BATTLESTAR GALACTICA is back, and not surprisingly, better than ever. What better way to count down the minutes to the final season premiere than by spending some time learning a bit more about everyone’s favorite Viper-pilot-turned-courtroom-lawyer, Lee Adama [aka Jamie Bamber]? Jamie and I talked last week about what he hopes to see for his character, what he hopes fans take away from the show, and what he really thinks about the whole “Starbuck/Apollo/will-they/can-they/should-they-really” relationship.

BATTLESTAR is hands down one of my favorite shows on television and I’m so excited that it’s coming back tonight.
Jamie Bamber: Yeah, we all are. It’s something that’s become very precious to us, and we want to see it finished in the right way.

What attracted you to the role of Lee when the series first started.
I think his entrance into the show. The way the character arrived, as a stranger aboard this Battlestar, not wanting to be there, being forced into this sort of retirement of his dad that he doesn’t get on with. It being completely about, you know, family relationships and something that we can all relate to. And then the end of the world happening and him being stranded in this world that he didn’t really want to be in. I thought that was the most fantastic premise for a character opening. This is not his life; this is not the people he’s surrounded by, all these military guys. He was probably, in my mind, about to quit the military, and here he is stranded. With the one man he didn’t want to see forever. It was just a great set up for a character, and an unusual one. In the original series, he was the out and out hero. And in this one, he is that, but he’s also less than perfect. He was very adolescent in the original, and I think I brought an adolescence to it that made it even more the case. It was that. It was purely that. And the fact, I knew I was meant to be playing Apollo, and yet I couldn’t find the character Apollo, he was called Lee Adama and it was that, we’re trying something new, and we’re trying to get away from the curse of these names, you know, Apollo, Starbuck. The way that Ron has made the world plausible, is what struck me.

What are some of the favorite things that you’ve discovered about Lee over the course of the series?
My favorite thing about Lee….it’s a semi contradiction between being very contained, not showy, and yet, sort of opinionated as well. He’s a contradiction. He’s got his ideals and his principles and his conscience which have a very loud voice within him. But he doesn’t come out with it too often. He contains himself, and I think that’s a quality that I can relate to, and it’s a quality that may be lost in the modern world. We don’t have too many of those.

What was your opinion of the whole Sci-Fi genre before getting involved with the show?
I didn’t really have one. I wasn’t a fan of Sci-Fi in particular; I hadn’t been since I was a kid when I think every kid is a fan of sci-fi. I had definitely grown out of it, and I think I had grown out of it largely because it had grown quite juvenile. So I guess there was a stigma in my mind, about the title BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. Mainly because it was a remake, more than because it was Sci-Fi. But I wasn’t running to be in a Sci-Fi show, it wasn’t really important to me, and I don’t think I am in a sci-fi show. I think we’ve changed what people think of as sci-fi. A lot of movies lately, I would say are sci-fi, but in a good way, CHILDREN OF MEN, these movies are about our society by kind of drawing the lines of where we’re headed, to the logical conclusion of the future, and showing us how bleak and how desperate the decisions we’re making today are. That is sci-fi but it’s also really good social and political writing. I think that’s what our show does. It’s changed the feeling of sci-fi. Sci-fi has good characters and good stories and intelligent arguments as well as just goofy, not goofy, that’s the wrong word, but just shocking the audience with how strange and weird, you know, the planets that we’re meeting every week are. That was never something I wanted to be part of, and I never have been. And to be honest, when I first got the first script, I opened the two page mission statement declaring that we are going to change everything, and it’s not sci-fi.

What’s great about the show is that there are two camps. The camp that has never seen it, and the camp that has seen it and loved. It’s not a show that people don’t like, it’s just a show that people haven’t found or haven’t given a chance.
And the reason why a lot of them haven’t – if it was a different title, if it was not on Sci-Fi, I think a lot more people would have seen. I think that’s a testament to the show. we satisfy the self-proclaimed geek and we’ve turned a lot of them from being very, very skeptical about what we were doing, trampling all over Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict’s mantles. And we’ve converted them. But we’ve also converted an audience that would never even consider watching a show called Battlestar Galactica and they’ve had to sort of raise their eyebrows and realize, hey, it’s not a bad way to go if you want to make serious drama, in a different context in the world. You’re freer to face the very biting and interesting and relevant things; more free than you would be if you were writing about a particular organization that does exist, or a country that does exist or a government that does exist. We’re able to take the best of everything and condense it into something that really is a perfect mix of drama.

What are some of your favorite episodes or storylines from over the years?
There are so many that I really enjoyed. I really enjoyed making ‘Black Market’ in Season 2. It’s not my favorite episode when I watch it back but I really enjoyed making it, just because I was in it a lot, and that’s a challenge in itself, trying to carry a story. I really enjoyed the finale of season 3, the courtroom scenes, taking Lee into that unexpected environment, and to hear his voice really unleashed for the first time. I enjoyed ‘The Captain’s Hand’ in Season 1 very much. I enjoyed the penultimate, I’m sort of telling you too many of them right now. There are some very recent ones that we’ve shot in season 4 that I’m most proud of, more than anything. The first half finale, and the second half, I just think is our best work as an ensemble.

Without giving anything away, can you tease what’s coming up in the fourth season?
The fallout from the last. The fallout from Baltar being acquitted, the fallout from four new Cylons being discovered. The fallout from Starbuck being alive, and everyone trying to make sense of what that is. There’s a lot to recalibrate after the end of the last season. I haven’t actually seen the first few episodes we shot; I’ve only seen the midseason cliffhanger and the beginning of the second half of the season. They’re incredible. They’re really incredible. From my character, expect very little viper work, and a lot more shirt and tie stuff. For everyone else, expect the unexpected.

Who are some of your favorite character besides of Apollo?
My favorite and I think is almost everyone’s favorite, is Colonel Tigh, watching Michael Hogan’s work. He’s a real theatre actor that brings a broadness to the character. Everyone can do a Colonel Tigh impression in about two seconds and you know the character, by his laugh, by his guttural sound. By the way he over pitches almost every line in that military way. The way he stands. I think Hogan does an incredible job. I think the whole cast. I can pin point things that I really like. I love watching James Callis work. I find Baltar repellant in almost every scene, and yet disarming at the same time and I challenge anyone to come up with the combination.

Another thing I think is great about the show, and I really do say this to whoever will listen – you can’t find a weak link in the cast.
Yeah, well that’s very gracious of you. I always think if you can’t find the weakest link, it’s probably me, but if you said then I take that as a compliment. I think there are certain people to thank for that, obviously, we were well cast. More than that, Eddie and Mary have really set the bar from day one. We knew we were involved in a serious piece of work if these two actors were taking it very seriously. In any other situation, I can imagine showing up and watching two actors who have accomplished great things throughout their career, and they were really just taking a paycheck on his one. And that was really not the case. Eddie was very intimidating. And I think he meant to be, I think he meant not to get too close to anyone on the miniseries. He meant to scare the hell out of us all to perform it as well as we could. He let us all know that he was watching every single daily, and every single piece of work that we had done. Nothing was getting past him. We all wanted the affirmation of his approval. I’ve never seen another actor do that to anyone before, but he did it to me, and to everyone on the show.

Getting into the final season a bit – do you know by now who the final Cylon is?
I do.

What kind of reaction do you think the reveal is going to elicit?
I’m reluctant to say because we’ve got a couple of fantastic reveals. I don’t want to reveal them or by saying you’ll be shocked, maybe rules out certain characters, and I don’t want to do this. This season, there has been an extraordinary effort to change the way we do things so that none of the stuff leaks. I’m sure it will still leak, but it’s going to leak later, and to fewer people than it has before. We’re going to keep this very tight-chested. Sometimes, I’m not even allowed to take scripts out of the room. This is something that is really new to us. People don’t get scripts, people don’t get sides anymore, and we’re really trying to make a conscious effort and I think fans would appreciate it.

