So far Life Unexpected fans have only gotten a hint at the mysterious new girl, Julia. We know she is someone from Ryan (Kerr Smith)’s past, and judging by the nice wedding gift she sent him, she may have something for which to atone. LA TV Insider Examiner was intrigued from the moment showrunner Liz Tigelaar warned us that after we meet her, we might not think Ryan is Mr. Perfect after all, so we set out to get the dish directly from the actress portraying her: Jaime Ray Newman.
“My first time on set, I spent the day in bed with Kerr,” Newman laughed during a phone interview last week. “She maybe thinks she can help heal him. They have this, like, undeniable chemistry-- this undeniable attraction."
Hey, Team Ryan, don’t freak out yet, okay? When we first meet Julia in this week’s episode, “Honeymoon Interrupted,” it is through flashbacks to a time when Ryan and Cate were having problems, and Ryan got back in touch with his old love. Newman shared that her character “has a deep love for Ryan” but doesn’t know Cate or know what was really going on in their relationship. "I don't think she's a homewrecker," Newman added.
So who exactly is this woman, then?
“She’s in the music business, so she shares that with Ryan. She kind of...marches to her own drumbeat. She never really wanted to get married, wanted to have kids; I mean, that just wasn’t her M.O. And she wasn’t a person who needed to apologize for that; that was just a decision she had made. She doesn’t need a guy to define her,” Newman explained.
Sounds a little bit like Cate (Shiri Appleby), no?
“There’s no neuroses to her; she’s not really uptight,” Newman continued. “She’s very low-maintenance. She cares much more about, like, signing bands and going out at night, but I don't think she’s wild; I think she’s sowed her wild oats. She’s a career girl, and she’s very involved in this free-spirited, Bohemian life.”
Oh, so much for being like Cate. So we guess we now see what Ryan would see in Julia!
Though we get to see Julia through Ryan's memories in this week's episode, Newman spilled that she will be coming back for some present-day scenes a little later in the season. Needless to say, Cate and Ryan's baby problems may have to take a back-burner when this woman shows back up in his life!
Newman, who knew Smith from a show they did together a few years ago called E-Ring, welcomes the chance to come back: “I think I’ve played some characters in the past who care too much, and it gets them in a lot of trouble, whereas [Julia] really could give a crap, let life throw things at her; she can handle it.”
(You might remember her as a neurotic mother of five in ABC's Eastwick, as the wife of Hearst College's Dean on Veronica Mars, or even a flight attendant in the "Phantom Traveler" episode of Supernatural-- but there she had reason to be neurotic! Most recently, though, you could see her in Drop Dead Diva over on Lifetime.)
Also, of course, Newman welcomes the chance to work on such a well-written show. “Once I got to know the show a little bit more, and once Liz told me how she would reappear…my jaw dropped," she said. "It’s just really good storytelling. Liz is amazing; she and her writing team come up with some amazing, amazing plotlines, and I just thought that this was so clever, and I’ve been so impressed with what they came up with.”
When Newman first found out she got the role, she and her grandmother stayed up until two o’clock in the morning one night watching episodes on Hulu, turning both of them into fans. “She keeps saying ‘When is Life Unexpected going to be on? When are you going to stir up trouble on Life Unexpected?’” Newman laughed.
Well, the wait is no more! You can watch Newman make her grand entrance on Life Unexpected Tuesday night on The CW at 9pm.
Comments
i'm so excited to finally find out who this julia woman is! i've really enjoyed the way they have been trying to make ryan a more flawed (and therefore more realistic) character this season, so i think this will continue what they have already been hinting at this season. i'm glad to hear she's not a home wrecker though! i can't help myself--i'm still team ryan :)
woohoo! first became a fan of jaime ray newman during her time on the amazing veronica mars & have loved her ever since. she really seems like she'll fit in nicely with the life unexpected cast!
hmm..she claims she's not a home wrecker, but that doesn't mean her presence still won't wreck cate & ryan's marriage. maybe that's just wishful thinking from a TEAM BAZE fan, but seriously, this would be an easy out to get rid of the ryan-cate relationship & leave cate running into baze's comforting arms *sigh* :)
Gotta admit, I'm not a huge fan of all the new guest stars Life Unexpected is bringing on this year. Stupid network mandated changes! For instance, I abhor Paige (as does pretty much everyone else I'm pretty sure), I could do without Eric, and Kelly is SO annoying! I do like Emma however. Anyway, here's hoping Julia follows in Emma's footsteps and grows on me!
