Brenda Strong compares her characters on Desperate Housewives and The 100 

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 have in common? Not much, until the Ice Nation’s ruthless leader made her debut last week.

Brenda Strong, who played Mary Alice Young on 

, joined The CW’s post-apocalyptic world as Queen Nia — and she says the two characters might have more in common than you think.

“They’re both willing to sacrifice things for the good of the whole,” Strong says. “Mary Alice very much protected her family and her neighbors from a secret she felt would destroy her intimate family and then her neighborhood.” As for Nia, she’s trying to protect the larger “neighborhood” of Ice Nation, so they both show self-sacrifice to keep their people safe. They both care for people, albeit in different ways. Mary Alice cares for friends and family; Nia “cares” to advance the survival of her nation. And that’s pretty much where the commonalities end.

“I certainly don’t think Mary Alice has the ambition that Nia has… nor the backbone,” Strong says with a laugh. “Mary Alice has a lot more heart; Nia is

But Mary Alice does have a little bit in common with one other person from the show: Bob Morley, who plays Bellamy Blake and is voicing the narrated intro to 

 this season. (Mary Alice was the omniscient narrator for 

.) “What he is doing, he’s doing with heart,” says Strong, who adds that “heart” was infused in Mary Alice’s narrations. “I think his narration — from what I’ve heard him do — is really heart-centric.” Plus, she adds, “He’s got a nice voice!”

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