I agree – I think that people enjoy the show more when they don’t know what’s coming. Because then they do enjoy the big reveals, and they sit there thinking “what the hell just happened?”
Yeah, I mean, there’s always that sort of side of a lot of people, that they like to be the first. Like with the I-phone, and share the fact that they got it. There’s a side of people that like to show off “I’m closer to the show than you are” and I understand that, too. If it does get out there, you know that it’s going to be spread; it’s not gonna be something that people sit on. I’ve no doubt that it will get out there. Hell, we sent out screeners in advance to the press, I’m sure 1 in every 5 of those goes somewhere online. I can promise you that the fans will not be disappointed with what we’ve come up with.

I want to talk about Kara and Lee for a minute. I’ve heard Katee has said that she thinks Kara is only happiest when she’s miserable. What is your take on the duo?
The way I play it is that there’s a complete fascination from Lee towards Starbuck/Kara, and he will never shake it. It’s not something that’s ever going to go away. It’s something that is so complex and so laden with so many layers of forbidden guilt from the previous betrayal, you know, the dead brother, and they’re kind of siblings, it’s almost incestuous. At times, it seems, certainly on her part, that she’s out to hurt rather than let everything actually work. I think they’re two people that actually probably would’ve worked in a completely different environment, in a different context. They’re doomed by the very proximity that they share, and that’s their tragedy. Having said that, Ron and the writers could come up with a completely different plan on how to resolve that particular one, and who knows, if their situation changes if they got off Galactica, got out of the situation that they’re in, maybe they would be able to function. It’s definitely one of these tragic relationships. Romeo and Juliet, all those sort of forbidden loves. Or a play that I’ve done about an incestuous love affair between a brother and a sister. It’s kind of that. It’s so intense, it’s forbidden.

What would you like to see happen as you head towards the end?
Lee’s journey, I suppose like a lot of people on the show, it’s all self knowledge. It’s all about understanding the nature of the human race, and how we repeat our own feelings. Lee’s no different, maybe a bit more than most. He’s grown up, and he’s been on a quest of self discovery, about who he is. He starts off being entirely defined by his dad and his upbringing and he resents that fact that he was never allowed to be his own person and gradually, he’s tried every way he can to be his own person. To follow his heart into the law. He’s been a commander of a different Battlestar. He’s been his dad’s equal as commander of Pegasus. He’s tried everything. If I have one hope, it’s that he finds peace in something, in some act, in some expression, some event, and that maybe he and his dad can finally get to that place where they sort of understand each other. I think they almost have on several different occasions, but it’s always been fragile. These relationships always repeat themselves. I think the mantra of the show is that line, all this has happened before, and all this will happen again. It’s the Freudian truth. We are defined by our natures and our early experiences and we replicate those forever in our life. On a psychological level, I hope he sort of finds self-knowledge and on a show level, I just hope we really scare the hell out of the world. I think, really scare the audience and the wider public to realizing how destructive our progress is. This idea that we have of growth and economic growth and technological progress is not the path to be taken, it’s the path to destruction, and I hope Ron delivers that.

A reader question that was sort of asked in many different ways – when the show began, were you prepared to be treated as the heartthrob that you’ve been viewed as?
I think there’s a side of every actor that wants to be adored, especially a young actor playing the supposed young lead. The sign of success is to be appreciated on some level. I think that’s there subliminally. I would never admit to it. The funny thing with me is that kind of happened early on in the first couple of seasons. It’s sort of gone away. I don’t feel that anymore. People tend to talk about the show in a different way, and I get asked less and less about that aspect and I don’t feel it anymore. I think that’s partly having gone through it, and I realize how superficial and immaterial it really is. You get in the magazine as the sexiest whatever, sexiest hunk or whatever. And you’re in it one year and the next segment of the same magazine, same slot, you’re not. And I haven’t died. All the same people haven’t changed or fallen off the planet in the last year. You realize it’s a marketing tool to sell magazine and it doesn’t actually mean a single damn thing. I realize that is a completely non reality, not that I didn’t realize that before, but it was really spelled out for me. It’s not something I think about at all. I don’t think people think of me in that way so much anymore. I don’t get asked the same questions.

I think it’s funny – like you’re saying it was more that way in the first couple seasons, people maybe flocked a bit to the show because they hear “sexiest cast” but I’ll be the first to admit that I stayed because it’s not just a pretty face on a horrible show. The acting and the drama in the show is there, and keeps people tuning in.
I hope that’s the case! I haven’t done a nude scene or taken my shirt off since early season 3. We’re not doing that so much anymore. I think the show is not about that. Initially, that might have been the thing. I remember reading an article about it being 90210 in space and stuff like that, and you’re like, oh yeah. There is a demographic on TV, there aren’t too many ugly people on TV, and it’s a fact. I tend to view it as the remnants of an American TV heritage where everyone is perfect and good looking. But honestly, when you watch the show, and once you start focusing on the flawed bits of the characters, you don’t notice the body or the face so much anymore. Even when I watch Tricia, who is absolutely stunning, I’m watching her acting now and seeing this traumatized woman who is a robot who is coming to terms with her own fragility and her own compassion and all sorts of things. I don’t think of Tricia as this sexual image anymore. And I did. When I first met Tricia, I was like “oh my God, this girl is stunning” and now when I watch the show, I don’t think of Number Six in that way and I think everyone else has been on the same journey.

Switching gears a bit – who are some of your favorite actors and actresses?
I don’t think there’s anyone to compare with someone like Daniel Day-Lewis. I think, you know, with every job that he does, you’re not even really aware who Daniel Day-Lewis is. He’s just this character that changes and turns up every 2 years, and he’s at the academy awards, accepting some statue with a normally very eloquent and self deprecating speech. And then he goes away and becomes someone completely different. If you’re looking for an actor, I don’t think there’s anybody to rival him. Maybe Meryl Streep, someone like that. Those two would come to me as the people who I most admire.

Do you watch any TV in your downtime?
It doesn’t happen often that I find something. I tend to be behind the pace and going to a DVD. In Treatment at the moment. I’m blown away by the writing and by the performances. Pure dialogue. No set changes, no costume changes, one room, one conversation, sometimes two conversations. Sort of a one act play that I’ve never seen on American TV and I think it’s stunning.

What does the future hold for you?
I would hope to try to vary as an actor. I hope to be able to sort of move into more character roles than I have played. I hope to write and I hope to direct and I hope to produce, and if I finish my days having not done all four of those things, I will look back be disappointed.

Will you ever work with Anastasia [Griffith, Jamie’s sister]? I love her in DAMAGES.
I’m so, so proud of my little sister. She’s incredible in that show. And really blown me away. She was very late in admitting to me that she wanted to act. She was going to a production route in the business. She started off as a production assistant and turned around one day and said “you know, I’ve had it, I want to get in front of the camera”. So she went to the same place that I went, and came out, moved to New York. I could not wipe the smile off my face. I’ve watched a certain few episodes of Damages. Not only is she in I think the beset show on TV right now, including my show, but she completely holds her own. When I saw her with Glenn Close, I couldn’t believe that was my little sister. I would love to act with her. I would love to write something for her. And that goes for my wife, too, Kerry, who has a small role in Battlestar. I’d love to be able to create something for them, to make sure they get stimulating roles. It’s really hard, we fight for every role. There are so many of us out there. Not being able to sort of crack right through is very frustrating.

