Friday, March 11, 2011

My Weekend Crush

Gina Torres is a badass. Just so there’s no offense or confusion, I am certain anatomically speaking that she has an exquisitely good ass. But in terms of kicking butt and taking names, she is as bad an ass as they come. Everything about her screams strength, confidence, ability. That she isn’t a bigger star is a crime against the universe. That she has kicked ass in so many different universes points to a larger truth about ours. You see, as I mentioned earlier this week, Gina has popped up all over shows I’ve watched and loved: “Xena,” “Firefly,” “Angel,” “Pushing Daisies,” “The Vampire Diaries.” And looking through her long list of appearances you might detect a very noticeable theme. They’re all have a sci-fi/fantasy component. This has not been lost on Gina herself. As she famously told Venus magazine a few years ago:
“I walk into a room, and for this industry, I’m impossibly tall. When they find it hard to pair you up with the opposite sex, then what’s left for a woman? Either you’re the ball-buster or the not-so-attractive girlfriend standing by the lead. I mean, traditionally not so attractive. Because you have your starlets and then you have their best friends who are these character actresses. When you fall within the cracks, you thank God for sci-fi, because they’ll give you a gun, and they’ll say, ‘Go over there and conquer that world. You kick some ass, girl!’”

As her husband, Laurence Fishburne, is fond of saying, Gina has an innate authority that will always make her more than just the stupid girl in a dress. It’s a gift, really. She has a serene power about her that is at once commanding but equally reassuring. Like, if you were in a spaceship being attacked by alien hordes and you saw Gina Torres sitting at the helm, you’d be like, “Oh, hell yeah, we’re definitely going to make it.” While it’s sad it takes alternate universes to appreciate Gina, those of us who love her just the way she is are happy to follow her into other dimensions and beyond. Happy weekend, all.

13 comments:

Zillah NZ said...

Loved her in 'Cleopatra 2525' :-) In 'Huge', too.

Lyn said...

Hehehe, I love the comment from Fishburn.. If you saw her at the helm you would be like "hell yeah we're gonna make it."

I would. I have complete faith in her. I want to be on Firefly, even as an extra. LOL

Urban Jointz said...

Great post. When I think back on all the sci-fi stuff I've seen her in I have to agree she is a "Bad Ass"! Love her quality acting and hope to see more in the future!

JadedRogue said...

Alias... LOVED her in Alias.... JJ Abrams said that if Jennifer Garner hadn't been so amazing, he'd have built Alias around Gina... I'd have been behind that

MakingSpace said...

Ginaaaaaaaaaaa

love. her. so. much.

Redbone210 said...

Major major crush on that woman. She's phenomenal. Hotness personified.

Ask A Bisexual Guy said...

I love the fact that she inspired a DC Comicbook cartoon character Vixen & was so popular that the character got her own comic. A first in comic history.
How can you NOT love Gina Torres? Only one way....with extreme self denial that cause eyebleeding.

Anonymous said...

Bisexual Guy: I'm sorry, but this is nonsense. Gina Torres was the voice of Vixen on TV but the character was first introduced in the comics in 1982:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vixen_(comics)

I don't actually understand what you mean about her comicbook miniseries being a first in comicbook history so I can't comment on that claim.

wired74 said...

Great post! I agree she should rule the universe. There is nothing I have seen Gina in that I haven't loved. From Cleopatra 2525 (that was Classic!) to Alias to her part in the Matrix (sci-fi and while she didn't really kick ass you knew she would that's how awesome she is) Gina is amazing!

michele said...

have you seen her on La Femme Nikita (not the current Nikita crap, the original series from the late 90s)? She has an amazing kiss with Peta Wilson that is damn hot.

Anonymous said...

Yum!

Anonymous said...

She is, quite simply, fabulous in Firefly. The perfect blend of no nonsense, kick ass & take names toughness and emotionally stable/mature woman with loads of sexy. I love scifi/fantasy for the amazing women. Hands down, no contest.

Casey said...

This is going to sound ridiculous, but a few years ago after I watched firefly all the way through, I went through a phase where I had a lot of nightmares, and when I would wake up from a particularly frightening dream, I would imagine Zoe "keeping guard" of me. It was silly and juvenile, but worked surprisingly well :D