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It has been nearly five years since Monica Raymund, then a junior at St. Petersburg's Shorecrest Preparatory School, had the lead role in Manhattan Casino, a locally written and produced musical about racially segregated St. Petersburg.
She's 22 now, a graduate of Shorecrest and of the Juilliard School in New York, where she received the prestigious John Houseman Prize. The award recognizes an outstanding student in classical theater.
Come Jan. 21, she'll have a supporting role in Lie to Me, a new Fox television series that stars Tim Roth as Dr. Cal Lightman, the world's leading expert in deception. His team helps federal law enforcement, government agencies and police with investigations. Raymund plays Ria Torres, a gifted "natural" who has the ability to tell when someone is lying.
"She has a strong knack for identifying the liars in the world," Raymund said in a telephone interview last week. Initially, her character believes in a world of good and bad, black and white. "As the season goes on, she begins to learn that there are some shades of gray."
Raymund said she is the youngest person on the set, "fully fresh out of the box." The days are extensive, usually 12 to 13 hours. "If I'm not working, I'm either sleeping or preparing for the next day of work. I'm just focusing on this, and letting this be my life."
Filming on the series began in November. Last week, the cast and crew completed Episode 4; they hope to wrap production in mid April. Fox has ordered 13 episodes.
Raymund, who made a guest appearance on TV's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit last year, worked with playwright Jose Rivera on Boleros for the Disenchanted at the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston before heading to Los Angeles.
"It's quite exciting," Raymund said. "It was a little overwhelming when I first got on set and realized this would be my life for the next six months. Being on set is a whirlwind. And I try to learn as much as I can about what it takes. The technicians, the grips - I'm sort of being a little student, following them everywhere.
"I don't have time to pretend I know what I'm doing. I have to learn...