Julia Ling -- Today's Crush

Give us a quarter to call our mothers, because we may have found the perfect woman. The incredible Julia Ling, who plays an ass-kicking tech-support guru on NBC's "Chuck," is a video-game-loving, Linux-savvy Shao Lin kung fu expert who likes to dress up like Chun Li in her spare time. As if that weren't enough, she's super low maintenance! We chatted with her about her work on the show, the latest edition of "Command and Conquer," and how she once used her martial arts skills to fend off kidnappers (for real!).

On the show, you work at a Geek Squad-like tech-support outfit. What's your background in that field? I built my first computer back in high school ... I got my first computer when I was 10, and I took a build-your-own-computer class. It was really competitive. When I was young, I started going to computer shows, and then later in college, I studied engineering. ... I had to learn C++ and lots of programming for chemical engineering. And that's when I learned Linux.

Your character dated a manchild obsessed with "Call of Duty." Would you ever date a broke gamer in real life? Oh yeah. I think a lot of those guys are cooler. Maybe because I'm a dork as well.

Julia Ling talks about the time a guy tried to kidnap her and she kicked his ass, after the jump.



You recently shot some the live-action sequences for the new "Command and Conquer."Can you tell us anything about your character? It's the expansion pack, called "The Uprising." My character has telekinetic powers. It's pretty awesome. It was my first video game work, and my friends were all really into it. It was funny, one night we were trying to set up a network and play "Command and Conquer" together ... Almost right after my agents called and asked about the game, I said, "Yeah." I've always loved dressing up and playing those characters, and, like, Chun Li, and Princess Leia and all that.

You're playing a teenager in the upcoming "High School." As a self-proclaimed geek, are you glad those years are over? You know, I was a geek but I wasn't the kinda geek that dressed poorly ... I had friends; I went to the mall; I knew how to party. I was into modeling and I loved shopping and dressing up. I liked high school.

Your birthday is on Valentine's Day. If a guy only got you one present, would you go Shao Lin on him? No, not at all. I've constantly gotten teddy bears from guys and I'm kind of sick of it. A birthday present would be fine.

Have you ever had the opportunity to use Jung FY in real life? Yeah, actually. There was an incident a few years back in Beverly Hills when I was going to an audition and I got kidnapped. I was walking near a street corner when a van pulled up, and two guys pulled me into the van. I wouldn't even say [I used] Shao Lin skills, but he tore my tank top and was grabbing at me. He bruised my ribs really badly, and when the car started rolling away, I punched him really hard in the neck and I jumped out. That was one of the few times I've had to defend myself. But I use Shao Lin all the time. It's a great workout.