Sonya Walger is a busy actress nowadays. Not only does she guest star from time to time on ABC's Lost as Penelope "Penny" Widmore but she appeared in a few episodes of FOX's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and is starring in HBO's Tell Me You Love Me, show that will return for a second season later this year.
A little known fact is that the 33-year-old native of England was supposedly originally cast to play the character of Kate on Lost but lost the role when she refused to relocate to Hawaii. Even if she turned down a role that could have definitely put her on the map, Walger stayed positive and landed roles on The Librarian alongside Noah Wyle, CSI: New York as Jane Parsons for ten episodes, Sleeper Cell for four episodes and Numb3rs. She then landed the pivotal role (even if not often on screen) of Penny on Lost.
But before her stint in the popular TV movie, The Librarian, Walger appeared in about a dozen of TV and movie projects including the short-lived U.S. version of Coupling, The Mind of the Married Man, The Search for John Gissing with Alan Rickman, and All the King's Men with Maggie Smith.
Sonya Walger speaks fluent Spanish and some French. According to AskMen.com, she even translates Argentinian-Spanish plays into English. The actress studied English literature at Oxford.
This talented actress will no doubt land more important roles in the future. In the meantime, look for her to appear in episode 4.05, a Desmond-centric episode, of Lost airing on February 28.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-13-2008 @ 11:17AM
Thomas said...
Is there any reason for this series of "In the Limielight" posts? Are we going to get a post for every actor/actress who has ever had a job?
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2-13-2008 @ 11:55AM
Tom said...
Wow...that was rude. I enjoy these posts and I can't see how you wouldn't understand the reason for heaping praise on some of the lesser known talents in the industry.
On Mrs. I really do enjoy her. She has a presence that you don’t see in most guest stars and I think that’s why she gets as much work as she does. This is paticularly evident in LOST where her character is rarely seen but possibly the most significant non-islander on the show (with the possible exception of Jack's Dad).
If you look at her imdb page it almost seems like producers can’t get enough of her in that she almost never seems to be in just one episode of a show. She’s the type of actress that writers clearly like to work with and so they can't help but keep her around for multi-episode arcs.
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2-13-2008 @ 12:53PM
Rogphi said...
Thanks for this Post. I saw her In "Sarah" the other night and couldn't place her!
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2-13-2008 @ 2:50PM
Carl said...
I have to agree with #1. This should be filed under "People I like"...
TV Squad is news, reviews and the occasional poll/giveaway/game, not celebrity spotlight. Save Limelight for the People Magazine blog.
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2-13-2008 @ 3:56PM
Zarquon said...
I realize I jump into this at my own risk but...
@Carl What makes you get to define what tvsquad is? Isn't it the writers (and maybe AOL) that get to decide that? Please. You are not required to read everything on this blog. (or are you? are you the victim of a strange and complex torture device? Perhaps the govt should replace waterboarding with reading every entry in Jezebel. I digress.)
I like this post, I also had a "that girl" moment on Sarah, but couldn't place her. I like stories that provide background on the professional lives of actors that I like.
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2-18-2008 @ 11:13AM
Carl said...
I commented on this particular "Limelight" because it seems like a piece that was tucked away for a sick day/early deadline that really has no significance in what's going on in TV right now -- Sonya Walger's limited-appearance role on Terminator is really minor, she probably won't appear on Lost aside from the Desmond episode in a few weeks, in a couple weeks and Tell Me You Love Me has been off the air for months and won't be on the air for even longer.
As of me writing this, the current Limelight is about a new actor on L&O, taking over the lawyer duties of Sam Waterston's character -- a little more newsworthy for this site than the fact she was in The Librarian over three years ago.
You say that you like stories about actors -- that's cool. I enjoy knowing the background of actors who are not very well known and then start popping up in a lot of different shows and movies, however this reads more like an essay version of Sonya Walger's IMDb page than actual news -- not really in the spirit of TV Squad and definitely what I feel is lazy writing.
2-13-2008 @ 4:15PM
LRS62 said...
I can no longer take her seriously after her one note performance on TMYLM.
Every time I see her now in something else, unpleasant pictures of her go through my mind.
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2-14-2008 @ 3:38AM
gooby said...
I for one like these In the Limelight posts because it gives some of the more talented but perhaps more obscure actors a chance to get some props.
Big fan of Sonya Walger and she's one of those actresses that I always notice when she appears on screen. I wish she'd get her own show where she can take the lead.
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2-14-2008 @ 4:40AM
Will said...
Wow, I had never heard the trivia about the Kate role in Lost. Cool, I loved new trivia. And while I like her on the show as Penny, I must say I'm glad the role went to Evangaline Lilly. I read so much backlash towrad Kate on different fan sites, but I love her (or rather Lilly's portrayl). So I'm glad it worked out that way.
Oh, and I like these posts also.
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