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2/13: Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica, Dollhouse) interview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tahmoh Penikett, who plays Helo on “Battlestar Galactica,” came into Atlanta yesterday to promote the upcoming scifi show on Fox “Dollhouse,” created by “Buffy” guru Joss Whedon.
Penikett plays Paul Ballard, a loner FBI agent seeking the truth about the “Dollhouse.” The “Dollhouse” is a place where people are “wiped” of their memories and implanted with new ones for specific missions for rich and powerful people. Elisha Dishku is the main star.
I spoke with Penikett with only minimal knowledge of BSG but it’s clear from a TV Guide interview he wouldn’t have spilled any beans about the final four episodes of that show anyway. He told me he was a Canadian actor trying out for a smaller role when BSG started but they liked him and he became a regular. All he would say is it’s a “proper ending,” which will also include a straight-to-DVD movie.
Whedon is a fan of BSG and targeted Penikett for the FBI agent role. “That’s the reason I got the job,” he said. “He saw some similar qualities between Helo and Paul. They’re both really driven, motivated guys. With Paul, there is some inner darkness. I was the right guy to explore that.”
His character Paul faces resistance from the top to investigate the “Dollhouse,” but he continues to do so. He figures it has something to do with the Russian mob and human trafficking. In the first episode, we see the FBI brass mocking his desire to work on the case. Plus, we see him kickboxing in what appears to be a dream sequence. He also sticks a gun to the head of a Russian mobster in a club bathroom (nobody ever comes in during these scenes!) while the mobster is at the urinal. “He’s a little rule breaker,” Penikett said. “He’s a little bit of a lone wolf.”
He will eventually cross paths with Echo, the main dollhouse “active” who every episode gets implanted with a new persona.
I had to naturally ask if he’d been to Atlanta before. Indeed, he had been to Dragoncon twice as part of the BSG crew. “It’s surreal seeing 50,000 people all dressed up from Little Bo Peep to Superman,” he said. He also hung out with a couple of friends, actors Chris and Miracle Burns.
“Dollhouse” debuts on Fox at 9 p.m. Friday. For sci-fi fans, this clearly has potential though it’s not my cup of tea.
Comments
By 1911A1
February 13, 2009 4:11 PM | Link to this
Hmmm…Rodney has never seen BSG but knows every nuance of that “Housewives” show?
By Rodney Ho
February 13, 2009 6:57 PM | Link to this
Sad—but true.
By A
February 14, 2009 8:34 PM | Link to this
Rodney—BSG is the best show currently on television. As the previous poster said, it’s hard to believe you spend your time watching drivel like the pathetic housewives instead of a quality program like Battlestar Galactica. Honestly, I’m really surprised to hear this from someone who covers television. And Tahmoh is just awesome. He came here for DragonCon last September and was wonderful to all the fans.
By Bud
February 16, 2009 12:54 PM | Link to this
Actors have to hustle to get anything they can get in the early days of their careers…and if they get onto some sci-fi show or movie they get typecast and after a few years they do the sci-con circuit and sell their autograph to make a few shekels. Sad.