Dollhouse

Whether you’re into films, television or theatre, chances are good you’ve seen Harry Lennix. On the big screen, Lennix has been a towering, complex villain in TITUS, the film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s TITUS ANDRONICUS, and a glowering hero in the second and third MATRIX films. On stage, he recently performed in the Kennedy Center production of all ten of August Wilson’s plays. On television, he’s the President of the U.S. on LITTLE BRITAIN USA, was a regular on COMMANDER IN CHIEF and had recurring roles on 24 and ER, to name a few notable credits.

Now Lennix costars on Joss Whedon’s new Fox series DOLLHOUSE (which debuts tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. after the midseason debut of TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES) as Boyd Langdon, the troubled protector of Eliza Dushku’s character Echo, one of the few figures in the show visibly disturbed by the concept of continually wiping Echo’s personality and replacing it with a new one to fit each assignment.

iF MAGAZINE: Would you describe Boyd as conscience-stricken?

HARRY LENNIX: Yes, that’s a very good way of putting it. I definitely would.

iF: Is it hard to maintain that demeanor?

LENNIX: No. Not in such a morally dubious place, an ethically [uncertain] place like the Dollhouse. Having a conscience is the only way to get through the day working for these people.

iF: Do you know how you came to Joss Whedon’s attention?

LENNIX: I went in and auditioned. The role was not offered to me. I think I was just submitted like everybody else was. I had just finished a series of plays at the Kennedy Center, and then the weekend that I came back, there was this audition, and I was lucky enough to get it. I know that Joss saw Titus and I think he was a fan of TITUS. I know he’s a big Shakespearean reader and I think he was very taken with [TITUS director] Julie Taymor’s vision and quite liked that movie, so maybe that had something to do with it.

iF: Were you ever primarily a Shakespearean actor?

LENNIX: No. I’m trying to think of anybody who’s primarily a Shakespearean actor these days. I don’t necessarily think anybody can afford it, unless you can get a season up at Ashland, Oregon or at the Royal Shakespeare Company. It is required now that you have multi disciplines when it comes to your craft, so no. I’ve been going back and forth between theatre and film and television probably since 1992. I probably do now one or two plays a year and try to do one or two movies a year.

iF: Were you familiar with Joss Whedon’s work before you became involved with DOLLHOUSE?

LENNIX: I was familiar with FIREFLY, I was familiar with TOY STORY — I had a nephew who loved it. I was a little bit familiar with BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, but not as familiar as some of his ardent fans. I’m not really a sci-fi person. I didn’t know that he was such a virtual icon. I had no idea that there was a kind of subculture of people who were devotees of his work.

iF: Eliza Dushku and Dichen Lachman [who plays another Active, or “doll”] have both said they’re enjoying getting to play different people every week. Are you at all envious that your character has only one personality?

LENNIX: No, not at all. I think young actors are always looking for a way to display their talent, because there’s a lot of it, and that certainly applies to Eliza and Dichen. But I have more fun, really, and it’s more cohesive for me to have the stability of a character that you get to explore in depth, as opposed to range.

iF: Just from the pilot, it looks like your character has a lot of back story.

LENNIX: Yes.

iF: Are we going to get to see that?

LENNIX: I hope so. I hope that the show has the longevity where we really get to explore the past of a lot of other characters. I think we’re establishing who we are as these characters, and then if we have a second season, we will get to go back into what the past was that led them to this present.

iF: Do you have any idea what you’d like your character’s back story to be?

LENNIX: I have my own story [laughs]. I wouldn’t want to say it, because if it turns out in the course of the series that I’m way wrong, then I don’t want to be [quoted about it].

iF: And if you’re right, they’ll go, "You spoilered!" Do you have a favorite aspect of Boyd’s character?

LENNIX: The fact that I get to have action scenes is something I’m really excited about. Before, I never really had a chance to have fights and beat up people and get beaten up, shoot people, get shot, so it’s really a lot of fun and it’s a great way to expand an aspect of my career which I wasn’t aware how much I missed [as in] never experienced, "missed" as in "felt the absence of." I never expected I was going to really do this. I’ve been violent characters and I’ve been bad guys and I’ve been good guys and cops, but to do this on a consistent basis, to actually get to explore the action of a theme, is a lot of fun.

iF: Boyd seems to have expertise with this.

LENNIX: Right. [On DOLLHOUSE] we have an excellent weapons expert, Michael Blaze. He is very detailed. I had a chance in other movies to fire guns as characters and so forth, and [in real life] my brother’s a cop, so I know a little bit about guns, but to have this kind of expertise, you need to have a great technical expert. Mike Blaze is terrific.

iF: How is it working with Joss Whedon?

LENNIX: It’s always great to work with the creator of a show, I think, because they have a fuller vision. He knows what he wants [and he works] very well with strong females, which is great. Joss has directed two of the shows and he’s a great talent, so it’s been fun.

iF: Is Tim Minear very involved?

LENNIX: Oh, I love Tim. I worked with Tim on an episode – he hasn’t directed yet, but when we did the episode that he wrote, he was very much on-hand and I found him extremely intelligent. I quite enjoyed working with him as well.

iF: And Eliza Dushku?

LENNIX: Eliza’s terrific. She’s sexy, she’s smart, she’s sassy – I use alliteration, she’s three Ss [laughs]. So she’s great, she knows what she wants, she’s been in the business a long time, I’ve enjoyed her very, very much.

iF: Is there anything else you’d like to say?

LENNIX: I’m hopeful that going forward the Screen Actors Guild and the AMPTP are able to have it so that we [as actors] can have a career going forward. Right now, I’m very lucky to have a job. Tough economy, wishing this country the best, and in the meantime, I’m enjoying doing what I’m doing.

iF: Are a lot of people starting to come up to you and go, "You’re in DOLLHOUSE?"

LENNIX: [laughs] Not yet. They may.