Caprica, The Big Bang Theory
Advertisements:
$1 Million
If you’re a fan of science fiction, there’s a good chance that you know about the “Battlestar Galactica” franchise. The franchise probably ranks third in the sci-fi echelon behind just Star Wars and Star Trek, with a very loyal fanbase. There have been a lot of shows and movies based on “Battlestar Galactica”, which includes “Caprica” that aired on Syfy. One actress from the short-lived series is Alessandra Torresani, who’s been on a slew of other shows over her career, as well.
She was born with the same first name, though her last name was shortened as Toreson when she was born in Palo Alto, California on May 29, 1987. Torresani’s parents weren’t involved in entertainment, but did quite well for themselves financially. Torresani grew up knowing that she wanted to be an entertainer and spent some time on stage at just a few years old. From there, it wasn’t long until she was appearing on television.
“I was a very special child,” Torresani said. “I did stand-up comedy. I did it all. My family didn’t understand. ‘Aren’t you tired?’ I’m like, ‘No.’ I’m like an insomniac, I hardly sleep, I’m always on the move.” She talked about the relationship with her father, who seemed to have an opposite personality. “My dad could be beyond brilliant but totally introverted,” she said. “If we’re talking about computers, he’s on. Otherwise, he’s a total recluse - he stays in the house and won’t leave.”
Torresani started her acting career when she was an episode of the Nickelodeon animated series “KaBlam!”. The following year, she had a live action role on television with an episode of “ER”, and rounded out the 1990s with another guest role in “Working” as well as the movies “My Last Love” on TV and “Lost and Found” to mark her feature film debut.
Torresani then kicked off the new millennium with episodes of both “Popular” and “Even Stevens”, as well as two independent films. More guest roles then followed in the early part of the decade with “Malcolm in the Middle” and “JAG”. Torresani became known for being an actress to call if you needed someone to fill a spot for an episode, adding in TV movies here and there with “Happy Campers” and ‘Grand Union”.
In the 2010s, Torresani was in a short film, and since then has been in several feature films. This includes “Playback”, “The Moment” and “Car Dogs”, with her most recent role coming in the straight to video film “Step Sisters” in 2018. On television, Torresani started to find more sustained success in joining casts.
In 2009, Torresani became a regular on the series “Caprica”, a spin-off of the popular “Battlestar Galactica” series. While she blended well into the scene and had several auditions before the decision was made, Torresani hadn’t been in the genre before. “I wasn’t really into sci-fi,” she admitted. “When they asked me to read for ‘Caprica’, I’d had a tough day. I said no. Then I got the audition scenes and I went, ‘Holy (expletive). I’m doing this!’”
Even though she was becoming a part of a franchise that has years of lore built up, Torresani didn’t delve into the past. “I didn’t want to watch ‘Battlestar Galactica’ on purpose,” she said. “I’m the first Cylon, right, so I wanted it to be from a 16 year old girl’s perspective. How would she create a Cylon? How would she act? I didn’t want to mimic Tricia Helfer, I didn’t want to mimic Grace Park. They’re beyond fabulous but I still wanted to create a new kind of Cylon.” Eventually, Torresani did go back and watch the older shows.
Torresani didn’t feel much of the pressure that comes with being part of a franchise with a large and dedicated fan base. “Yeah we’re following in (the older shows) footsteps, but we’re a completely different show and we’re a different style of show,” she said. “We’re not battleships fighting each other running away from the Cylons. Yeah, you want to keep all of their fans, and you want more, but you can’t guarantee that. We’re our own show - it’s fresh and new and we’re going to base it on a completely new idea.”
Her time would last for nearly 20 episodes, and she then joined the cast of “Husbands” as a recurring character in 2011. Since then, Torresani has added guest spots in shows like “American Horror Story”, “Two and a Half Men” and “Workaholics”. Her most recent roles came in an episode of “Lucifer” in 2016, and she was a recurring character named Claire in the ninth and 10th seasons of “The Big Bang Theory”.
Claire was a character that wrote sci-fi books for children and started to work with one of the main characters, Raj (played by Kunal Nayyar) and had an on-again off-again relationship. The two split up for good eventually, and she moved on to a new relationship. It was a big plotline for the ninth season, and good exposure for Torresani’s career.
Not only has Torresani been acting for more than 20 years now, but she’s also started up her own business that designs bandanas for dogs. It’s an interesting path, but one that she’s happy with. “Nothing brings me more joy than the nostalgia of handmade dance costumes,” she said. “I can’t get enough and still wear bedazzles every chance I get. Once I became a dog mom, I decided it was time for me to dress my little lady in her own custom bedazzles, obviously.”
->
