Dollhouse

Don’t cry for Dollhouse, Whedonistas. Despite the production shutdown first reported by Korbi (or as we like to call her, the prodigal sister-wife), I’m hearing things aren’t as doom and gloom in Joss Whedon’s world as some are suspecting.

"They just need a little time to make sure they’re on the right track," says one inside source who works on the series. "Joss takes this show very seriously."

While shut downs can signal serious trouble, they also happen much more frequently than you might realize—to some of the biggest shows. As previously reported, 24 is also closed for the moment as Howard Gordon reasseses the storyline, and ABC insiders tell me that even Alias and Desperate Housewives have paused production in the past—we just didn’t hear about it—as well as, more recently, Dirty Sexy Money.

Meanwhile, for you fans who are curious about what Whedon’s latest foray into the idiot box is all about, we caught up with Dollhouse’s stars at the Fox premiere party to get the inside skinny...

Proprietress of the Establishment: Olivia Williams says, "I’m playing a character called Adelle DeWitt, who runs the Dollhouse. If you need a date, you come to me and tell me what you need, and then I can imprint a beautiful young person with the personality of your dreams. She is ruthless, but she also has a level of understanding that a madam really needs in modern society."

Uh, so, is Adelle evil? "I’m English, of course I’m evil!"

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy? Fran Kranz says, "I play Topher Brink, who is the computer programmer in the Dollhouse. Topher designs the personalities that people want for the dolls. I’m the guy who uses all these different amalgams of different personalities to create the person that you want to do whatever you want."

"I don’t know if he’s really a bad guy, but he might have a God complex that’s lasted a little long. I’m told I have no moral compass. In fact, there might be a little piece of wardrobe on its way of a compass dangling from my pocket…sort of as a reminder."

The Watcher (What? He Totally Is!): Harry Lennix says, "I play a character named Boyd Langton. Eliza Dushku’s character, Echo, is my ward, and I’m basically her handler. Under a contract as an active, when somebody gets an opportunity to hire your services—whatever those services might be—it may not be the active that goes awry, it might be the person who has hired their services." And then the smack is laid down!

Silly client, tricks are not for you!

Fed Up: Tahmoh Penikett says, "I play Paul Ballard, and I’m an FBI agent investigating the Dollhouse. I’m trying to prove it actually exists. I know it exists, but nobody else does. A lot of my superiors—and the general public—don’t believe it exists.

Soiler Alert! Wicked-hot Enver Gjokaj explains, "I play Victor, who is a doll. Victor and with Dichen Lachman’s character Sierra become friends with Echo, Eliza Dushku’s character." And Enver has a pretty good secret to keep about Victor: Who he was before he entered the Dollhouse. Says Enver, "I do know who was before, and it’s awesome—unbelievably awesome. I was excited to hear about that, too. I was just standing on the set and Joss said, ’Hey, did I ever tell you what your background is?’ and I was like, ’Uh, no, you have not told me what my background is, and I would love to know that,’ and he was like, ’Oh, it’s this and this,’ and I just about crapped my pants."

Dichen Lachman agrees that when you are on a Joss show there is no shortage of excitement: "We get to play so many different people. We’ve done three episodes, and so far I’ve been like a Navy SEAL, a bank robber and a doll. It’s awesome."

Post your thoughts on the Dollhouse and its inhabitants in the comments, and any worries you may have over the shutdown...