Fit Tv

She plays an all-American California girl, the intrepid daughter of a wealthy Los Angeles businessman who gets wrapped up in an international conspiracy on Fox Television's Emmy-nominated counter-terrorism drama 24. But off-camera, Sarah Wynter is nothing like her TV persona.

"Because I'm on such a serious show and I've primarily done serious roles, when people who know only my work meet me they're struck that I have a personality and I can smile and have a sense of humor--and also that I'm Australian!" the actress says. Her Aussie roots surprised even her boss, executive producer Brian Grazer, since Wynter affects a perfect American accent on the show. "I've had time to practice," she explains. "I've been in the United States quite a long time. It was important for me to learn to do different American accents because you don't get work otherwise." Originally from the city of Newcastle on Australia's southeast coast, Wynter, now 30, moved to New York City to study drama at 17.

For Shape's cover shoot, Wynter had the chance to experiment with a variety of glamorous looks--something she doesn't get to do at work. Due to 24's real-time format (each serialized episode represents one hour of a single day), she reports to the set in the same outfit all season, "which is a drag, but in a way, because you don't have to think about costume or changing, you can just think about your character, and once I put that outfit on, I'm Kate. It's like wearing a uniform."

Wynter's character, Kate Warner, battles the bad guys alongside counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). Last season, 24's story line revolved around a plot to nuke Los Angeles and ignite a war between the United States and not one, but three Middle Eastern countries, requiring no end of physically challenging scenes for the show's actors.

Wynter keeps in top shape for the rigors of taping 24 action-filled hour-long episodes a year, produced two at a time over a 16-day period--roughly the equivalent of completing a feature-length film every two weeks.

"Typically in television you work incredibly long hours and you can get burned out playing just one character," Wynter says. "But for me, I had no idea what direction my character was going to take, so it really kept me on my toes and interested," she explains. (Last season's dramatic plot twist: Jack needed Kate's help to infiltrate a terrorist cell, which, unbeknownst to her, included her sister.)

As demanding as fighting terrorists can be, it's nothing compared to the buffing-up Wynter undertook to play an assassin (with electric-blue hair and matching fingernails!) in the 2000 sci-fi thriller The 6th Day. "Having to beat up on Arnold Schwarzenegger, I had to be in the best physical shape I could possibly be in," says the 5-foot-6-inch actress. "The studio got me a trainer, and all I did was work out all day, every day." She cardio-kickboxed and strength-trained at West Hollywood's Crunch gym and ended up with abs you could do laundry on.

"I wanted to be lean and long, like a dancer. I didn't want to be thick-necked, looking like I'd gone on steroids. It was fun to see a physical transformation, but it was so time-consuming!" she recalls.

No longer bound by her strict 6th Day regimen, Wynter has since ditched the personal trainer ("I'd rather buy shoes," she laughs), preferring to get most of her exercise in Southern California's great outdoors. "I feel better, just mentally more clear, if I'm physically active. I live near a canyon, so it's great hiking. I just bought a house with a pool, so I swim a lot. And I [still] belong to a gym. I wish I could surf. It's one thing I never took up. It looks like so much fun."

When it comes to eating right, Wynter doesn't subscribe to any rigorous high-protein, no-carb Hollywood fad diet: "I don't hate life that much yet," she jokes. I mean, I like good food. I drink a lot of water, and I don't drink a lot of alcohol. I don't eat meat at home. When I cook it's just salads and vegetables and soy."

True to her roots, Wynter eschews the get-ahead-at-any-cost Hollywood ethic. "Be nice to every single person you meet," she advises. "It's not just the karma thing, I think it's healthier and better to be kind to people. It's never impressive to be cruel."

Her career advice? "I always tell people to persist in their goals, because it's hard when you're used to hearing no all the time and having doors slammed in your face. It's really good to love what you do enough to just let that be your focus."

So what does the next season of 24 hold for Wynter? She knows she'll be among the surviving cast members returning this fall for the third season, her second with the series. Beyond that, she claims to have no idea what's going to happen.

What would she like to see happen to Kate Warner? "Either one of two things: a real relationship developing between her and Jack that brings a more personal level to the story without it being about me being in trouble all the time," Wynter says. "[But] you don't really have time for relationship issues," she acknowledges, "because it's an action-drama, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, thrilling show."

Then she considers a second scenario, smiling slyly: "Or it would be great to find out that I'm really bad."

COPYRIGHT 2003 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group

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