A special thanks to Jamie for spending some time chatting with me and a huge thank you to everyone who sent questions to be asked! Tune in Friday night to see Jamie and the rest of the gang from Battlestar Galactica as their fourth and final season begins!

Lifetime is good to me. They recently sent over a preview copy of their latest inspirational movie called RACING FOR TIME. It’s inspired by the true story of a male prison guard who pulls together a track program for tough and violent female offenders at a juvenile facility. Charles S. Dutton (Emmy award winning actor and director) is fabulous, both as an actor and a director, in the main role. He is joined on screen by Elizabeth Pena and an up and coming young actress named Yaya Da Costa (some of you might recognize her from America’s Next Top Model). I had an opportunity to chat with her for a bit about working with “Roc” (Charles S. Dutton), why she wanted to be an actress, and who she admires.

Great film, I think it’s really in the vein of what Lifetime tries to do. It’s inspirational.
YaYa: I’m glad you watched it! It was controversial at first, but it is inspirational.

You’re right, it is controversial, but I think people will understand it, and you’re great in this.
Thank you!

Brings me to the first question – what made you interested in this role?
I just thought it was a great role. Any role, honestly for a young actor, is work, so that’s always good. It’s great to be excited when you’re going into an audition about the prospect of playing someone. Different from yourself. It makes it more. I just the different code of behavior and the different thought process that you use. My first instinct as a person in conflict resolution is to find the right words. But Vanessa’s is physical confrontation, so that was fun to explore.

For people that are going to watch, just give a little background on the character and the story of the “bad girl” you play, named Vanessa.
Vanessa is 17. She’s still young, she’s still growing. I don’t know that she’s necessarily destined to be a bad girl, but she’s gotten herself into a lot of trouble. This is not her first time in [the detention center]. This time is different. It’s the longest time she’s been in there. It’s also not her fault. She’s taking, stupidly, heat for her boyfriend. Her time there this time is even harder to accept because it’s compounded with that. Because she thought she was being faithful in the sense of protecting each other. Actually Celeste, the counselor, asks her a really great question at one point in the movie, ya know, would he do this for you? And I think she realizes what the answer is, which also gives her the fuel to grow and make something of her life. Instead of being stuck with a silly boy who maybe buys her stuff but doesn’t really care about her.

How was it working with Charles Dutton?
Excellent. He is so much fun; he is so great to learn from. Watch, act, and direct at the same time. Also, this is my first time being directed by an actor and there’s a different kind of language and intensity and excitement and he knows what he wants. It was great. I learned a lot.

He seems like the kind of actor that by just watching, you could get so much from him.
Oh my goodness, yes. Definitely. He has so much experience in theatre also. It’s great to see someone carry that over to film. Not everyone can, by the way. Some actors can’t do both. He’s an example of someone who does both well. It’s just great to watch that.

Did you always want to be an actress, or is it something that came up because of America’s Next Top Model (I don’t mean to make it sound like you had more opportunity because of the show)?
That’s a perfectly normal question. It’s so ironic actually. I’ve been acting on and off since I was 11, doing educational films. My very first acting coach I did plays with back in junior high school would send me out on these auditions. I came from a very educational background.

Oh I know, I could tell by reading your bio – it’s like, oh wow, you’re so smart!
I mean please, I still only have an undergrad. I don’t mean only because obviously, school is not for everyone. I just always loved school, and I did plays at the same time. And just growing up, I knew that I was going to be studying academics and doing art on the side. It was just something to do after school, and during the summer. I actually auditioned and got into La Guardia Professional Performing Arts School, which is like THE school to go to if you’re from NY and you want to do anything, any performing arts. All my friends who didn’t get in were so furious of me when I didn’t go. I just thought, others schools have acting programs, it was always on the side. Finally, when I finished school, I was so excited to be able focus, and spend as much time and energy as possible on this craft that I’ve always loved so much. I was 11 and I played a 104 year old woman, I was like, oh this is great, you get to play a completely different person, I love it. Things have changed since then, every opportunity for different reasons. It’s hard to really know what’s related and what’s not. I believe everything in the world is connected so you can’t knock one experience.

[About America’s Next Top Model] At the same time, it was always crazy for me. It’s happened a couple of times. On the set of Take the Lead, on the set of Honeydripper, after everything is said and done, afterwards, the director would come up to me and say “someone over there just said you were on a television show.” At first it was shocking to me that they didn’t know. You kind of feel it’s a big sign on your forehead, like I was on TV, but I realized it’s not. It’s surprising. Reality TV is just this massive monster that’s taking over television. On one hand, it’s fun to watch, but really for people in the business writers, directors, producers. It makes their job more difficult because there’s less air time for their shows and movies and art. When I realized, oh of course they didn’t know about it. People in the business don’t take that seriously. I don’t bring it up unless someone asks. And then it’s like, oh that was 4 years ago, that was fun. When someone who has hired you to a job reminds you, I mean, granted, not to knock anything, it was a wonderful experience and I learned a lot and things I didn’t think I was going to learn. At the same time, it doesn’t have anything to do with the path I’m on now. I mean, when I’m modeling, yeah, it’s fun to talk about, but acting-world, it’s just not necessarily related. I feel really lucky to get opportunities where people hire me and say “oh she can act,” like they really didn’t know.

It’s probably nice to feel that you were hired for your talent. I’m sure it’s validating.
It’s validating. It’s like, “I know I had a good audition, but I mean, I really had a good audition and it doesn’t have to do with anything else.” And that just feels really good because I’m taking classes all the time and working hard. Honestly, no matter what you’ve done, even though people on the street might want to talk about it, people in the business don’t want to talk about it. It’s nice to have your hard work pay off, and know that it’s the work it’s like, everyone, singers, are all getting in movies so it’s kind of like, makes our job even harder.

Where do you see your career going in the next five or ten years?
It’s hard to say. Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve just been focusing on the craft. It’s really interesting, because when I see things that I’ve done, I always have self criticism, and I’m never satisfied with anything. Occasionally in class, I’ll have a cold reading of a monologue and I’m like, yeah that felt good! Generally, I’m constantly trying to make it better. I feel that I’m growing; my goal is just to be in 5 years, 5 years more mature as an actor and just have the hard work pay off. I can be prepared for any opportunities that come up. I can’t really say I’ll do this, and this. You never know what the universe has in store for you. I can definitely put it out there. I’m also a little superstitious in terms of like saying things out loud. I’ll just kind of pray on them, and keep doing my work. You’ll see if it materializes, and we’ll be talking again next year!

Who are some of your favorite actors or actresses?
Oh my goodness…So many. Right now, I’ll just pick one male and one female to keep it short ha. I just revisited a project of Jeffrey Wright’s. I’d seen him off Broadway, too, and like he was in a bunch of movies. He’s not someone that you see all the time on camera. But when you see him, he makes such an impact and I love his process. I would have to say Meryl Streep. It’s so interesting. I’m at the stage in my career where I’m like, how do you chose your roles? It’s like, you don’t chose anything, you audition and hopefully you get stuff haha. There are only a select few that can answer that question – for me on one hand I want to work and do everything. At the same time you look at someone with a career like Meryl Streep whose longevity is just so strong and apparent. And she’s going to be working for her ever. She’s chosen her roles carefully. She’s always done everything that I’ve seen with integrity. Obviously, she’s trained. I have a lot of respect for the trained actor, even though my training is so sporadic, sometimes I take classes here and there. That is an example of a woman for me who has beaten the odds, who has surpassed certain constraints on society of what beauty is or who should play certain roles. She just does everything and she does it well. I’m sure she’s at the point where she’s turned down roles. She seems to stand by something or for something. I just love that. Right now, I’m still young, and I need to work, but it’s nice to look up to someone like that because she shows that it’s possible. Aim to be successful but hold on to values. There are people out there working, making money, who have great houses, and they’re not living in a little hole like me in Manhattan in a crazy neighborhood, but at the same time, it’s like, are those roles taking you to a good place, are you going to let your kids see that movie? Not only is she an amazing actress, just watching her as a career woman.

