Lena Olin seems unlikely to reprise her pivotal role as Sydney Bristow's mother Irina Derevko despite the efforts of Alias Producers [sic] and an organized fan campaign.
The Oscar-nominated actress joined Alias in its second season as the mother of Jennifer Garner's heroine Sydney Bristow. Earlier this year she scooped a Best Supporting Actress Emmy nomination for her performance. However, Creator and Eecutive Producer J.J. Abrams has announced that efforts to bring Olin back for the show's third season have so far failed. "After doing everything we possibly could,
including meeting the agents' requests, Lena ultimately decided it wasn't the right time for her to return to the show," said Abrams in an official statement released by ABC.
Fans had organized a campaign seeking Olin's return to Alias. Laura Picazo, fo the bring Back Lena campaign (
www.bringbacklena.com), argued that Olin's absence from the third season "has left a void in the show and in the hearts of viewers." The campaigners raised money and ran a full page ad in The Hollywood Reporter. They stated that, "All excess funds will be donated to a charity fo Lena Olin's
choice."
In an excluseive interview with Alias Magazine, series creator J.J. Abrams addressed Lena Olin's absence. "Part of it is she had just done a season, shed' just gone back to New York and was with her family... I think she might have needed a break," said Abrams. "For wjatever reason, it wasn't the right time for her to come back. When
we spoke she was incredibly enthusiastic about coming back. Managers and agents can often make things more complicated than they need to be. Based on our conversation, there's no reason to believe that there isn't something that can't be figured out at some point."
Alias star Jennifer Garner publicly praised Olin's casting in a recent edition of Australian newspaper The Sunday Herald Sun. "She IS Sydney's mother. I mean, she's incredibly sexy, smart, she is all heart, but she can be completely cold, and she is agile."
Olin herself noted that her role as Derevko was winning her greater attention. "It's funny and so strange being on TV," she said. "I've been doing this for so long, but I'm getting so much more attention now and things to choose from. It's ridiculous." When asked about a return for Alias' third season, Olin said, "There are other things I want to do, other projects."
Although Olin appears unwilling to return at present, Abrams says that the show remains "hopeful that things will work out in the future." He says that Irina Derevko "remains a critical piece of the puzzle."