Megan Ward
As a newlywed and first-time homeowner, Megan Ward senses that a heightened maturity in her personal life has carried over to her acting career, now that she has graduated from playing teenagers to portraying a "full-bodied" woman of her own age who seeks to unravel the truth about a secret alien invasion.
"I am so excited about playing this role," says Ward. "Because I look so young, I've played my share of young, girlish roles. Kimberly is a three-dimensional woman, not just the love interest or object of desire. I've always looked forward to playing those roles where I can put in some of who I am and not just be window dressing. Kimberly is ambitious, honest, and wants to be an equal partner in her relationships, just like me."
Born in Los Angeles, Ward moved with her family to Honolulu when she was four years old. The youngest of four children, she remembers being impressed while watching her parents, both actors, practice scenes for various local productions and TV series ("Magnum, P.I.," "Hawaii Five-O"). In addition, her parents founded the Talent Development Center in Hawaii, which afforded Ward her first professional acting role at 12 in "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
As a teenager, Ward modeled for many American and Japanese magazines. At 15, she went to Japan for the first of several trips there as a product spokes model. She even co-hosted her own TV series, since she was fluent in Japanese owing to years of study in Hawaii.
Ward's interest in the entertainment industry spurred her to abandon her modeling career and head for Los Angeles, where she enrolled in junior college for 18 months. She won her first acting job as an ingénue in "Crash and Burn," followed soon after by her breakthrough role in "Encino Man," which raised her collective profile in the industry. In short order, she was cast in other features such as "Trancers II," "Arcade," "Amityville V: It's About Time," "PCU" and "Freaked" (co-starring Keanu Reeves). She also played a waitress in "Goodbye Paradise," a film that depicted the ongoing changes in Hawaii.
Ward won her first series regular role as one of six college freshman in the critically acclaimed "Class of '96." Later, she co-starred in NBC's "Winnetka Road," and was a recurring regular on "Party of Five" in 1994-95. Her other TV credits include the NBC miniseries "Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge," and guest-starring roles in such series as "Sweet Justice." Elsewhere on the big screen, she appeared in "The Brady Bunch Movie," and stars in "Joe's Apartment," due for release this summer.
Although Ward has never seen a UFO, she has many excited friends who claim to have witnessed one.
"It's an amazingly universal topic," she says. "I feel there's no way that we are the only ones around." On her own time, Ward enjoys rollerblading, skiing -- and most of all, renovating her 65-year-old home. "I hate to say this, but I think I'm becoming Martha Stewart," she says. "I love working on my house, settling down and spending time with my husband."
