Source: Battlestar Galactica MagazineTranscript: Sharon Gosling.
Having survived the turmoil of the Battlestar Galactica's second year in flight from the Colonies, the conclusion of season two suggested that perhaps-just perhaps-Kara Thrace had finally found happiness with Samuel Anders. The intervening year had evidently been full of change, heartbreak, love and disaster for every former member of the ship's crew, and discovering the whys and hows has viewers on tenterhooks for the new year of episodes. Early in filming during season three, actress Katee Sackhoff took some time to discuss her own thoughts about the direction Battlestar Galactica has taken, and how the currently groundbound Starbuck is fairing.
SG;Looking back at season two from a slight distance now, what is your overall impression of the year?
It was brilliant. We have such an amazing staff of writers, Ron Moore is brilliant, David Eick is brilliant, and the actors that they get are just brilliant. I feel so fortunate, every day. The story is just so amazing. I think my favorite episode last year was the one that I actually disliked the most to play - Scar. I had a hard time understanding why my character would go from one extreme to the next. Why would she wait - if she's drinking because she's missing Samuel Anders, why did she wait nine episodes, or however many episodes it was, to have this reaction to it> Why didn't it just happen immediately? It took a lot for me to try and figure out why that would happen, and thath was the meat of the episode. I hated that episode, I didn't understand any of it. How can this rookie come in and be better than Starbuck? It's not possible. She's been flying for six months - it's just not possible! So I had problems with it, but I watched the episode and I was so happy with the way that it turned out. That was the episode [where] I was most proud of myself, just because I saw there was so much going on with her in that episode, and I thought that it turned out really well. It was a good episode. I liked it.
SG; Season two ended with a tremendous jump, moving the story a year into the future. What did you think about that?
I thought leaping forward a year was a brilliant idea, because what it allowed us to do was explore completely different storylines, and not really think of why we were doing that. It gives Ron and the writers longer to figure out why things would have happened. It's like [starting] with the ending and working your way back. I'm just having such a great time with it, because I know what the ending is - we've just got to figure out why it happened. Anything is possible, it's great. I'm so excited about where my character ended. I've had no qualms about expressing my interest in Michael Trucco as an actor on the show. I think that he's amazing. He sticks so well with this character. He brings such different storylines for Starbuck, because you know that she's got these feelings for Lee, and she doesn't want to act on them - or she does want to act on them. But to bring in a person that she does fall in love with, or that she thinks she loves, throws a wrench in that plan again. I really do enjoy what he brings to my character, tremendously, so I was really excited about that.
SG; And yet, at the conclusion of season two she's threatened with tragedy again, with the possibility of losing Anders to illness. How did you deal with that?
I treated it the way that I treat everything negative that happens to Starbuck - "Okay then." I've said it so many times, this character takes one step forward and she takes two back. It seems like she's always trying to figure out what she's fighting for, why [she's] fighting. I think what's interesting is that they gave her a happiness, they gave her a reason to fight - or a reason to not fight, whichever way you want to look at it - and it's getting taken away from her again. So it's going to be very interesting to see what she does with that.
SG; What is she going to do in that situation? Is she going to surrender, or fight?
I think she's going to do a little of both. We see in the first couple of episodes, or we saw at the end of last season, [that] she's stopped fighting. There's nothing to fight. She's kind of hung up the gun belt, so to speak, and she's even taken her dogtags off. She was done. But circumstances will come up, as they do, and she will make a choice. The choice is, how do you best protect the ones you love? Do you keep them close to you and jsut sit and protect them at home, or do you go out and fight, and in turn protect everyone? And so I think that she will make that choice and she will go out and fight for them. Of course! It's Starbuck - how can she not fight? It's what she does best!
SG; At the end of season two, it was clear that the whole cast was extremely tired - it had been a very emotional , long year, and it left off in a very emotional place. How difficult was it to come back after a break and have to pick up where you left off?
It wasn't. My friend Greg, who's the sound operator on our show, he said to me one day, "It's so interesting, it feels like someone just hit the pause button." It was like, "Okay, and pause... and we're back for season three, and start again." We have such a great feel to the show, such a camaraderie throughout the cast, crew, writers - everyone involved. it really was just exciting to come back. I was tired. I hadn't stopped working since we wrapped, and I'm still shooting the movie (White Noise 2: The Light) right now, so I'm still excited o come to work, feeling speaks volumes to me about how much I still love this show. Because I'm so tired and I could go home and sleep for a year adn cry probably the entire time - and I can't wait to come to work! I just finished doing episodes one and two, and I read three. I don't work for nine days - and I'm like, but I want to shoot episode three - now! Please, let's just do it now! That's how good it is. I'm just so impressed by this show.
