Dollhouse

US, August 12, 2008 - Originally Helo was not intended to be a regular character on Battlestar Galactica, but after the miniseries, executive producer Ron Moore knew there was still plenty that could be done with the Raptor co-pilot – particularly after he saw the strong performance by Tahmoh Penikett in the role.

This past month, I was able to speak to Penikett, less than a week after he’d wrapped production on the final episode of Galactica - the last ten episodes will air next year on SCI FI Channel. Penikett and I spoke about what it was like saying goodbye to the incredibly acclaimed series, and making the transition into his new role on Joss Whedon’s eagerly awaited new series Dollhouse.

IGN TV: So you just finished Battlestar Galactica.

Tahmoh Penikett: Yeah, at Friday at 4:00 in the morning.

IGN: Wow. What was that like?

Penikett: It was huge, man. It was sad, it was fun, it was joyous, it was hard… It was everything.

IGN: Was it a strange feeling doing the last couple of episodes and knowing you were in the home stretch?

Penikett: It was. But the weirdest thing about it is that it seemed to drag on forever. I don’t mean that in a bad way. None of us wanted it to just be over. But we had this romantic idea, most of us, of the best scenes being at the end – that we’d have this emotional scene with our fellow cast members and then be done. But because of shooting schedules, and because ambitiously we were trying to get too much done, we ended up having to shoot a lot of second unit stuff and a lot of smaller stuff. That’s what we were constantly trying to do at the end. And it was a little strange. It’s the end of a huge era for most of us. It was a very big deal. We loved that show and it’s over. I don’t think it’s really going to hit most of us until down the road.

IGN: I talked to Joss and he said he was a fan of yours from the moment Helo let Baltar take his seat on the Raptor in the Battlestar miniseries.

Penikett: [Laughs] That’s a funny line! I read that.

IGN: When you went in to read for Dollhouse, did you know you were meeting with a big fan?

Penikett: Joss and I had a conversation, and he told me about the role and I was blown away that he was even calling. And then I heard how much of a fan he was of the show, so I was just totally honored. I was like, "I’m talking to Joss Whedon and he’s telling me how much he loves the show and my work!" It’s neat to get to that point in your career where you’ve got people of that talent and that caliber, in that position in the business, calling you and saying, "Look, I’m a fan of yours." It’s great. It’s a really neat feeling.

IGN: What can you say about the show and your character?

Penikett: I can tell you that I’m an FBI agent who has heard of the urban myth of the Dollhouse and I’m really on the case – I’m really determined. Maybe slightly obsessed with it.

IGN: How is it working with Eliza?

Penikett: It’s great. She’s very professional. She’s very present and very focused. I like somebody so committed, you know?

IGN: You’ve worked with two incredible visionaries in the world of TV – Ron Moore and Joss Whedon. Is there anything about the two of them that is similar?

Penikett: Just how talented they are and how well they know their material. Their writing is just so good. When you work with excellent writing, it’s so much easier for an actor to do. Obviously, it makes your job a lot easier. They offer you a lot – they give it to you and it’s really richly written. They’re both so talented. They each have their own style. That’s what I love about writers.

What I like about Joss too is he was the director of the pilot episode we did and you’re always curious how you’re going to mesh with a director. Joss and I clicked when we had our conversation and even when we met, I was like, "Okay, I understand this guy. I think we’re somewhat on the same page." But working with a director, you always hope they’re going to understand and that they’re going to speak actor-talk, you know what I mean? Sometimes there’s serious miscommunication between actors and directors and he just knows his material so well that he gave me the opportunity to do my thing and he’d just tweak it. He’d be like, "Look, you did this thing and that was awesome. Maybe you could do a little bit more of this and this. I liked when you did this…" There was no misunderstanding between us and that gave me a lot of confidence right away to be like, "Okay, look, we’re on the same level here and we’re communicating," which is so important.

IGN: You, Grace, Tricia, Katee… A lot of the Battlestar cast were multitasking at the end, doing your new shows at the same time. Was it kind of chaotic figuring it all out?

Penikett: Not too chaotic for me. I tried not to get wrapped up in it all. Even if things do get chaotic, I don’t want to get caught up in that sort of vibe or energy. I try to stay as present as I can. But my situation can’t be compared to Grace’s in particular, and Katee for awhile too of course. She was doing two series, but she had the luxury of being at the same studio. It’s different, right? Grace has been flying back and forth the whole time. It’s been nuts, but not a complaint out of her. That’s what I love about her. Good little Canadian girl. Appreciates the work. Humble. Works her ass off. She’ll put her foot down when she has to, but the fact is, she was happy to be working and she has an amazing work ethic. She was going back and forth and really appreciated her situation. I’m proud of her – so proud of her.

IGN: We’ve heard about the new Battlestar TV-Movie. Will you be a part of that and even if you’re not, would you want to revisit Helo again at some point?

Penikett: Of course, of course. It’s hard to be able to say… It’s like it’s hard to prepare myself, even now - to accept that I’m saying goodbye to Helo forever. That hurts a little bit, man! I’ve been this character for five years. I’d be honored to be a part of the movie. I don’t know if I’m going to. I haven’t been asked as of yet. It would be speculation right now for me, but I’d be honored to be, of course.

IGN: Was it strange leaving the set, unsure if you’d see it again?

Penikett: It was weird. Ron and I were discussing it the last day. He went through it on Star Trek before and stuff, and he’s like, "The hardest thing for me is when you come on the set and it’s all gone; it’s all taken down." We weren’t quite at that point, but some of our sets were taken down. We were starting to feel it. It’s like things are closing in, you know? It’s a really strange feeling. It really is. I’m an optimist, always, and I like to celebrate our achievement and the wonderful bond I created with this cast and the writers – this family unit that we had on the show and really believing in this beautiful piece of art that I think redefined the sci-fi genre and the stereotypical idea of sci-fi. I’m so proud to be a part of it and I think of how profound it was and how much of an impact it’s going to have on television in general – but specifically the sci-fi genre. And finally getting the respect and demanding forcibly that people respect the genre more than it ever has been before. We won’t even realize how much it’s done that for maybe another four or five years.

It’s such a part of pop culture now. It’s really incredible. The last couple of years so many new people have jumped on board. Even though we’re in the fourth season, I’m constantly getting new fans coming up to me going, "Man, I love the show. I never gave it a chance. I don’t like sci-fi. My friends made me watch it. I love it. I love it!" I get approached all the time. The fans are true, passionate fans. They love it. They say, "It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen!" I’m so proud of it. I’m like a proud parent. I’m always going to hold it so dear. It’s such an incredibly huge and profound experience in my life as a young [actor] coming on this show – so green, like so many of us were. And just having to learn the ropes in a short period of time, but learning it with such incredible mentors. Just the actors – Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell… All the talent on the show. It’s stupendous. And the writing in particular… the special effects. The entire beautiful machine ran so well. It’s weird to be talking about it past tense right now!

Both Dollhouse and the final episodes of Battlestar Galactica will debut in early 2009.