Dollhouse

Tahmoh Penikett is probably best recognized as Helo on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, the Toaster-loving, hybrid having father, that luckily gets to make out with Grace Park on most episodes. Now he’s got a role as Paul Ballard on Fox’s DOLLHOUSE, a more high profile post, but one that probably won’t endear him to fans as his BSG role has.

With, BSG ending tonight and DOLLHOUSE promising a major story revelation, Penikett sat down to talk with iF Magazine about his role on both shows and what we have to look forward to. iF MAGAZINE: Are you feeling a lot of mixed emotions right now, with BATTLESTAR GALACTICA ending and DOLLHOUSE beginning?

TAHMOH PENIKETT: A little bit, yeah, but you know what? I’m more excited than anything. I’m pretty excited about the fact that the last ten [BATTLESTAR episodes] have aired. That’s a really good thing, they’re very incredible and we’re so proud of them. And at the same time, my new show is starting. So it’s a good time, any way you look at it. I prefer to look at the optimistic and the good side of it.

iF: Would you say there are similarities between your BATTLESTAR character Helo and your DOLLHOUSE character Paul Ballard?

PENIKETT: They’re both incredibly ambitious and driven. They’re both guys who have to see things through. There are a lot of similarities between them in some ways. They both have a good moral and ethical sense of right and wrong. One of the main differences is, Paul is very much a loner. Helo is a family man. Everything is about his daughter and his wife. Everything. He’ll do anything to protect them and all his motivations, everything is his life is geared and centered around his family. That’s his first priority. Paul doesn’t have that. He doesn’t have anyone close. He’s obviously not close to family, he’s recently gone through a divorce, he’s very much a lone wolf, and I think it’s by choice. He’s somewhat alienated himself in the Bureau. Those are some of the big differences between them. And I think Paul might have violent tactics sometimes. He might lose his temper and patience with people. Even though he’s an intelligent guy, I think he gets really frustrated and sometimes resorts to violence.

iF: Helo is military and Paul is law enforcement. Is there a big difference in the way the characters approach their jobs? Related Articles Exclusive Interview: FRAN KRANZ SWIPES MINDS CLEAN ON ’DOLLHOUSE’ 2/27/2009 TV Profile: ELIZA DUSHKU PLAYS DRESS UP ON ’DOLLHOUSE’ - PART ONE 2/20/2009 Exclusive Interview: ’DOLLHOUSE’S’ HARRY LENNIX IS A GUARDIAN WITH A CONSCIENCE 2/12/2009 What iF Picks: ’DOLLHOUSE’ IS ONE OF THE SHOWS TO WATCH FOR THE WEEK OF FEB. 9, 2009 2/9/2009

PENIKETT: I don’t think there are big differences in that aspect. There are big differences in overall tone, if you think about it. The tone of civilization [in BSG], running from the Cylons, hoping that they’re going to discover Earth, there are only thirty thousand of them [humans] left, they’re victims of a nuclear holocaust. It’s a different tone overall for every human in that situation on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. Paul’s situation, his life and his world, aren’t that dire. They aren’t the same. There’s a big difference there.

iF: So on DOLLHOUSE, you can be a little more irked and less panicked?

PENIKETT: Exactly.

iF: Does Paul get to be sarcastic at all?

PENIKETT: He definitely does. I think Paul has a sense of humor. I don’t know if we’ll see too much of it this first season, because like I said, he’s very driven and focused, almost obsessed, with getting to the bottom of the Dollhouse right now. He’s not in the best place. He’s driven, he’s going to get to the bottom of it, but he’s not very happy about a lot of things in his life and it doesn’t exactly get better. It gets worse before it gets better.

iF: Is there a tonal difference in the work environment between BATTLESTAR and DOLLHOUSE?

PENIKETT: Well, obviously, I worked on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA for five years. I know those people so well. I know the family, I know the directors, I know the crew. We were all so comfortable with each other. It’s one of the most beautiful things, when you do an episodic for a long time, it’s a very comfortable environment. It’s very familiar. You can do the magic, you can do the work. You know the character, you’ve been through it with them, you have excellent writers, you can trust the situations they give you. With a new show, obviously it’s a new director, it’s a new writer, it’s a new writing team, a new situation, a new cast. So it’s a little bit different in that way. You’ve got to concentrate on it, it’s a new thing, but I’m finding my feet as to the show and really understanding the tone and the style of writing and my new character.

iF: When you were brought in for DOLLHOUSE, did Joss Whedon tell you what it was he liked about your work on BATTLESTAR?

PENIKETT: He didn’t really go so far as to say what it was that he liked about my work. I think Joss is careful about his compliments; he doesn’t want anybody to get too fat of a head. But it was big enough for me, it was huge enough for me, for him to call me up and say, ‘I’m a fan of your work and I think you’re right for this role.’ That was compliment enough.

iF: Eliza Dushku and Dichen Lachman were saying, "We really enjoy getting to play somebody new every week." Do have any envy of that aspect of their roles?

PENIKETT: Oh, I envy it a little bit. But [playing Paul Ballard is] a challenge, too. Who knows? If this show goes long enough, if it’s as successful as we hope, maybe the technology’s used on Paul. It’s something we could probably hope for or something that might happen with the likes of Joss Whedon.

iF: Anything else you’d like to say about BATTLESTAR GALACTICA or DOLLHOUSE?

PENIKETT: I feel so blessed and so very happy that the industry has been so good to me and I’ve had the opportunity to work with such incredibly talented people, for instance, five years of BATTLESTAR. Those people are my family. That chapter’s done in my life now, but those friendships will go on forever and I think the mark we made on the industry and the doors we opened with that incredibly groundbreaking show will last for years and I’m very proud to have been a part of that. Now I’m on a new show with an equally respected executive producer, director and writer, Joss Whedon, and I’m really hopeful for the future and very confident and happy to be on the show, so things are good.