What are some TV shows that you watch when you get some downtime?
I am really the worst person to ask this question. I don’t watch TV a lot ha. It’s bad because I need to. There are a lot of shows that I do like but I don’t get to see a lot. There’s one, this started up again. It’s kind of taking the place of Friends in a way, but maybe it’s not as popular because it’s about lesbians…do you know that show The L Word?

I love that show!
Yeah, I feel like it’s so well written, so well shot. Hopefully we’re at a place where you can say that and people don’t get all homophobic. It’s actually a really good show. I’m glad that we’ve come to a place in this country that a show like that can be popular and can be so good. I know plenty of people, men, women, homosexuals, married couples that all say oh yeah, that’s a great show. What else? I don’t want to sound like I’m boring. Some old shows are interesting to watch. But usually on a Saturday when I get up in the morning, I watch CNN. Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now haha. I really love the news [laughing]. I love being informed, especially because I can’t travel these days. I like watching world news.

What do you do for fun when you’re not shooting?
I think my acting classes are fun. Even though it’s work. I’m so lucky that I can say work is fun. I take dance classes. I crochet, I write a lot. I love creating things. I alter my clothes in my closet a lot, change them up into different things. Making cheap thinks look expensive. I’m not gonna tell you how haha! I hang out with friends, at each others’ houses. I don’t really go out at night. New York is kind of crazy. I have so many older friends and they’re all married with kids. It makes sense. It’s like, maybe we’ll have brunch one day.

Just to get back to the movie to sum up the call – what’s a reason someone should tune into see the movie?
People should tune in because I feel like it’s a story that hasn’t been told before. I feel like it’s uplifting like you said, but in a way that is kind of surprising. It’s not your typical Lifetime movie at all. I think it pulls you in, it also gives an opportunity to see the humanity in people. Even if you don’t know anybody in real life like these girls, I mean there are prisons all over the country. Too many if you ask me. You can see a little bit of their stories and why they’re there. Stuff happens and their lives. When given the right the tools or attention, some people just need a pat on the back and we take for granted that some of us had parents who told us that we were great. It gives us hope that things can change and get better. There are people have spent in prison and gone on to be the most amazing lawyers, or even actors, that we know. There are amazing actors that we know who are just like wow (editor’s note: Charles S. Dutton is an ex-convict who doesn’t shy away from talking about his past). Learning not to judge each other. It’s a good discussion on race, just get people talking. The country is not necessarily as advanced as we think. Everyone says there are no racists, everything’s great, but pay a little bit more attention and you’re like, ooh okay, we have a long way to go. Especially in an institution like prison because it’s all people have to hang on to and have to like stick together, center their lives around whatever they have in common. It’s good to explore a conversation about those things. It’s also fun to watch! You want the girls to get together and win. I think it pulls you in, and you get to rooting and you get inspired and start to run! Go for a jog after wards haha! It’s a good lesson. Lifetime is the women’s channel, typically, but I think everyone can enjoy it. The boys get to see a bunch of cute girls run around. The older women get to agree with the lessons in there.

The half hour flew by – Yaya was great to talk to and I really think her career is poised to take off! Tune into RACING FOR TIME, which premieres Saturday February 16 at 9PM!

In tonight’s brand new episode of HOUSE, America’s favorite doctor suspects that a mysteriously paralyzed woman (played by America’s favorite deputy assistant to the deputy chief of staff; THE WEST WING’s Janel Moloney) is withholding vital information about her condition.

And in the spirit of tonight’s belated Christmas themed episode, the TV Addict thought he’d publish his own belated interview with actor Robert Sean Leonard who plays House’s foil and quite possibly only friend Dr. Wilson.

With your two to three scenes per episode, would you say you’ve pretty much got the best job on television?
Robert Sean Leonard: I’ve got the best job in Hollywood.

Do you ever long for a more substantial role in the series?When it came to pilot season, I first read NUMB3RS and thought, “Well that’s way too much work.” HOUSE is great, because my character doesn’t work too much.

There’s immense pressure when you’re the face on the coin. Hugh [Laurie] is our show. His face is our show, he’s literally on every advertisement. I don’t think I’d enjoy being that guy. The job I have is great.

I’ve read that you’ve had to turn down some movie and theatre roles because of the show. Does a part of you wish you could be on screen even less?
Not if I didn’t get paid! No, what I’m doing right now is this show and making a great deal of money, which is great. There have been a bunch of plays that I’ve been sorry to miss. For instance, it was heartbreaking to have to turn down Tom Stoppard’s THE COAST OF UTIPIA at Lincoln Center. I had a hard time watching it because I wanted to be in it so badly. All my friends were there, including Tom, but that’s life.

What can you tell us about this season. Can fans expect any change to the House/Wilson relationship?
I’m very happy playing the friend of House. But I’m always up for new stuff. I enjoyed working with David Morse a lot last year. But again, I’m also the laziest man in show business! When I read scripts and realize I only have two scenes, I’m not going to lie, it’s a bit of a celebration for me. More time to watch THE DOG WHISPERER.

Do you have a dog?
We have two dogs. Mutts mostly. My fiance travels a lot, well she can’t anymore. But initially she wanted a dog to take on the plane. She won’t check the dog underneath the plane.

I would never put my dog MAC underneath a plane! (insert obligatory adorable photo of the TV Addict’s dog)
Dogs have to be under fourteen pounds so we had to get a Chinchua mix from the pound in New York. I got my mother a dog and that didn’t work out, that’s how we ended up with two.

Can you bring them to set?
No, there are no dogs allowed on the entire FOX lot. Very strange and I wish it would change. When I’m working sixteen hour days, it would be nice to not have to drop them off at daycare all the time.

Are you enjoying the new additions to House’s team?The new actors are really fun to work with. After four years, you get a little jaded and it’s great to be around a bunch of people who are really excited to be there.

Don’t miss tonight’s brand new episode of HOUSE (9PM on FOX and GLOBAL TV in Canada)

©2007 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Art Streiber/FOX

Not being a card carrying member of the Browncoats (the FIREFLY fandom, for those not familiar with the Whedon universe), this TV Addict had no idea what he was in store for when Summer Glau’s Cameron crossed paths with a young John Conner on FOX’s newest hit show TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES. Yet the moment Cameron uttered the iconic line, “Come with me if you want to live.” Summer Glau erased all doubts and flawlessly stepped into the metallic shoes made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Recently, the TV Addict, along with BuddyTV’s Oscar Dahl had the opportunity to interview Summer at the FOX Winter press junket in Hollywood. Here’s what she had to say with regards to her new role, the SCI FI fandom and the surreal experience of seeing your face on posters everywhere.

The TV Addict: It was great fun watching the pilot on the big screen last night, was it the first time you’ve seen it??
Summer Glau: It is the first time I’ve seen it completed. It was really interesting for me. The thing that I liked seeing was, you know, when you shoot a show it’s all out of sequence, so when they put it together I liked how my character seemed to switch on and off from doing the school scenes in the beginning, then how she changes once her alias is blown, she just changes. I thought that was cool.??

