Interview with Luciana Carro

Source: Luciana Carro Board

This is the first 2 parts of a three part Q&A with Luciana Carro, the actress who portrays Lt. Louanne 'Kat' Katraine in Battlestar Galactica. The questions come directly from Luciana's fans, they were sent to her and she kindly took time out of her schedule to answer them. The staff of Galactica BS would like to thank Luciana and her agent Adam Levine, without who's help this would not have happened.


1. What was your favorite storyline so far with your character and why?

It hasn’t aired yet. You’ll know why it’s my favourite when you see it. The writers on our show are first rate so the storylines are always amazing. I have to say I’ve loved all my character’s storylines. Every time I get a new script I find out more and more about Kat and why she is the way she is. She’s an extremely complicated individual. She’s tormented and her issues run deep.


2. Kat emerged from her problem with stims to defeating Scar, dethroning Starbuck, and even becoming CAG of Galactica. How have lessons learned from her stim abuse helped her to achieve these feats?

I don’t feel that it was her lessons learned from stim abuse that helped her achieve defeating Scar or becoming CAG. Those accomplishments are because of her drive. Kat has a lot to prove to herself. She carries a lot of weight on her shoulders. You will understand more in time.


3. Will your character Kat and Starbuck ever get past the macho bullcrap of who is better, and actually start working together and being friends? The two characters seem to have a lot in common.

Gods, I know!! You’re right they have soooo much in common. I really feel that Kat loves Starbuck so much. Not sexually, (LOL. although that could be interesting since there are no same sex relationships on our show yet) but as a sister. Deep down, Kat really admirers and has a deep love and respect for Starbuck. I once heard that when you really hate something about someone its because you see that same character fault within yourself. I believe that to be true between Kat and Starbuck.


4. Will Kat ever get a love interest?

LOL. Gods I hope so! I think she should hook up with Bill Adama! Why? Because my mother loves him! LOL JJ - Anders …or Lee…are more Kat’s type.


5. Now for my question, I'm amazed at how you've managed to put such depth into what just started out as a background character. Not getting personal of course, did you use your own experiences to flesh out Kat as a person or did you imagine yourself in her life to give her depth?

Both! A lot of the inner turmoil and conflict that is part of Kat exists in a lot people. We all have insecurities and are constantly trying to inspire ourselves and live up to our own expectations. These insecurities sometimes manifest themselves into aggressive behaviour.


6. How does it feel as an actor to have impressed the writers/producers of the show so much in what was going to be a bit part, that they decided to make said character a more important cog in the show?

I’ve been super blessed. I got hired onto BSG almost 3 years ago as a daytime player. I had just been acting professionally for only about a year and a half. In the Act of Contrition episode, I came onto BSG as one of the newly recruited nuggets. After going through pilot training, Starbucks told us that we were horrible pilots. She nearly kicked us out of pilot training. But we kept trying even harder because we wanted to be pilots so bad. That is how I approached my role on BSG. I wanted to be part of BSG so badly and I really loved the Kat character. Although the part of Kat was very small at the time, I put everything I had into the character. I am grateful to the writers/producers/directors for allowing me to expand on Kat.


7. I was wondering where you would like to see the character of Kat go? Do you have any ideas or predictions about Kat's future and/or fate? Any preferences on the future of the character?

What I love about Kat is that she is a fighter, a warrior. She speaks her mind and has trouble with authority. She’s a bad ass!!!! She has the characteristics of an Indigo child. LOL. Much like me during my adolescent years. There is however another side to Kat, a more feminine, vulnerable and softer side. In the episode Scar there are some really beautiful scenes that never made it into the final cut. Scenes that I feel would have allowed the audience to see that side of Kat. I’m not really sure why those scenes ended up on the editing room floor. My guess is that it might have made the show to sappy. There was this beautiful scene in the locker room between Kat and Starbuck right after the Scar fight that brought the writers David and Bradley, Michael Nankin, our director, and pretty much everyone to tears. There was no dialog in the scene. Just silence and stillness. There was so much going on in that silence. I would really love to see the writers expand that more. As an actor sometimes it’s hard to always play the loud mouth big shot. Some times when I’m shooting a scene with Katee and we’re arguing or bickering about something, in my head I’m thinking, “Can we just hug this out or something!?” LOL

Part 2

8. I would love to know what other characters on the show you relate to most besides your own, and if you relate to the character you portray at all or if there is someone else on the show that is more like you.

