HELFER

character who has her own special strengths.

Helfer was happy to be able to continue working on the series, based on the comic books by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth. And the role is wholly different from the one she played last season.

“The first couple of episodes back were really fun because the character is a woman whose intellect and high-powered job mean everything to her,” the actress said. “To not know anything about what happened in the last four months of her life really has her questioning herself.

“She finally decides to be a better person, but then she ends up floating for a while. But, by the end of the season, it is a real shakeup for her again.”

Helfer said she especially enjoys portraying “a human character who is really struggling with identity.”

Given that Helfer had signed on to “Lucifer” for just one season, she was surprised to be asked to return.

Ellis, her co-star, was happy to have her back — a sentiment, he said, that has nothing to do with sheepishly admitting to having a crush on Helfer when she was on “Battlestar.”

Helfer’s addition to the cast, he said, “elevated the show to a new place.”

After all, even the devil acts differently when he is around his mother.

Helfer’s character was an original creation, so she couldn’t rely on the comic books in putting together the pieces of her characters. She did read some of the works to get a better idea about the “Lucifer” universe.

Research is a part of her work process, but Helfer is cautious about how much homework she does — to avoid being pulled between what she sees in the script and what she knows as background.

“You want to pay homage to the other, but you also have to really focus on the project you are doing,” she said.

She has managed

The past year has been difficult for Helfer in light of the death of her grandmother, the passing of two pets and what she described as a “very tough personal situation in my marriage.”

such a balancing act with a wide variety of roles. In selecting a project, she said, she first thinks about the reality of bills needing to be paid.

Beyond that, though, Helfer tries to mix up the work she does as much as possible, she said.

The bottom line: There are very few acting jobs Helfer won’t accept, but she finds it helpful when she’s able to make a connection with a role, whether it’s the strength the character shows or the people with whom she will work.

The actress has played roles as different as a robot and a Texas Ranger.

“If I only played one type of role, how boring would that be?” she said. “To me, the fun part of acting is getting to play all facets of humanity, and, in that, finding facets of yourself you can draw from.

“In many ways,” she continued, “it’s like therapy.”

The strength she seeks in roles, Helfer said, is something she needs in her own life.

The past year has been difficult for her, she said, in light of the death of her grandmother, the passing of two pets and what she described as a “very tough personal situation in my marriage.”

It was recently revealed that Helfer and Jonathan Marshall, her husband of 13 years, plan to divorce.

A smiling Helfer said, “I will say that I have been able to use some of the things going on in my personal life in a scene or two of the show.”