The Bridge Scoop: Diane Kruger Talks Coming to TV, Playing a Cop With Asperger's—Watch

Exclusive! Kruger plays a detective with Asperger's syndrome, a role she calls "a real challenge," in the new FX drama

Diane Kruger has finally crossed the proverbial bridge.

Of course, we're talking about the bridge between film and TV, as the Inglourious Basterds actress is headlining FX's gritty new drama The Bridge, which centers on Sonya Cross (Kruger) an El Paso police detective, teaming with Marco Ruiz (Demián Bichir), a Chihuahua State police detective, after a murdered American's body is found on the border between the United States and Mexico. So a light-hearted comedy this is not!

We chatted with Kruger at the FX series' premiere party, where she talked to us about making the transition to TV and playing a character with Asperger's syndrome. Plus, Kruger's costars Bichir and Matthew Lillard gush over her performance...

"The material was just wonderful. We don't make those kinds of movies anymore," Kruger tells E! News of making the decision to star in The Bridge. "And it's a great part for a woman. We don't get those parts very often in movies and it's a very exciting time to be on cable these days."

And while it's a great part, Kruger admits that it is a constant "challenge" to play a detective with Asperger's. "It continues to be, not a struggle, but a real challenge because it's not an affectation," she explains. "It's not just something you can put on for the day, so FX was kind enough to introduce me to Autism Speaks and we have a young man called Alex Plank who came aboard as my advisor. He's on set everyday and he has Asperger's, so I've picked his brain and asked very many uncomfortable questions."

Bichir, an Oscar nominee, was quick to gush over his German costar, saying, "She has the most difficult role of the series by far and she does it with such grace and precision. It's a joy to watch her. She's not only one of the most beautiful women on Earth, she's incredibly talented and very funny!"

As for their characters' relationship, Bichir explains that it directly relates to the tension at the border. "It's just the way between Mexico and the United States, we represent that," he says. "It's a direct analogy of how we're so close together and so different and we need to work together to solve the problems that we have in common."

The Bridge premieres tonight at 10 p.m. on FX.