Exclusive Interview with Ryan Robbins
By: Grant Gould
Date: February 21, 2007
Source: Battlestar_Blog
Note: This is a snippet of an interview with RYAN ROBBINS where he mentions AARON DOUGLAS / CHIEF TYROL. To read the full interview, click HERE.
Are you friends in real life with any of the other actors, and if so who? I would give about anything to be able to hang with Apollo, Helo, Sam or, the Chief in real life. :-D What are they like?
I’m actually friends with all of those guys. Good guess. Aaron Douglas is a very close friend. We’ve known each other a long time, before BSG. Jamie Bamber, James Callis and I all have kids close in age, so we see each other quite a bit during filming. I’ve known Tahmoh since before BSG as well and Michael Trucco and I have become great friends. A surprising amount of the cast are great friends and quite a few of us knew each other pre-BSG. They are the greatest, most generous group of people you could ever hope to work with. And the relationships extend to the amazing crew as well. It sounds cliché, but it’s really a tight, family-type environment… good, bad and indifferent.
What kind of stuff are you into when you’re not working, like favorite music, books, TV shows, videogames, movies, etc.?
I try to spend as much time as possible with my daughter. She’ll be 3 at the end of Feb. Other than that, I love music. I play music and have a music studio at my house. I also like to read. I’m a huge Chuck Palahniuk fan. I also like Neil Gaiman a lot. I don’t watch a lot of TV, I try to catch the good shows on DVD. I love movies, but it’s difficult to find the time. And I’m a giant Vancouver Canucks fan! I go to as many games as possible. With Aaron Douglas.
How does one get onto a show like Battlestar Galactica? Did you just go in for a regular audition or do you have to know the right people? Good luck with everything!
It’s a bit of both. Mostly auditioning but it’s helpful to know someone, no question. A lot of the cast will tell you that they auditioned several times and often for different roles. And each time they get to know the producers and director a little more. It’s an interesting process. I got the old man role because I was the audition reader, off camera, for other actors auditioning. I spent so much time in the room with Michael Rymer, he offered me the role. And he was integral in getting me back as Connor. But I still had to audition. Did you know Aaron Douglas originally auditioned for the role of Apollo? That would have been… different. He was also a great help getting me back on the show.
Do you and other actors on the show regularly look at fan websites like this one and see what people are saying? I sometimes wonder if that’s where the writers and actors get inspiration and ideas or just see what the fans are thinking. Best of luck with everything!
I’m a bit of a computer Neanderthal. I type with two fingers (which are killing me right now!). Sometimes people will send me a link and I’ll check it out. I don’t know if people talk about me much and if they do, I’m not sure I need to know what they’re saying. It feels a bit like eavesdropping on a phone call to me. I’ve seen the fansite created by Michelle (www.ryanrobbinsfans.com) and it’s brilliant! I’m very flattered.
I know some actors definitely check out the forums and a few, like Aaron Douglas, Dan Payne and David Nykl actually participate. This is the first time I’ve done this…