The TV Addict: What attracted you to the role in the first place? Were you concerned at all that you’re very enmeshed in the sci-fi world with FIREFLY and ThE 4400, did that concern you a little moving on to another sci-fi show?
I didn’t think I’d get this part, so I didn’t worry about it that much. I went to the audition thinking I’ll just go in and I’ll do it. I never thought that they would consider me for this role, and then when they did I thought oh my goodness, I feel like I won the lottery, of course I’m going to do it. I love playing this part. I’ve never really thought much about sci-fi or not sci-fi. I always consider the role. If it’s a role I want to play, I play it. I’ve turned down roles that weren’t sci-fi because they weren’t interesting characters and they weren’t something that I wanted to do, so this was definitely something that I wanted to do.??

BuddyTV: What are the difficulties of playing a robot for an actor? It seems like it’d be kind of a weird thing to wrap your mind around.
I’m still working on it every day when I come in in the mornings. There are days when I read a scene, and you know as an actress you usually have a gut instinct about it? When you’re playing a robot your gut instincts don’t come into play so much, you have to think about it. You have to shape the character. She’s very mysterious, so we’re having to kind of, we’re having to build her and build an arc for her. When I read the pilot, I said to Josh [Friedman, executive producer] “I don’t really know how to do this.” I’ve played very vulnerable characters so far, very emotional characters, and this is something really different for me. So I really trust a lot in what the writers are doing.

BuddyTV: The reaction to both the series and your character [at Comic-Con] were just huge. What’s it like having such a big, loyal fanbase that kid of goes crazy?
It’s been amazing. We were very nervous when we brought our pilot to Comic-Con, because we knew there would be a lot of hardcore TERMINATOR fans and we didn’t want to let them down. So we were nervous, and I couldn’t believe how positive everyone was. I mean, of course I believe in our show completely and I really want people to love it, but a lot of times people tend to be negative given the choice. It’s hard for people to be really supportive sometimes, and they were, and that meant a lot to me. I remember when I first started working for Joss [Whedon, creator of FIREFLY], he tried to explain to me what his fans were like. I just couldn’t picture it until I went to my first convention and I realized this is what it’s like to be one of Joss’s girls, you know? One of his actresses.

The TV Addict: Are you at all nervous for the reviews that are going to come out? You were cast in this over a year ago, you’ve worked so hard for like six months on the show, and finally it’s going to premiere on Sunday. Do you read the reviews? Do you pay attention to stuff like that, or do you just try to do the best you can?
I always try not to read it, because I always take it personally. I’m not able to separate, if I read ten great reviews and then I read one that says I’m ugly, then that’s all I remember. I try not to read anything, and I’m very nervous because I love this job, I love this series, I had no idea when I signed up for it how creative our writers are. They are so talented, we could keep writing new episodes for years, so these numbers really matter to me. At the party last night I wanted to enjoy it and I wanted to celebrate, but there’s a part of me that won’t be able to relax until Tuesday morning after we see our numbers. It does make a difference whether or not we’re going to be able to make another season.

The TV Addict: I know the writers’ strike has wrecked, well, I’m a TV addict so it’s wrecked my life, but it’s wrecked everything. You’re now not going to premiere against new stuff. Is it weird that it might benefit you a little, and the show?
It is weird. I feel bad saying that, because obviously we all want to go back to work. But we have been given a great opportunity, Fox has really, really promoted us, we’ve had a chance to talk to a lot of people about our show, and we feel like we’ve been set up really well. I already have people coming up to me on the street and saying they’re so excited about the show, and it hasn’t even aired yet.

The TV Addict: The giant posters of you I’m sure help. Is that surreal at all? You get into acting and I’m sure you never imagine that, with Firefly and now, in L.A. you’re on giant buildings. It’s crazy.
Yeah, I couldn’t believe that, when I came home from Texas for the holidays and that picture was everywhere, on every bus. I don’t know how I got so lucky. Joss Whedon and Josh Friedman have really just put me in a position that I never ever pictured possible. I’m very lucky.

The TV Addict: I really love the show, and there’s such a great chemistry between yourself and John. Are we going to see a relationship? Because you’re a robot and he’s human, I don’t know how that works really.
Well, nobody knows how it works yet. There have been some clues that it’s going to be a lot more complicated than I’m a robot and he’s a human.

BuddyTV: In the pilot they kind of hinted that you were a different, newer model.?That keeps popping up in the next episodes. There’s all sorts of complications about what she actually can feel. She can feel. I hope we really take it someplace new. I think we already have.?

Who is excited for the 4th Season Premiere of Lost? That’s me, raising my hands and flailing about with glee. In my quest to complete Season 1 through 3 before January 31 (that’s a story for another day), my love for the show has been completely renewed. Also helping to get me pumped about the new Thursday night time slot? A remarkably sincere and charming woman by the name of Elizabeth Mitchell (LOST’s own Juliet) who recently spent a good chunk of her afternoon chatting with me about what to expect and why she loves her character! A big thank you to all of the readers who contributed questions!

Lost is one of my favorite shows. It’s been one of my favorite shows, so I’m excited to talk with you about it.
Oh, I love it too! I’m always really happy to talk about it.

You’re no stranger to being a star on one of TV’s most talked about shows, specifically your arc on ER. How is Lost different?
I think the main difference is that the character was so complete in how much we got to see, how much they wrote for her, there was a beginning, a middle, and an end. There was just a huge arc where we got to see so many facets of this very complicated person [with Legaspi on ER]. And I don’t think I’ve had the opportunity to do that yet. And I also think that LOST is kind of huge in a way that I’ve never worked on a show that’s quite like this. I’ve never worked on a show that has this kind of following. ER was also huge, but a different kind of huge. Not better, not different. And I think with LOST, you have people who follow it pretty religiously and know every detail about it. I think they were so smart, the way they brought the character in. We have all the protagonists, we have everybody that we love and then to bring in someone that was a threat to them, that was an antagonist, always going to be someone that we were unsure of was a really good move. It gave them something to explore the other characters, and explore this character, and every single time that they added something to the character, I was always impressed with the way they did it. And the Ben role, as well. They did great things with the two of those roles. And I’ve really loved what Michael’s done, actually.

One of the biggest things we’ve heard from readers is an outcry for the fact that you and Michael were robbed of the multiple nominations you so definitely deserve. I can’t imagine why you aren’t being celebrated as much as you have.
Thank you very much. I’ve had the best time, as far as people on the street, or people talking about the character. It’s the strangest thing, but very gratifying to get that kind of feedback. When you do theatre, you go back stage, and people will talk about it, whether or not they liked it, and they definitely let you know, haha, and a lot of times you’ll do television, which I’ve been doing forever, or film, and you never really hear, but with LOST, I hear it all the time. At first, I heard when I was hated, hahaha, and then as the character, they started to make her more and more and more and more and more kind of interesting, I would hear this “hey, I actually really liked that, I thought that was really cool” or someone walking down the street saying “you terrify me and I work with really scary people”, but all of that has been really fun. It’s been really great to play a character that people are interested in. And that is something that I really experience first hand. I have played characters that I’ve heard about, but not on this daily basis. I can’t explain it other than to say that it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.

Why do you think fans embraced your character so openly and the character that Michael plays so openly, when other characters (ahem, Nikki and Paulo…) don’t fare as well?
I really do think it was a setup for the other characters. I think that what happened is that we really fell in love with our survivors. We didn’t want to see more survivors. We wanted to see someone come in who was posing a threat or being something different. I just think we didn’t want to see other people, who weren’t going to be the people that we love, unless they were with the people we love, and I think that’s why they were so smart when they did the Ben and the Juliet characters, that they kind of dropped them in as these great antagonists, we were really worried about Ben and Juliet. And there’s a little bit of, not a thrill, but a sense of unease that goes through us when we see these two people interacting with the people that we actually really love. I think it was a particularly good setup for me. I was very surprised with how it turned out. You wouldn’t think that these characters would be remotely likeable, but the way they’ve written them, they’ve written in that.

