‘Battlestar Galactica’ actor enjoys interaction with fans
By: Garrett Simmons
Date: November 23, 2013
Source: Lethbridge Herald
Aaron Douglas can hardly remember the last time he made a visit to our fair city.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in Lethbridge – probably since I was a kid playing hockey.”
Speaking in Lethbridge Friday morning, as he prepared for the Evening With Aaron Douglas event Friday night at The Telegraph Taphouse, the former “Battlestar Galactica” star spoke with excitement about his other appearances today and Sunday at the Lethbridge Entertainment Expo.
“I do these things all over the world but it’s always great to do them in Canada,” said Douglas, who is from British Columbia and is living in Vancouver.
The man commonly known simply at The Chief, for his portrayal of Chief Galen Tyrol in “Battlestar Galactica,” added he enjoys the friendly nature of Canadian fans, as he picks his appearances wisely now, and he only attends one or two conventions a year. “They’re quite fun. It’s a great way to meet people.”
His Friday-night appearance will be followed up by a slate of autograph signings and photo opportunities today at the expo at Exhibition Park, where Douglas will be stationed from 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. He will sign more autographs Sunday from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 3-5 p.m., with photos from 2-3 p.m. and participation in a panel discussion from 12:30-1:30 p.m. squeezed in between.
It’s all in a day’s work for the actor who has made his fair share of convention appearances over the years.
“I like traveling and I like to see other parts of the world and cities I wouldn’t otherwise go to.”
Speaking of new experiences, Douglas, who had been recently filming season three of “The Killing,” which followed a guest spot on “Falling Skies” and a role in the Science Fiction Channel movie “Zodiac,” will head back to Hollywood after his Alberta trip to get back to work on a project of his own.
“It’s an idea I had a couple of years ago,” said Douglas, of the project he is producing. “It’s about hunters and a group of guys who go into the woods on an annual trip and things go sideways.”
He put pen to paper in 2011 and has been working to see it come to fruition.
“For this one, I wanted to be part of it personally, and produce it and be on that side of the camera,” said Douglas, who added he has several other ideas which he hopes other studios will take the ball and run with. “It’s a long, glacial process.”
His current project is one Douglas would like to see ramp up with filming in March or April, which would lead to a late-2014 or early-2015 release.
But for this weekend, Douglas will look back on his acting career and will face a barrage of questions from “Battlestar Galactica” fans.
“They want to talk about the show,” said Douglas, who added topics like the set, working with other cast members and what it’s like to make a television show are often hot topics. “The typical fan in general will come to things and have no idea how TV is made.”
How Douglas witnessed his career being made included a number of small roles in 1999 and 2000.
“I started late,” he said of acting. He was 28 when he got his start, his big break coming in 2003 with “Battlestar Galactica.” “From then on I was able to take off, and I’ve been very fortunate since then.”
He’s appeared in “The Bridge” and “Hemlock Grove,” and said he now has about 72 film and television roles to his credit.
Douglas will be just one part of this weekend’s expo, which goes from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. today and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday at Exhibition Park.