Lucy Liu OF ‘ELEMENTARY’ ON CBS

What did it mean to you for “Elementary” to get a much later on-air start this season?

We started filming at the same time, so we began on the same track we’ve always been on ... hobbling toward the end. That’s what we do.

You’re now a director of “Elementary” as well a star of it, having done that on two of the current season’s episodes. What’s the appeal of that job for you?

Directing is a lot of work, because you’re wearing many, many different hats. I’ve done other directing jobs where I’m not acting (in those projects) at all, and it’s frenetic, with a lot going on. Things shift when the weather changes, or if somebody doesn’t show up on time ... and you’re already on a tight schedule, and you haven’t even woken up yet. You just have to be able to think on your feet and be spontaneous.

Do you still get feedback about your time on “Ally McBeal”?

I do! A lot of people will recall episodes or moments, and I have a vague memory of it. You work on something and then you just move on to the next thing, so you’re constantly in the present moment. It’s like different feathers that you’ve shed.

You’ve also been a part of the “Charlie’s Angels” and “Kung Fu Panda” movie franchises. Do you enjoy also having big-screen characters that have lived on beyond a single project?

I’ve had so many different ways of expressing myself creatively in this industry. It’s been a charmed career in that sense. And I think there’s still more.