Baltimore Comic-Con Interview – Aaron Douglas
Date: October 18 – 20, 2019
Source: Scoop

Actor Aaron Douglas was among the media guests at Baltimore Comic-Con, meeting fans of his performance on shows like Battlestar Galactica. Douglas talked to Scoop about the modern sci-fi classic, his visit to Baltimore, and a few other projects.

Are you having a good time this weekend?
I am living the dream. I’m in Baltimore, I’ve got a bit of a cold, my voice is starting to go away, but I’m alright.

So, you’re having a good time?
Yes, I’m having a great time. This city is not quite what I expected, but in a very positive way.

Have you done some sightseeing in Baltimore?
I did the historic ships of Baltimore tour on Thursday and took a tour with a tour guide, the lovely Stephanie, and it was supposed to be an hour and two and a half hours later she’s still telling us about the constellation that we were standing on. It was just a really cool experience. Anybody who comes to Baltimore, you have to do the historic ships tour, that is just a fantastic thing.

What do you like about coming to conventions?
You’re a demigod for a weekend, you know? You don’t have to buy your own beer, people are just lovely. I don’t get this at home – I have to take out the garbage and cook. Here, people do all these things for me. Seriously, though, the fans are so incredible. Sci-fi fans are the best. They love what you do, they’ll follow you, they’ll support you as long as you are honest and true with them, they will support your career and keep you going. Battlestar [Galactica] has been over for ten years, but it still touches a lot of people and I like hearing stories like that.

What did you like about being on Battlestar?
It bought me a house, so there’s that. It was just such a great show, the cast was so great. It sounds cliché, but we were a real family. We still stay in touch and talk to each other. When I go to a different show and there’s a camera guy or a lighting guy or a grip or whatever that worked on Battlestar, it’s old home week. It’s hugs and high fives and smiles and joking around. I don’t have that with any other show.

What did you find challenging about being on that show?
The content is so dark. Someone is always dying, has died, or is dying in your arms, or about to die. That was the challenging part – the emotional toll it takes to go through all that kind of stuff. But, we made something that was really cool, so all the work is worth the reward.

Was the dramatic stuff more challenging than the physicality?
Well, the physicality at one point was really tough for me because I was playing in a hockey tournament when I wasn’t supposed to be. I’m a goalie and I tore my groin, I just ripped muscles all over the place. So for weeks and weeks and weeks I was on crutches. So there’s a good run of episodes where the chief never moves. He just stands there and holds on to a desk or holds on to a person – that’s me. They yell “action” and someone takes my crutches away and I bark at somebody and they yell “cut” and someone gives me my crutches back.

Okay, now I’m going to have to re-watch some episodes and try to find those.
See if you can find it.

Was there any other character on the show that you would like to play?
Oh wow. Well, James Callis [who played Dr. Gaius Baltar] got to smooch Tricia Helfer [Number Six] all the time, so that would’ve been pretty good. No, I’m pretty happy with Chief. I like him, I like that he becomes one of the final five. I think the Chief and Colonel Tigh humanize the Cylons more than any other character would. I don’t want to be Apollo, because Jamie [Bamber] had to go to the gym all the time and be fit and handsome. I just don’t want to be that guy.

I like Chief, I feel like he was a likeable, relatable, heroic dude.
Blue collar guy, stands up for his people. End of the day you can count on him. I like him.

Switching show genres, you’ve done a couple of the Hallmark mystery movies lately. What’s that like?
Those are fun because you know what you’re making. You’re not making Schindler’s List, you’re not going for an Academy Award. You’re making something fun and sweet. I had a great time doing When Calls the Heart, I had a great time doing Garage Sale Mysteries, and Gourmet Detective, all that kind of stuff. They’re great, they’re fun.

What else are you working on now?
I joined the cast of a show that’s currently airing in its season four, maybe, that I’m not allowed to announce yet. It just started airing and I join the cast later in the season.

Oh, are you a good guy or a bad guy?
I am a good guy. In the end I think he’s a good guy.

Interesting, now I’m really curious. I want to pump you for information but I shouldn’t.
Well, you’re not going to get anything. That’s the thing.

Okay, what about The Flash, did you enjoy that?
Oh yeah, I had a ball doing The Flash. Everybody on that cast is genuinely sweet people, they’re just lovely people. Grant [Gustin] is a great guy, which is so nice to see because somebody young, got their own show, it could go to their head and they could become a maniac and he is the exact opposite. Some of The Flash crew are ex-Battlestar crew, so they welcomed me in and I had a ball.

Are you doing any more cons this year?
I have nothing planned, this is the only one I have this year, that I know of. Nobody’s asked me to go anywhere else, so I need to get a new sci-fi show so I can do the convention circuit again.

Another round for Battlestar?
Yeah, something like that. Let’s throw me on the new Battlestar, let’s get that petition going.

That would be awesome.
I would love that.