Amy Acker

Acker On Dollhouse Interruption

Amy Acker, co-star of Fox’s upcoming Joss Whedon series Dollhouse, told SCI FI Wire that all the publicity surrounding the show’s recent production break was much ado about nothing.

Last month, creator-producer-director Whedon halted production on the show in order to rework the fourth episode and get ahead on subsequent scripts. Production resumed on Sept. 25, after about two weeks off, and Fox will premiere the show as scheduled in January.

"You know, we did take a little break," Acker said in an interview earlier this month. "And I feel like it’s coming back, and everyone is just excited to be there. The first show that came back was a Steve DeKnight show; he was directing it, and it’s just really, really great. I think we just kind of had that time, because it doesn’t air until January."

The Fox series will explore the goings on at a facility where specially modified humans, referred to as "dolls," are programmed with temporary memories and personalities tailored to different assignments. Eliza Dushku, who played Faith in Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, stars as Echo, a "doll" who starts to retain her memories. Acker, who played Fred/Illyria on Whedon’s Angel, plays Dr. Claire Saunders, caretaker of the dolls and a woman with her own mysterious past.

"Instead of rushing to make episodes, they thought, ’Well, we’ve already made four, and they’re all going to be done before the first one airs,’" Acker said. "So we have the luxury to take the time and make them the way they want them."

As for working with Whedon again, Acker said that all that it took was a little begging for Whedon to invite her onto the show.

"Well, you know, I’m always begging Joss to let me work with him again, and it finally paid off," Acker said. "We were out to dinner, and he was telling me all about Dollhouse. I said, ’That sounds so great.’ And secretly I was like, ’Why can’t I be on that?’ And he said, ’I know, I wish there were parts for you and Alexis [Denisof, also an Angel veteran,] and all these people that I like.’"

Then, two days before Whedon was to roll camera on the pilot, he called Acker. "He was like, ’Did you get the script?’" she recalled. "I said, ’What are you talking about?’ He said, ’There’s a part for you in the pilot now.’ I said, ’Awesome.’ So that just kind of happened. I think he sort of thought of this character later. Originally, I guess, he thought the character was going to be a 50- or 60-year-old woman, so he didn’t have me in mind for it. And then he decided to switch it up, and I got lucky." Dollhouse premieres in January premiere and will air Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT. —Ian Spelling