"I haven't been arrested, ever," she says. "See, that's why I practice the violin instead of going to parties."

Born in a suburb of Vancouver, B.C, where the series has just begun production on its second season, Down has studied acting in both Los Angeles and England. Under the category of "It's a Small World," one of her acting classmates in L.A. was Zuleikha Robinson, who now stars on FOX's "The Lone Gunmen," along with Tom Braidwood, who was executive producer of the Canadian series "DaVinci's Inquest," on which Down appeared.

"We shoot on the same lot," says Down. "I had no idea. One day, there was a knock on my trailer door, and I opened it, and there she was. I almost fell over, because I hadn't seen her in four years. She's beautiful and talented, and she's got a good heart, so it was nice to see her working and doing well, on the very same lot I was on."

On "Mysterious Ways" -- which has run on both NBC and PAX (where it now airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST), and will likely return to NBC this summer -- Miranda is a physics graduate student who works as an assistant to anthropology Professor Declan Dunn (Adrian Pasdar), who takes time off to investigate miraculous phenomena, with the help of psychiatrist Peggy Fowler (Rae Dawn Chong).

The enigmatic Miranda has caught many fans' fancy. Staggeringly bright, but reticent about it, she favors a Goth fashion style and rides a motorcycle (with leather jacket and chaps).

"I love my chaps," Down admits. "I feel bad because they're leather, but I get into the chaps, and I'm like 'Whooo! I'm a woman now!'"

Although the handsome Pasdar tones down his looks on the show with stubble and rumpled clothing, questions have come up about any possible romances between Declan and either Peggy or Miranda.

Says Down, "I don't know that there's going to be any romance. Right now, there's a great friendship that Declan shares with Miranda, and there's a great friendship that Declan shares with Peggy. I honestly don't know what the writers have in store for them, but right now, where things are, the friendship level, is a good place."

"It would look strange if, all of a sudden, Declan and Peggy were holding hands down the street. It would be a very different show. It's good to have that mystery there."

What does Miranda think of the impulsive, enthusiastic Declan? "There's a deep respect for each other there, even if I think sometimes Miranda gets a little frustrated with Declan, because Declan's like, 'OK, then we gotta do this ... OK, and you're doing this.' Miranda's like, 'OK, but I have school.' I like the banter that they have and the chemistry. It's a unique relationship, and half the time, I don't know what to think of Declan, so that must translate into Miranda."

"I think Miranda sees Declan in the same way I see Adrian -- as a brother and a friend."

As with any sibling, patience is required. "She's very patient," says Down. "At the same time, with all of Declan's goofiness, he's a very wise soul. He's constantly asking questions, constantly saying, 'We have to look deeper than the surface here.' That makes a remarkable human being."

Down also disputes the notion Declan is a geek. "I disagree. I don't think it's geekiness at all. It is so special and wonderful. He's like, 'Hey, I love life, and I have questions that I want answers to, so I'm going to answer them.' But in society, we walk around with these questions, but rarely do we look for the answers, and rarely do we find them. We just go along and say, 'OK, I have a lot of questions, and I'll never get them answered.'"

"Well, why not? Some of them can be answered, and some do remain a mystery. But why not look beyond that to find out what that is?"

Declan investigates phenomena ranging from weird coincidences to bleeding church windows to after-death visitations. "It causes me to believe more," Down says of the show's subject matter. "I'm of the opinion that there's more out there than we perceive, and that we're stronger than we think we are as human beings."

"With each show, it solidifies that belief, and it really does awaken curiosity in me, that there is more out there, and strange things do happen, but they can be good."

Can Miranda be a role model for girls interested in science? "The word 'role model' really scares me," says Down. "Miranda can be looked at for what you can do when you have determination. Miranda's a very strong, courageous woman. She's young, she does fall into things and follow her heart, and it's great that she's not embarrassed to be smart. How can you be embarrassed to be who you are? Who you are is so beautiful, no matter who you are."

Miranda spends a lot of time preventing Declan from causing disasters, and apparently that's often Down's job as well. "Adrian's really clumsy," she says. "He'll be playing with a prop, and I'll be like, 'I'll just take that away, and maybe I'll put it over here.' He was playing with a sharp thing one time, and I'm like, 'Adrian, don't play with that. What are you doing?' He's like, 'What? I can play with it.' And of course, he cut himself. I said, 'See, that's why I said not to play with it.'"