TV Tango: How did you celebrate when you heard that FIRST CUT, now called EMILY OWENS, got picked up to series?

Necar Zadegan: I was actually working on something else. I was doing this thing [guest spot] for MAJOR CRIMES -- my mob wife role. I didn't go out and booze it up or go buy myself a new handbag or anything like that. I started studying.

Remember when Barack won and he was walking on the stage like "I'm not going to play the saxophone because I got work to do." [laughing] That's kind of how I felt, like I had work to do. And I was excited about it because I love the character. I love the show. I love the people I'm working with.

You know what I think I did? And I remember how I found out. Justin Hartley [who plays Will Collins, Emily's med-school crush] sent me a text that just said, "Woo hoo!" I assumed we were picked up, and sent that same text to the rest of my cast.

TV Tango: When the cast finally got back together for the photo shoot in late May, where'd you celebrate afterwards?

Necar Zadegan: We actually didn't have time to go out afterwards because the shoot took so long. The shoot was so much fun. We were just happy to see each other. We really love working together, and it was definitely a celebration.

TV Tango: What can you tell us about your character, Dr. Gina Bandari, who was given a new last name after the pilot?

Necar Zadegan: Gina is like the woman I would love to be. She's just terrific. And the interns look up to her because she's kind of this ultra-fem super woman, in a way. She's got it all together. She makes it look so easy. She's so good at everything. I think there's a certain element of her that's suffering fools all the time, but she's so smart and so accomplished. She seemingly has everything. She thinks so quickly

It's easy for her to be impatient with people who don't meet her expectations, because she has high expectations for herself and everybody around her.

Certainly, there's an element of that kind of a person that can lead sort of a solitary, lonely life.

I'm sure we'll find out her secrets in seasons to come -- in episodes to come, actually.

TV Tango: What can you tell us about the origin of your character's new last name? Did you play a role choosing the name? What does it represent?

Necar Zadegan: They weren't necessarily looking for somebody of a particular ethnicity when they were casting this role. Her name was Gina Beckett.

When I came along, Jenny [Snyder Urman, the series' creator] thought it was an opportunity to give the character, and the show, a little more color in terms of who's involved in the hospital. It didn't have to be a Gina Beckett-type, per say.

My background is Persian, and since I'm playing the role she thought, "Why don't we just make her Persian." She came up with the name Bandari, and she asked me if that sounded Persian. I said, "Sure, I guess it does. I don't know if it it or is not." [laughing] But it sounded fine to me. Later, I asked my parents what kind of name it was, and they're like "It is Persian." [still laughing] I hope so. We're playing it off like it is.

TV Tango: How do you see your character growing during the first season?

Necar Zadegan: Because she's someone who doesn't open that easily and is a little pragmatic, I think it's important for the writers to maintain that within the storyline.

I think the longer she maintains her mystery -- because she is mysterious -- the more intriguing it will be when we find out what lies beneath her. That is how I see her growing. I'm protective, to a degree, of that. There's definitely opportunities to show more of a window to her inner, emotional side. I think it's interesting and important, especially in the first season, to wear that close to the heart.

TV Tango: Since you started studying as soon as the series was picked up, what's been the most difficult thing to learn to be a surgeon?

Necar Zadegan: The jargon. The jargon is extremely challenging. It's not like you just look up pheochromocytoma. When you look up a word like that, then within the definition itself, there are all kinds of things I don't know. You know what I mean? [laughing]

Fortunately, I have an eclectic array of friends in my real life, and a few of them happen to be doctors. They're so excited to tell me about their expertise -- you know how people are, they love to tell  you what they know.

We have these wonderful people on set. For the surgery scenes, we have an actual cardiothoracic surgeon, who I'm just amazed by. She's up here in Canada, and she's just fantastic -- and patient. I think it's fun for her too. She literally stands right next to me in the OR and tells me what to do. [laughs]

TV Tango: Speaking of being in the OR on set, what's the most difficult thing to make look realistic?

Necar Zadegan: They want to get close up -- especially my character because she's so perfect and such a genius in the OR -- and they want to see the cuts. Because of who she is, I want it to look so right. I do study extra hard for those kinds of things.

