Jennifer Jason Leigh Jennifer Jason Leigh

Revenge's Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp) is about to get the mother of all surprises when Jennifer Jason Leigh joins the cast as her long-MIA mom, Kara Wallace Clarke. And just like Leigh's classic Single White Female nut job, Kara has a touch of the crazy.

"This is a woman who has battled demons her entire life," says executive producer Mike Kelley. "She's a borderline personality with serious mental disorders. We will learn that her separation from Amanda as a young girl was because Amanda was not safe around her."

Not surprisingly, Leigh has been offered many wackjob parts throughout her career but turned them down. She signed on to ABC's Revenge because the role struck her as something different and multilayered. Though the crazy will come, so far Leigh's only been shooting lighthearted flashbacks.

"Emily's memories of her mom are all coming back to her," explains Leigh. "The truths about Kara will be teased out slowly. It's going to be really dark and surprising." Expect one surprise to involve a connection to the Graysons! 

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