..... But when you’re making an action series like this, dangerous things are happening every day. ..... I was at a shooting range practicing. ..... This one (shell) flew back and caught on my face. I knew something was burning me, and I reached up and my face was bleeding. ..... It’s just part of the job.

Well, sounds like you were tough enough to survive Season One. But your character was blown up at the end of the season. Did Cameron survive to Season Two?

Yes, I still have a job. Thank God.

What else is up for the next season of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”?

This new season is all about change. Right when you were thinking that this is just a happy family, it all falls apart after this explosion. No one is to be trusted. It’s just a free-for-all. ..... We’ve all just split off into our own private journeys. John is going through a rebellion. He’s pulling away from Cameron. He’s starting to grow up. ..... We add some new mysterious characters. We don’t know what they’re doing or who they are. ..... There are some huge surprises in just the first five episodes that we’ve shot.

And is there anything new you can reveal for your character?

Cameron, after the explosion, she is somewhat injured. Her chip has gone haywire, and she’s much more dangerous. It’s going to be a great season.

Jennifer Lloyd | 210SA