Possesed of an exotic beauty, captivating eyes and a regal yet sensual bearing, Morena Baccarin's classical training served her well in her breakout role as the high-class call girl Inara in Joss Whedon cult favorite but short-lived sci-fi TV series “Firefly” (Fox, 2002) and its likely movie spin-off “Serenity" (2005).
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and raised in New York City's Greenwich Village, Baccarin was born with acting in her blood: her mother is the well-known Brazilian stage and TV actress Vera Setta. After attending the Fiorello LaGuardia School of Performing Arts, Baccarin was accepted to the prestigious Juilliard School, where she became one of the subjects of the PBS American Masters series on the school. While at Julliard she appeared in a variety of thetare productions, including "Love's Labours Lost," "The Importance of Being Earnest" and was Natalie Portman's understudy in the New York Shakespeare Festival production of "The Seagull" with Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline. The actor made feature debut in director Michael Rymer’s largely improvisational film “Perfume” (2001) opposite Sonia Braga, followed by turn as a struggling actress in the ensemble dramedy “Way Off-Broadway” (2001).
After landing a small role in the admired indie "Roger Dodger" (2002) Baccarin relocated to Los Angeles and quickly caught the attention of Whedon when he was casting for "Firefly," his well-crafterd space opera that owed more to classic Westerns than typical sci-fi fare. Mishandled by Fox, the show failed to find a wide enough audience to remain on the air but had earned critical acclaim and a rabidly devoted cadre of fans. When DVD sales proved brisk, the series was revived for the Universal feature film "Serenity" (2005), in which Baccarin reprised her role as Inara, demonstrating a gift for action and expanding her character's will they-won't they relationship with her ship's captain Mal (Nathan Fillion).
When Whedon was tapped by producer Joel Silver to write and direct a big screen adaptation of the classic DC comic book superheroine "Wonder Woman," Baccarin was considered a plumb candidate for the role. She had already played one DC hero already, giving voive to the Black Canary on the animated series "Justice League."