‘Six’ Star Olivia Munn Reveals What She Loves About Playing Gina Cline
Q&A
Since joining the second season of History’s riveting Navy SEALs drama Six, Olivia Munn has been a powerhouse presence as Gina Cline, a steely CIA operative hell-bent on breaking captive terrorist Michael Nasry (Dominic Adams) by any means necessary.
While Cline’s goal may be to get intel on Nasry’s mentor — the man who killed her beau — Munn’s aim is to show a fully fleshed-out woman calling the shots in the male-heavy military world. TV Guide Magazine enlisted Munn to tell us about her complex role.
You’ve had such a varied career: sports reporting, Daily Show correspondent, sitcoms, superhero movies and now drama. How do you choose what to do?
Munn: A lot of it has to do with knowing how to say no to people and being really discerning. I’m just happy I have enough of whatever it is in me that makes me go, “Yeah, no, I’m not going to do that.”
So what made you say yes to Six?
I was a big fan of Season 1. I also grew up in a military family, so it’s very close to my heart. And whenever I take any role, there is one prerequisite, which is “Does the female character exist if the male character doesn’t exist?”
I don’t want to play a love interest. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just, for the stuff I want to do, I feel passionate about putting out more stories where it’s not about the romantic life of a woman in any way.
Gina is far from a romantic role. She’s almost terrifying in her resolve to get what she wants.
That’s what I love about her! She’s unapologetic, really great at her job and passionate about it. And in this situation, she’s got a personal vendetta that she wants to see come to fruition.
On Wednesday night’s episode, she faces her superiors following a botched hostage-rescue mission. Did playing up Gina’s flaws make her more real to you?
I really wanted her to mess up but not make the same mistakes over and over. That would just seem silly. It was important for her to be flawed and for her to be called out on it. If you play someone who’s right all the time, that’s not accurate and it’s not interesting.
Six, Wednesday, July 18, 10/9c, History