I agree completely! When people ask me who my favorite characters are, never would I have thought to say Juliet and Ben in the beginning, but now hands down, I say Juliet and Ben every time.
They’re so interesting, I mean, they really are, and they keep writing them so interesting, they’re just really interesting people. And they keep that going. They keep going into what makes us identify with them, and we can’t believe we’re identifying with them, and then we’re feeling like we’ve really been cheated, and we can’t believe we like her. The minute anyone started to like Juliet, they turned it right around and were like “oh you were dumb to like her”. I love that, I thought that was great.

I love when a twist comes up like that, you’re right back where you started, and she has to redeem herself for me!
Absolutely, it’s like “She’s just bad news. Well, no she’s not.” I love all that, she’s really fun. I think it was fun for them. They had a very clear idea for what they wanted when they brought Juliet in and I think it was really fun for them that they got to continue to write for her in a way that they wanted to.

What’s coming up for Juliet in the fourth season?
A little bit more of the same with a new set of circumstances. Based on the end, we know that someone is coming to rescue everyone and that has to be dealt with. There’s more that happens in her relationships. There’s more that happens where we see, as it always is on LOST, a little more of who she is, and a little bit less of who she is. She skirts the line pretty nicely. She has been with the survivors for, well, I mean in LOST terminology, a little bit of time now. She’s a little bit more rougher, and I’m kind of enjoying that. There’s not a tremendous amount of makeup that goes in to that, there’s a lot of dirt.

I was wondering, do you have like six of the same dirty outfits that you have to wear?
I really do, I think I have four. They wash them, and they dirty them again, which I think is hilarious, too. So you think you’d be with these people, we might smell terrible, but no, everybody is all clean, it’s just movie dirt, but they do do a wonderful job of keeping us really really pretty filthy.

Do you have a flashforward or flashback that we will be seeing?
I do have one, yes!

Everybody thought that your two flashbacks from last year were some of the best of the season.
I really enjoyed mine last year. I really did think that they were some of my favorite work that I’ve ever done. I had such a good time.

Do you get a lot of direction when it comes to the motivation for your character or did you have to make a lot of it up on your own?
I did make up a lot of it on my own. And then there’s some of it that I got some great help with. Jack Bender is one of our great directors and he and I had worked together before and we worked pretty closely. And Steven Williams, the same thing. He directed the first flashback that I did, and Jack directed the second. We worked very closely in walking that line and making sure we didn’t go too far one way or the other, and I had very strong feelings about what I wanted and they were very clear about some things that I didn’t know, and it was a really nice collaboration. I think that the three of us had a really great time creating this character. And of course the writers, I mean that’s not to say that you don’t get everything on the paper because of lot of it is there.

I was reading the ABC site, just to get a little info on your bio. The character bio that they have up for Juliet made me laugh for about an hour. It says “Before crash – lived in the others community, fought with Ben about something, possibly their relationship” and then it says “on the island, helped break down Jack’s resistance.”

[laughter induced chat-break]

Did they give you more information than that when you were given this role?
[Elizabeth still laughing] Yes they gave me a bit more. If they don’t give you facts, they give you something emotionally equal. I knew that there was a reason that I had to help my sister. I wasn’t exactly sure what it was. They do give you a lot. You’ll call, and be like, ok guys, I have to have something, and they’ll tell you. I think they want to, because they have to keep all these secrets. I’m pretty good at keeping the secrets, so it’s kind of fun to hear, and then it’s also not, because I like the Christmas morning feeling, I like to be surprised.

In a normal season, when there’s no season, and there’s not shooting, how far ahead do you shoot?
Thinking about last year, we were a couple ahead, like two or three. This year, to have already done eight, and no one’s seen them is very strange. We can’t really talk about anything, because we haven’t had the first reveal about what’s going on which will happen on January 31!

I’m very excited…
I’m very excited!

At my house we have Thursday night viewing parties, so we’re all excited that Lost is moved to Thursday because now we have a reason to all be together to watch it!
Oh I love that! I’m glad it’s going to be Thursday too; it’s a really nice night. It’ll be a nice place for it to be, you have to have something comforting to watch.

Something you remember….
We’re in dire straights, under terrible circumstances.

What do you and Juliet have in common?
Probably, she has a stillness that I sometimes have. A way of being able to just sit and watch people, but she’s much better at it than I am. I think that I definitely want to put people at ease, whereas Juliet feels not remotely that compulsion at all, unless she can get something from it. I don’t know…I have very very strong ties to my family. I love them; I would do anything for them. I am captivated by them. That is kind of a driving force for Juliet so that certainly wasn’t hard to latch onto. Everything with her sister, I saw it on the page, and found it devastating just to read it. And I was like, I’m going to be a mess when we shoot this. That thing with the TV screen, and she thinks she’s dead, honestly, I read that, and was bawling my eyes out. I was like, this is crazy to do this to somebody. I mean, this is Ben, he did it, it’s crazy. I think that’s something, I love my family so much, and I think Juliet is that way condensed into one person, her sister.

Where do you think Juliet stands in regards to her alliance with Ben versus her alliance to Jack?
Sometimes I think it’s who is going to end up being stronger. I think her feelings for Jack are a surprise for her. I don’t know that she’s necessarily as controlled on that as she is about everything else. Her anger for Ben, her unbelievable rage for Ben kind of comes out every once in a while, but otherwise it just boils away under the surface. But if he were able to get her to her sister, do you know what I mean? Who knows, I don’t know, it’s kind of who holds the cards. I think there is stuff that is as yet unexplored with Jack. I think there’s a tenuous yet somewhat strong weird trust between the two of them, so we’ll have to see if that works out or not. I mean there’s obviously an attraction but I think there might also be a trust. It’s interesting. I really enjoy the two characters. The way they’ve written the two characters, there’s so much there. There’s so much chemistry. Just the way that they wrote them, they made them such equals. They made them free for combat and great for lovers.

All of those Kate and Jack fans are up in arms about the whole Jack and Juliet thing!
There is a lot of love with Jack and Kate and the way he cares for her and the way that she kind of looks up to him. It’s gorgeous. I love watching them together. At that’s why I think it was so interesting to bring in Juliet to create a completely different circumstance. You don’t get the feeling that Juliet looks up to Jack and you don’t get the feeling that he really takes care of her, but when he does, it’s kind of a surprise to her. I think both are incredibly valid, both are interesting, and I think they were wise to try something different, a true difference, a true problem, which I think is nice.

Right, they didn’t throw in an old boyfriend to ruin a budding love story, they had a new character that made Jack think.
I think it was a really interesting choice. I think they made a female version of Jack, though obviously, she’s not necessarily our hero, although we don’t know.

Is there anyone else that you haven’t gotten to spend a lot of time with that you’d like to?
Know what I really enjoyed? I had one tiny little moment with Hurley (Jorge Garcia) on the beach. He is so much fun. His timing is so good. He is such a pleasure to work with because he’s right there. I always thought Juliet and Sayid would be interesting together. I really loved working with Yunjin, I thought that brought out a wonderful side to Juliet. I loved working with Evangeline because she was almost like an irritated big sister, and I thought that was really fun, to kind of see what that particular relationship was like. Even the way the two of them move. You have wonderful Kate, who is scrappy, and so tough and strong and so scared but righteously certain, and I love that about her. And then you have Juliet kind of strolling next to her, very calm, very still, very not putting up much, putting forth anything. I liked watching the two of them together. I thought it was a fun mix for that episode.

