Hail to the Chief
By: Grant Gould
Date: October 3, 2006
Source: battlestar_blog
I have a big treat for you guys. In fact, this may be a LiveJournal first.. :) Aaron Douglas did an exclusive e-mail interview for our community, taking questions from myself and my two wonderful co-moderators. Without further ado, I’m very excited to present:
Aaron, we want to thank you so much for doing this interview. The members of the “Battlestar Blog” LiveJournal Community are all huge fans of yours and we sincerely appreciate you taking the time to answer our questions. :)
No problem.
First of all, how has Battlestar’s growing popularity changed your day-to-day life? Have you been getting recognized and approached by fans more often?
I don’t get noticed too much. I think it is because outside of the show actors are so out of context, in civies and look nothing like the character. And just because the show is critically popular doesn’t mean more people are watching it. Also, living in Canada if you are recognized most people will just point you out to their friends and leave you alone.
How have your convention experiences been this year (Comic-Con, Dragon-Con, etc.)? Any highlights or oddball encounters you can share?
I love going to cons. I love chatting with the fans about the show, life, sports, girls….. etc… usual guy stuff. All of the cons had their high points with very few disappointing pieces. The fans are always great.
Have you formed pretty tight bonds with your fellow castmates? Is there a lot of hanging out off-set, or do you try to keep your work life and social life separate whenever possible?
We actually do hang out with each other and we have great times. I am very honored to call Ryan Robbins, Jamie Bamber, Kerry Norton, James Callis and Kandyse McClure very close friends of mine. They are tremendous people as well as being wonderfully gifted actors.
So far we’ve seen Tyrol interact mainly with the deck crew and pilots. Are there any actors or characters on the show whom you haven’t got to work much with but would like to?
I have pretty much had scenes with everyone at this point. I guess I would like to spend some time with Kandyse but that is not going to happen anytime soon.
Do you identify in any way with Galen Tyrol? Are there aspects of his personality that you could say you share?
Tyrol and I are very similar people. That is why he is so easy to play. He talks like me, walks like me, drinks like me and smells like me….. well I guess I smell a little less like jet fuel but you get the idea. He is loyal to his friends, quiet and alone, keeps things close to the vest and only laughs if it is really funny…. just like me.
What would have been your reaction (not the character’s) when you found out Boomer was a cylon? Would it have been similar to the chief’s, or would you have looked at it from a different point of view?
I think if you told me my (right now non-existent) girlfriend was a machine that I would have had pretty much the same reaction. Disbelief, shock and more than a little anger.
What were your initial reactions when you first heard about the one-year jump? Do you feel any different now?
I liked it then and I like it now. I am surprised that so many people think about it and ask about it.
How does season three compare to the past two seasons for you?
I have more interesting things to do this year and the Chief has taken a bit of a different track. Season 3 is really dark and amazing and I am thrilled to be a part of things and in some ways really important to certain story lines.
In your opinion, how have the dynamics of the show changed now that so many of the characters are married and have families? How do you think having a family changes people’s perspectives on war?
It causes people to realize what a gift close friends and family can be and I think it helps us value the little things even more.
Looking over your work so far on Battlestar, is there a particular episode that really stands out in your mind as being a favorite, or one that you’re especially proud of?
Season 2 ep 9. Flight of the Phoenix. I think it was a wonderful ep written by Bradley and David and directed by Michael Nankin. It is a story within itself and could be shown as an ep all by itself to someone who has never seen the show and I think they would not be lost.
Aaron, thanks again for taking the time for us and for doing such an amazing job on the show. We’re all looking forward to season 3 and wish you the greatest continuing success. :)
~ Grant, Annie, and Alice, from Battlestar Blog