SG; Starting season three, how did you deal with the void left by the year-long gap in the story?
I made it up in my head. I don't know, as an actor, how to play something that I don't have a lead for. I have reasons for everything. So my reason for the rift between Lee and Kara is completely different to the one that is what they have actually decided to play. But it gave me the motivation, to feel guilt, and it was a completely different storyline. So I just made things up! I saw my marriage to Anders in my head, a reason why Tigh and Kara were now friends, the father daughter thing - I made that all up in my head. And none of it is right! [Laughs] But the writers always know best.
SG: Does the caus trouble for you - having a backstory that doesn't match what written?
No, not at all. I think, as an actor, that's what's so great about it. It changes everything. It's very cool. You're never bored because what I thought was reason for Lee and Kara was in my head - I couldn't think of anythng else. And the writers have this amazing thing for me to play, and I'm like, "Thank god we have writers! Because this idea is so much better!" [Laughs.]
SG; At the end of the second season and for part of season three, Kara Thrace is grounded on New Caprica - we usually see her in the air or on Galactica. Does that change her?
It's a different Starbuck when she's on the gorund [and] I think every tieme she's been on a plane, it's been a different Starbuck. When she's on the ship, there's a military side to her. She stands straighter, she walks taller. When she's on a planet, even if you go back to You Can't Go Home Again, you see that when she's on a planet and by herself, she's not as strong. There's things about this character that I'm still figuring out every day, which I think is what makes it more fun. I think, for myself and for the writers, you take it day by day. You don't know everything about this character, and the audience doesn't [either]. So I still don't know every reason why she does things. I know why she's doing it now, but it could be completely different tomorrow.
SG; What is your impression of season three so far?
Amazing! I think that they have found a very good way of explaining the rift between Starbuck adn Apollo that is going to shock fans. It shocked me! But it made complete sense. When I read the flashback scene, I cried. Because it was something that this character would do, and it was something I'm sure a lot of people have done. It goes to show how muchshe loves Apollo, but how terrified she is of that. So I'm so excited about that. I really can't say enough about how excited I am to do this season! The relationship she has with Tigh - there's a reason why they're friends now. It's tied into the Apollo Starbuck storyline, which makes it even more touching. The writers have just done such a great job. Most of my stuff to date has been with Leoben [Callum Keith Rennie] and a little girl named Madeline who plays [a girl who is] suposedly my daughter. And Anders - that relationship is going to be very interesting. It's going to be very interesting because the audience know something that he doesn't. At least, I think that how it's gong to play out - I'm not sure yet. They're going to be sitting on their cauches at home going. "How can you not see that!"
SG; Starbuck as a mother is an interesting thought - can you see her as that?
I think, if there's one thing in the world that could calm this woman down, could bring the softer sid e out of her, that unconditional love, that. "I would do anything for you." it's a child. I think it's the only thing that [she would] - I don't want to say give her life for, becaused we've seen that she would give her life for many people on this show, but give her heart and soul to.
SG: Do you feel that the rift between Kara and Lee can be mended?
I think you have two people that have nothing but respect, love and admiration toward towards each other, regardless of what they do. One of my best friends in Los Angeles is a guy, and we've been best friends for eight years. We've had moments where we've had fights and we haven't talked for three months because I just don't want to talk to him, I hate him. But I also know that if I need him, I can pick up the phone and say, "I need you" and he'd been there in five seconds. Even if he has a girlfriend - which probably isn't a good thing [laughs]. Because he's my best friend, I would jump in front of a bus for him, even if I was mad at him that day. So I think, when you do have that relationship with someone, there's always love there, always. And sometimes you're angry because you do love them and you see in them what they don't see. You see what they could be, or how they should be acting, how they should carry themselves. And when they don't do it you get mad that they aren't living up to their potential.
SG: What are you hoping to see for Starbuck this year?
I have no idea. I'm scared of saying what I'd like to see, because every season I've said, "I'd like see this, I'd like to see tha," and every time I get my own way! And the others are like, "Katee always gets her way!" and it's like, "No, I don't I just guessed right."[Laugh.] I've enjoyed playing the softer sid of her. I love seeing her with her daughter, and seeing the complete look of love and devotion to that little thing that she thinks she created. But I also love it when she pulls a gun and she's ready in a heartbeat to blow somebody's head off. Because I will do that to protect this thing that I love. And Whether it be Tigh, Anders, Lee or Adama, anyone, she will fight, and I love that part of her different sides of the coin but they're driven by the by the same thing. I love both sides of her. I know that the writers will do a masterful job of creating a great storyline, because they've already far exceeded anything that I could have imagined in my wildest dreams, so I'm very excited.
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