I really like the idea of the show introducing this character first through flashbacks so that the audience can get some idea of the background relationship she had with Ryan before she appears on the show. I think establishing that will help the audience connect with her more, and maybe lessen any ill-will people might have felt toward her for messing with Ryan and Cate's happiness.
neva heard of her, but she's hott just like all them otehr girls on life unexpected so i'm cool wit her comign on tha show
i like the way you discussed the parallels & differences btwn julia & cate. kinda helps us see where ryan was coming from when he started a relationship with julia.
couldn't care less bout this new guest star but i love LiFe UnExPeCtEd so i'll def be tuning in!1
I need her to be a homewrecker!!!!! Please, please I'm deperate for Julia to break this couple!! I can't wait for the divorce...and have Cate with Baze, obviously.
Love that she was the flight attendant in Supernatural! I agree that it's a great idea to introduce her through flashbacks. It should be an interesting episode.
So we only get to see Julia in flashback in tomorrow's episode? Doesn't that mean, then, that Ryan is thinking about her and his time with her and maybe even missing it/her? That spells trouble for him and Cate's relationship! You should neve rbe thinking of another woman while on your honeymoon! Can't wait to see her come back as "present day Julia," as you put it. I hope she comes back with some sort of surprise for Ryan. he wants a baby so bad, maybe she got pregnant and has been trying to tell him but he blew her off.
Thank you for continuing to give us the updates and keeping us informed about this very special show.
nooooooo. she better not mess up the cate/ryan thing. i love me some ryan!
This is an awesome show. Storylines keep getting better. Hope the CW doesn't ax it, would be a terrible shame. There is so much more to tell.
Sounds like Ryan got himself into trouble... for once!! ;) I want to know more about Julia and exactly what happened between her and Ryan.
I love what Jaime said about the show! That's funny and sweet how she watched it with her grandma until 2 am!
Personally, I don't love all the new characters but it adds more interesting plots to the show and it's a natural transition. You can't do a season 1 all over again. I'm loving season 2 just as much as season 1! Every single episode is either good or great! :D
I haven't met this character and I'm just loving her.
Julia! You are soooooo welcome!!!!
Take Ryan entirely! Enjoy him! Embrace him! All yours!!
Eternally thankful,
A CB fan
Hey, If, by chance, you break CR marriage, don't worry.
I'm not a fan of new characters and contrary to another poster I like Kelly and Paige (the rest of the newbies, not very much). Let's see. I think she'll be a great twist
no matter who they bring on, this show rock--LUX FTW! :D
Ryan is one of my favorite characters on this show so I'm always a little concerned about the character becoming less likable. However, I'm glad that Ryan is going to be the focus of a story. It'll be nice to see into his past and for Julia to give more dimension to Ryan.
Woo hoo!!!! I'm BEYOND excited for the next episode of LUX, and to FINALLY find out who this Julia chick is (and to learn a little about Ryan's past. I love Jamie Ray - she was so adorable on Eastwick. BTW...I'm another Cate/Baze fan, so if Julia happens to be a MAJOR issue in Cate and Ryan's marriage, I would not mind...like AT ALL. Just sayin'. I want CB to end up together SO badly!
Thanks for this article Danielle! LUX is my favorite show, and I'm always hungry for more information. You always have the best interviews and scoop!
love all your life unexpected articles! so glad someone out there is writing about this fantastic show!
I really like that you diversify your interviews. Instead of just focusing on teh stars of the show, you have really branched out & included even minor guest stars. As a die-hard Life Unexpected fan, I enjoy reading anything and everything about the show, so I love all these little scoops you provide.
YES! love jaime & love life unexpected. could not be more excited for this combo! lol
so glad they're finally shedding some light on this julia mystery. now if they'll just shed some light on the whole thing with lux's old foster mom, i''ll be happy :)
I can't wait to see who she is so that Cate and Baze can FINALLY GET TOGTHER FOR GOOD!!!
Thank you Danielle for another amazing article!
And I am gald she is not a "homewrecker", but it sounds a little bit like Ryan cheated on Cate... this time. Noooo! It's human but...nah.
i am all for showing another side of ryan. not being perfect makes a character more relatable/lovable imho
mmm she best back off my man ryan...i want him for myself! lmao
LOVE this show!!!!!!!! We need a back 9 CW!!!!!!! And a Season 3!!!!!!!
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