Mary McDonnell Talks About the End of 'Battlestar Galactica'

Source: BuddyTV


There are many reasons to mourn when a great television show goes off the air. It's sad to see a compelling story come to an end, and it's hard to say goodbye to wonderful characters, but there's also a sinking feeling that you may never see some of your favorite actors in such amazing, fleshed out roles ever again. Will Sarah Michelle Gellar ever find a role half as compelling as that of the title character on Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Will anyone tap into Lauren Graham's spectacular talents as ingeniously as Gilmore Girls did? I'm still waiting for these and many other actors to return in great roles, but iconic characters don't come along very often.

One amazing character fans will soon have to bid goodbye to is Battlestar Galactica's Laura Roslin, portrayed by the Emmy-worthy Mary McDonnell. The actress recently spoke to Zap2It to discuss the final episodes of the series, as well as the type of roles she'd like to take on in the future.

McDonnell couldn't dive into specific details about Battlestar Galactica's final 10 episodes, but she was willing to give some hints about what the characters will face now that they've found Earth.
"I think in broad terms, what the last arc is about is kind of a gratifying resolution toward a new kind of world," she said. "So they found this Earth, and it isn't what they thought, and that's devastating, but that doesn't end life. What ends up happening is -- it's extraordinary, first of all, the final 10 episodes. But I think every single character -- and this is part of what I was so impressed with -- every character seems to go beyond the expectations of them. I can say that freely without revealing the implications of that for the story. It's really remarkable. I think it's going to be even better once it's a complete saga. I think it's going to be even better when you go back and watch it all again knowing the ending."

The actress admitted that she "started to giggle" when she initially heard about the concept of a Battlestar Galactica reboot, but her fears washed away the instant she read the script and saw how expertly it explored everything from faith to politics.

"Did I understand how brilliant Ron Moore truly is? No, I don't think I did," she said. "So ultimately, no -- I had a suspicion that this could be great, but I didn't really understand quite the magnitude of his gift until I got inside of [this world]."

After Battlestar Galactica wrapped filming a few months ago, McDonnell landed a three-episode guest arc on Grey's Anatomy. Her first appearance as cardiac surgeon Virginia Dixon begins tonight. As for the future, the actress admits that she may have trouble moving on to other roles after playing President Roslin.

"It's a little difficult to move on from that to something that doesn't extend that far into the world and how it works," she said. "I'm looking for something that continues to explore the complexities of power and female power, and what it is to be a woman leader."

The final 10 episodes of Battlestar Galactica kick off Friday, January 16 on the Sci Fi Channel.