We have stunt hands and we have stunt people, but I want to make it as real as possible. I'll suture oranges -- that's what real doctors have told me to practice on. When we got in the OR, I just did it, and we didn't have to use stunt hands or anything like that.

I study. I work hard with whatever the doctors tell me to do. I'm kind of in med school. I feel like I could do this. They also had me work on a pot roast and a pork chop.

TV Tango: Your hands are steady enough to do sutures, are they steady enough to do your own slicing?

Necar Zadegan: Yeah, I just did that, as a matter of fact. I just did a slice. To be perfectly honest, it wasn't the straightest slice in the world, but the camera didn't know.

TV Tango: How do you like working with fake blood?

TV Tango: What's the best part of playing a TV doctor compared to your previous TV roles, like portraying a first lady [on 24]?

Necar Zadegan: The nature of the show is certainly different than the nature of a show like 24. On 24, every moment is so life-or-death. Every moment was so urgent. So the nature of the show makes a difference even though we are dealing with life and death in the OR -- but, then again, we deal with departmental politics, which isn't life or death.

People give doctors in real life so much respect, and, of course you do, because it's such a noble profession, but you would be surprised to how that transfers, even when you play a TV doctor. [laughing] Like, when you tell people you play a doctor on TV, they think you must be kind of like a doctor. They always start talking about something that hurts, and I have to remind them that I'm not a real doctor.

TV Tango: Critics most frequently compare EMILY OWENS to GREY'S ANATOMY. If someone asked you to describe EMILY OWENS as a cross between two TV series, which series would you choose, not including GREY'S ANATOMY?

Necar Zadegan: Gosh, that's a hard one. But if we're going to be compared to any show, I'm glad that it's a successful show [like GREY'S]. We'd love to do as well as they are.

I'm drawing a blank. You know, I was just sitting with the rest of the cast at lunch, talking about all these shows from the '80s that, for some reason, some of these girls are too young to remember. [laughs]

I hope nobody kills me for saying this -- you're forcing me, right? -- because we were talking about shows from the '80s just at lunch. I grew up watching THE FACTS OF LIFE -- because I'm a dork [laughs], but it was popular when I was a kid -- and there's something about these young women coming of age and getting to know each other. Because EMILY OWENS is about interns led by a female, I'd say maybe it's reminiscent.

TV Tango: Does that mean that you're Mrs. Garrett?

Necar Zadegan: That would make me Edna. Yes, it would. [laughing] Remember when Cloris Leachman came on the show? I could also be her. Craaazzzzzy.

Also, remember how in M*A*S*H things were serious but also tender, funny and sweet? That was the best part of M*A*S*H. I would say that there's an element of that to EMILY OWENS. I wish we could have that cool theme song -- maybe we'll throw it in somewhere in the second season.

TV Tango: Besides acting, what talents or passions do you have?

Necar Zadegan: There are many things.

I grew up dancing, and I still take dance classes all the time. I'm a runner. I love to be outdoors as much as I can. Part of the reason why I love working here in Vancouver [where EMILY OWENS is filmed] is that I get to ride my bike all over the place.

I'm an avid reader. I read a lot. I was a Lit major, and my love of literature continues. I read Shakespeare -- I actually read it.

I love to watch movies. I have so many passions. I'm always looking for new ones. I love languages, and I've always loved languages. We'll see if I may take this opportunity up here in Canada to work on my French -- although people aren't walking around speaking French here, but they have French radio stations.

TV Tango: Do you play guitar?

Necar Zadegan: I do. I do play guitar. As a matter of fact, I was playing guitar just yesterday in the trailer with the girls. Kelly McCreary [who plays intern Tyra Dupre] wanted to learn to play, and I was teaching her a few chords. She was very excited.

TV Tango: If you could portray any fictional TV character in the history of American TV, who would you pick and why?

Necar Zadegan: Alexis Carrington [played by Joan Collins on DYNASTY]. I think that's self-explanatory.

TV Tango: What's on your DVR?

Necar Zadegan: To tell you the truth, the thing I currently have on my DVR is MAJOR CRIMES. What else? SONS OF ANARCHY.