As sexy spy Sarah Walker on NBC’s hit series Chuck (Monday, 8 p.m.), Yvonne Strahovski knows a thing or two about keeping her real life a mystery. After all, the 5’ 9” beauty is actually from Australia (and of Polish descent), which she covers with a well-executed American accent on the show. As her infectious laugh rings out on our shoot at West Hollywood’s Chamberlain Hotel, you also might not know that she spends most of her time shooting late into the night, rarely finding a moment for some well-deserved downtime. Still, she refuses to disappoint the show’s many loyal fans who return week after week desperate to find out what will happen between Sarah and Chuck. So what does the new season have in store? Strahovski took a break from filming to clue us in.

SNMag: Why were you first drawn to Chuck and the character of Sarah?
Yvonne Strahovski: What drew me in the beginning is that it was such a fun little mix of comedy and action. It caught my attention because there’s nothing really like this on TV right now. I feel really lucky to be playing a character like Sarah. She gets to be part of the funny role and the dramatic romantic role, and she’s also a kick ass spy. Initially, when I read it she came off as a very strong, intelligent woman, and it’s great to play somebody like that. [READ THE REST HERE]

Photoshoot in the gallery!