NEW YORK — Anna Torv isn't so big on gore.
But on a recent summer evening, the Australian actress, who plays FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham on Fox's highly anticipated new drama "Fringe," was peering down at a fleshy, mottled heart lying on a metal examination table on the set of a gloomy basement laboratory. Suddenly, the organ jolted to life, sending red rivulets spurting into the air.
Looks like Torv better get used to working with blood and guts.
If the first glimpses of "Fringe" are any indication, the sci-fi mystery is unstinting in its portrayal of the havoc caused when science runs amok. In tonight's premiere, Dunham and her partner, John Scott (Mark Valley), are called in to investigate when an international flight mysteriously lands in Boston with all of the crew and passengers on board dead. The victims are unrecognizable, their faces twisted masses of flesh and bone.
"I want her to vomit one time when she sees one of these things, because I think she would legitimately feel that way," Torv said laughingly of her character.
"Fringe's" embrace of the gruesome comes as it explores the ramifications of the outer reaches of science. Thrust into a maelstrom of bizarre events, Dunham seeks answers from Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble), a brilliant scientist who was institutionalized for 20 years after one of his experiments went awry. To get Bishop on board, she's forced to recruit his reluctant and estranged son, Peter, played by Joshua Jackson.
Together, the often quarrelsome trio investigates a pattern of odd phenomena that seem to defy scientific principles.
"What I love about the show is [the question of] the conspiracy, the retention of knowledge," said Torv, who is making her American debut with the show. "Who really has that, and who has the power? If they're telling us they're able to clone a sheep, if that's OK for us to know, you go, 'Come on, what else are they doing?' "
The premise may sound familiar, but the show's creators insist that "Fringe" is not "The X-Files" circa 2008.
"There are obviously fair comparisons," admitted executive producer J.J. Abrams, the writer behind hits such as "Lost." "It's definitely federal agents investigating a lot of crazy, scary stuff. But 'Fringe' differentiates itself very quickly in terms of different characters and tone, and the overall story could not be more different."