I believe that in essence we are all one so I see myself in everyone, whether it’s a character I’m playing, a random person I met in the line up at Starbucks or the homeless guy that sleeps in my back alley. I relate to all the characters that I play. They all have a big part of me in them. I imagine myself, Luciana in the character’s situation. Of course I wouldn’t always react the same way that Kat would but that’s what the writers have written so you have to find and justify within yourself why that character would say, do or react the way she does. I think the character that I relate to the most besides Kat would be Starbuck. As much as I’d like to say that it’s not true, I see a lot of myself in Starbuck.


9. Since I and others love your ringlets: Kat's hair went from shiny-bronze and curly in season 1 to black and increasingly straight in season 2 and now back to shiny-bronze in season 3. How come? Do you have any say in these matters?

Awww thank you! Unfortunately most hair stylists don’t know what the heck to do with my hair. There is just soooo much of it! And its soo curly! I have no say on how they style my hair on the show. (Trust me I’ve tried!) Battlestar has a specific look for their pilots. A pony tail. As for the color and whether I wear it straight or curly depends on how I wore my hair for the first day of shooting at the beginning of the season. And that’s what I’m stuck with until the season is over.


10. What was your funniest or the most unforgettable moment on the set? Do you joke around like Aaron and Nicki do?

LOL! Bodie Olmos and I are always getting into mischief on and off set. He’s my partner in crime.
But I’d say the funniest thing that happened on set was with me and the sound guys! We thought of something really hilarious for the gag reel. Just thinking about it cracks me up. LOL! We recorded something with the intention of looping it over something I had just shot. We were having a hard time recording it because we all kept cracking up. Tears we’re rolling down our eyes! We were almost hyperventilating laughing so hard! The crappy thing is they probably won’t use it!!! It’s too vulgar I think! LOL. It will probably forever just stay as an inside joke between me and the sound guys.


11. What made you decide to pursue an acting career?

My high school drama teacher was Gerry Campbell (actress, Neve Campbell’s father). I’ll never forget it. It was my last year of high school, I was in history class and somehow he found out that I had decided that after I graduated I was thinking of going beauty school and becoming a hairstylist. He dragged me out of class by the collar of my shirt into the hall, and told me if I didn’t at least try to pursue an acting career I would break his heart. He wanted me to go to theatre school. So I did and that’s where it all started for me. My love affair with the theatre and the camera continues to this day. Mr. Campbell has been one of my greatest inspirations.


12. If you weren't an actor what career would you be pursuing?

Ummmm…well… When I was a kid and people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up I used to say “A veterinarian”. Sooo…maybe a veterinarian? That would be cool. I have always had a great love for animals.


13. Outside of Galactica, what roles do you consider your best so far?

Playing Tanya on The Chris Isaac show was a lot of fun. It was one of the first acting gigs I ever booked. I had one line. LOL. But I guess I impressed the producers and writers that they made me Anson’s on and off girlfriend for 2 seasons. They started writing me in the show more and more and really started developing my character. The show only ran for 3 seasons. I loved it because it was a comedic role and I love playing comedy.


14. What do you find most challenging in your line of work?

I feel that challenges are what makes me grow as an actor and an individual. I always come out stronger and wiser in the end.
Probably what I find the most challenging in my line of work is the business part of this industry. Gods I really suck at promoting myself. Doing the whole Hollywood thing. What can I say? I’m shy. Also being away from my family and friends in Toronto. I don’t get to see them that often. Maybe once or twice a year for a few days at a time. Some times I get really homesick.