Why should fans start watching now in Season 4?
I think now is a good time because the writers know exactly, not that they didn’t before, but with the end date, which very rarely happens, if ever, in television that you get to have a beginning a middle and an end, they are so ready and so set to take everybody on a ride, and I think that ride starts on the 31st. That’s how we felt watching it, that’s how we felt reading it. There was more talk this year than there was last year with the “oh yeahs”. It’s hurtling forward. It’s a rollercoaster. It might be a good time to join up, haha. People are like “oh it’s so complicated’ but it’s actually not so complicated in the simplest way of watching it. It can get more complicated if you choose. It’s basically these people trying to survive.

What actors or actresses do you look up to?
Emma Thompson. I just think she’s wonderful. Any of your funny ladies who also do beautiful work. I’m always pretty captivated by them. Who is not in love with Meryl Streep? Sophie’s Choice is one of my favorite movies. I find her stillness is really captivating. I really love, did you ever see Juliet Stevenson did a movie called Truly Madly Deeply?
?I haven’t seen it!
You know what, you’ll love it, you should go out and rent it! Bring a tissue box.

I love something that makes me cry, so I probably will love it!
It’s so lovely, and she’s with Alan Rickman. And I just, that performance is one of my favorites. It’s simple, it’s a simple small tiny little movie. It’s so freaking honest, and so not glossy or beautiful or any of the things that we fall into. It’s more just kind of this sweet, raw simple performance and I love it, I thought she was great.

What TV do you watch if you get downtime?
I watch 24 when it’s on. I love BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

Oh I love that show!
Love that show, didn’t at first, and then got completely hooked.

Exactly how I was.
Yeah! That’s pretty much it. I kind of sneak around and will watch a few things here and there. I watch GREY’S ANATOMY here and there. Sandra Oh especially. I think she’s just phenomenal. She’s done some things that just blow me away. I find her to be very brave and very interesting to watch as an actor. I have a two year old, so there’s not a lot, but there are things I get captivated by.

Anything coming up besides LOST?
No, there’s really not. I probably should have done something the last hiatus, but I was so thrilled to spend time with my 2 year old. Now with the writers’ strike, my hands are kind of tied. Probably nothing, not to say that I’m not always looking for stuff that I’m into. I read like crazy, so I think I’ve always been along the lines that some day I will probably do my own thing. It’s something for me to look forward to. It’s nice to be 37. I think there’s so much out there.

The whole attitude of Hollywood has changed in the past couple of years. A few years ago, it was all about 20s and 20-somethings, and now, people in their thirties are striving and having the time of their lives.
Yes, I think that we as women have kind of spoken. We don’t want this stuff. We’ll watch it, because who doesn’t enjoy youth, and that crazy vitality and hormonal rush that is being a young person, but there’s also a tremendous majority of people who are over the age of 30 and 40 who love their entertainment and who want to be entertained with people like them. I think that’s the way things should be. It’s nice to keep it a little more balanced.

Could there be a lovelier person on the planet? She’s so not the ruthless woman she plays on TV! Make sure you set your recorders/DVRs/PVRs/TiVos now for January 31 on ABC. I think we’re in for a fabulous season!

Attending Wednesday night’s party celebrating the launch of TERMINATOR THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES was akin to living out an episode of ENTOURAGE. From booze to babes and celebrities every-which-way this TV Addict was well, in TV heaven.

Not surprisingly, I wasn’t the only one.

Dancing away to the beat of his own drummer was TERMINATOR star Thomas Dekker [see video]. And following the year he had, who can blame him.

After surviving nine nerve-wracking auditions, an untimely Writer’s Guild of America work-stoppage and that whole HEROES controversy, the world is finally going to get to witness the fruits of Dekker’s labour as FOX launches their highly anticipated new series TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES.

“It’s not a big day, I’m just going to get some Chinese food,” joked Dekker when I sat down with him at Hollywood’s historic Roosevelt Hotel the following afternoon. “No actually, I’m terrified, I’m very excited and worried. It better do well after all of this!”

‘By all of this’ Dekker is of course referring to not only having shot the first nine episodes of the action-packed adrenaline rush that is THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES, but to his time spent over the last few weeks tirelessly promoting how the fight for the future begins tonight at 8PM on FOX.

Just how nervous is Dekker about stepping into the now iconic role of John Connor? “When I first heard about TERMINATOR, my initial reaction was f*ck, they’re going to ruin it. But when I talked to showrunner Josh [Friedman], director David [Nutter] and producer James [Middleton], learned why they wanted to make the show, what it was about and how much they cared, I couldn’t have been happier.”

Which is a good thing, because Dekker sits down with this TV Addict following three hours of non-stop interviews. “This is where as an actor you have to live with yourself and choose projects that you care about,” acknowledges Dekker. “I don’t mind talking for three hours about something I’m proud of and adore. But if I had to talk about something I was embarrassed of… that would not be good.”

Photo Credit: ©2007 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Jill Greenberg/FOX

Dekker will be happy to know that as of this posting, he’s got nothing to be embarrassed about. Negative reviews are few and far between, with the LA Times declaring that “the future looks bright for TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES” and The Hollywood Reporter concurring that “director David Nutter gets the series off to a rousing start, practically packing every frame with suspense, special effects and an urgency that drives this show like an incessant drumbeat.”

Not that big media seems to matter anymore. “Sites like yours [theTVaddict] have been so supportive,” explains Dekker. “It used to be back in the day that as long as you kept Entertainment Weekly and The Hollywood Reporter happy you’d be fine. But the Internet has given a voice to the public, the Internet is the future.”

Yes, the internet is truly a magical place when things are going well. But what about when controversy rears its ugly head? Is Dekker prepared for an entirely new level of fame? One where TMZ and PerezHilton make robots sent from the future look like child’s play.

“Yeah I’m not so much scared of it in my own life, because basically even with the little things I’ve done. I’m used to hearing the sh*t said about me, the lies.”

Cue awkward pause. Could Dekker possibly be referring to the controversy surrounding his role as Zach last year on HEROES? A situation that, if we’re to believe afterelton.com, points to Dekker’s managment requesting that HEROES “straighten up its gay character.”

“HEROES is a great example. This whole thing blew up around the internet and was compete bullsh*t. You can ask me, the HEROES people, I mean… that’s a whole other story, but I’m used to it,” elaborates Dekker. “On the other hand I get why it happens. But it’s disgusting. I think in a way we’ve gotten to a point that the only reality you can find is through the media and that’s very dangerous. There are no repercussions. You can say things about celebrities you would never say to a person’s face. That scares me. That people can commit acts in a complete non-reality. I’m prepared for a lot. Look in my personal life I’m nuts. Crazy clothes, I run around. I’m ready for a lot of sh*t.”

Which brings us full circle to Wednesday’s TERMINATOR launch. Hollywood parties, dancing the night away and Summmer Glau. The comparisons to Vincent Chase and his Entourage aren’t exactly a stretch.

“That was definitely not an entourage. My parents, my girlfriend, I don’t have Hollywood actor friends and I’m certainly not a Hollywood actor,” laughs Dekker. “Everyone’s warning me about this thing that’s about to blow up and I don’t really give a sh*t. I’m just glad to be on a good show and I feel I’m doing okay work.”

TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES Premieres Sunday January 13 at 8PM

Related Posts:
The TV Addict Reviews TERMINATOR: TSCC
The TV Addict Attends the TERMINATOR Launch Party

I’ll be the first to admit that the only reason I started watching The Unit was because it featured 24’s President Palmer and Felicity’s Noel Crane working side by side as members of a secret government organization . I have to say, though, that what keeps me coming back is the story of the wives and how they deal with their lives as a part of The Unit.

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Abby Brammell, who plays Tiffy Gerhardt (one of my favorites, second only to the amazing Regina Taylor’s Molly Blane). We spoke for a few minutes about what’s coming up for Tiffy, who Abby would choose (the Colonel or Mack), and what she does in her downtime.

My first question is what about Tiffy made you want to play this character?
She’s so troubled. I really gravitate towards the troubled, soul-searching character. I really like she was caught up in the affair and she was struggling with right and wrong. And also that she’s married to a soldier. That seemed really fantastic to me. I’ve always loved the kind of archetype of the warrior, so to be a warrior’s lady, is like pretty great, too.

It seems like it’s not an easy role to play, which I’m sure gives you a lot of rewarding challenges.
You have to kind of let go of what you think is right and wrong, and really just deal with trying to love your character. And accept them for who they are with all of the terrible mistakes they make. And not judge them. You really can’t judge your characters; you just have to love them and try to portray them as honest as possible. It’s hard.

You do it so well. You’re one of the characters that stands out. In a show with so many people, your character could have easily blended into the background.
Thank you very much!

How did you / do you prepare to play this character?
TV is show interesting. I don’t have to do much preparation. Sometimes I just open myself up, and use my own life experience and my own pain and my own joy, and just kind of tap into the human thing, the human heart. On TV you have very little time to prepare. You get the scripts maybe two days in advance, and you’ve gotta read it really fast, and look at all your scenes and figure out how you’re going to do it. I always say you’re pulling from a very shallow well in television. It’s great if your shallow well is kind of deep, then you’re blessed. It’s not really as in depth a preparation that you would need for a play or a movie. TV, in a way, is kind of easier than those other two things. So I don’t do a whole lot of preparation; just make sure I got my mind down, and make sure my emotional state is open and ready, and that’s really about it.

Do you have a favorite thing about your character?
I think I love that she’s a little bit reckless and she’s a little bit wild, and she doesn’t the straight and narrow path. She can’t. She’s driven to experience life to its fullest, and it gets her into trouble sometimes, I think. But I really enjoy people and characters that live life on the edge, because they are explorers of life and I love those kind of people, in real life, and on paper too.

Without giving too much away, can you tell us what’s coming up on the show?
We’re kind of still struggling with the death of Hector Williams. Tiffy has questions about why he died. She kind of questions the Colonel. There is going to be a little bit of a cutoff. She kind of decides to live life on her own, away from both Mack and the Colonel, so that’s going to be kind of interesting, to see how long that will last. I mean, I do have to relate to them some way, haha, it’s not a show about this woman on her own. It’s about a show relating to these soldiers, so hopefully, they’ll figure out a way to get me back in the arms of one of them. I think she’s going to go back with her husband, but I’m not 100% sure.

If you had to pick between Mack and the Colonel, who would you pick for Tiffy?
Oh that’s so hard. You can’t have your cake and eat it too!! Probably, because of the children, it would be Mack. Even though he’s hard, and not very communicative; he’s a little insane, but I think for the sake of the children, I would say I hope she ends up with Mack.

How has the strike affected you guys?
We finished 11 scripts, and then they shut us down. We’re just waiting until further notice. Hopefully, when negotiations start back up, we can come to some understanding and find a balance and go back to work.

Right, because you guys were officially given the back part of the season, too, right?
Yeah, we’re picked up for 22 episodes, and everybody wants to know what’s going on. It’s kind of time in limbo. We’re all wandering around in limbo!

What else is coming up for you?
I would love to be doing some theatre, or a movie. Right now, a couple of auditions for movies that have already been written. It’s so hard because everything’s kind of shutting down for the holidays and there are some scripts that are written, but there’s not a whole lot that’s happening because of the strike. Just kind of trying to relax and enjoy my family.

How did acting become a career goal for you – was there a moment where you said “I want to be an actress” or was it a gradual thing?
No, it was when I was 12 years old and I saw Phantom of the Opera in Toronto, and I just knew. I knew, I just knew that’s what I’m on this planet for, haha. I didn’t know how to go about making it happen really, but it was definitely one of those light bulb moments. I knew I would be an actor, a stage actor and whatever else that meant. The dream was always to be on the stage, and then I guess movies. I never really said “I want to be a TV star” growing up, haha, but you know, I’ll take it. Hey, it’s great work, and it’s amazing to be able to do what I love.

Who would you love to work with in the future?
That’s so funny that you ask that – I was telling someone the other day that I would love to work with Sean Penn. Sean Penn, Cate Blanchett. Cate Blanchett, she’s like my hero, she’s amazing [editor’s note – I would totally buy Abby as Cate’s sister or cousin or something in some sprawling epic…]. Johnny Depp. I wish I knew some of the directors; I can’t think of any of the directors’ names. I have to write down a list for these kinds of situations ha. It would be good to work with some friends of mine, who went to school with me, who are making it big. Zach Quinto, he’s on Heroes [Sylar, for those of you not watching]. You know, it would be so fun to do a project with him. Like relive our old college days.

When you have downtime, what are some of your favorite shows?
I like shows on the History Channel, haha; I like Heroes. I was watching Weeds for a little bit. I don’t think I have any regular shows. The Unit, hahaha, I watch The Unit a lot, every week. The Twilight Zone. They have old episodes of The Twilight Zone; I love catching one of those. Those are great. I’m usually a spontaneous television viewer. I don’t really have a schedule.

What do you do for fun when you have downtime?
I like to hike with my dog. And hang out with my husband. We just bought a house, so a lot of my downtime is fixing up this old house built in 1904. We’re kind of slowly trying to get it to the place where we’re comfortable with everything. That’s a lot of work and it takes a lot of patience so that’s been fantastic. It’s like a new hobby. And I meditate a lot. I have a regular meditation practice I do. I just kind of breathe and enjoy life.

Bringing it back to the show to wrap it up, why should people get involved in The Unit, and start watching, or watch more regularly?
I think people should watch the show as an example of a show that’s really got a great balance of the masculine and the feminine elements. They’re really wonderful portrayals of both of those types of energies. You have all of the war stuff, which is so masculine, and you also have the women at home, which is really feminine. But they go back and forth. The women have to take on the very masculine roles at home, where they’re actually paying the bills and they’re doing all the, traditionally, things that are related to the masculine side, in a traditional sense. The men, they’re so close and compassionate for their brothers in arms that they almost have a feminine quality of compassion. There’s a lot going on in terms of the human experience and I think it’s a fascinating study in that. I highly recommend it.

The Unit airs on CBS at 9PM between NCIS and before Cane. Check it out!

A funny thing happened to me over the summer – I fell for a little show called The Game. I have always been a fan of Girlfriends – seriously, I watch it in reruns almost every single day. So I’m not sure why I hadn’t picked up on its spin-off, but once I did, I added it to the ever-growing/constantly changing DVR schedule.

I spent some time on the phone this past Black Friday (after 7 hours of ridiculous shopping) with one of the stars of the show, Hosea Chanchez (who plays mama’s boy / Saber’s quarterback Malik Wright), about his show, his career goals, and why he thinks you should all be watching!

How are things going with the show?
Hosea Chanchez: Well, we’re on strike, haha. But the show is going wonderful. We have been the number one series on the CW, the number one comedy now.

It’s a show where people weren’t sure how it was going to do, because spin-offs don’t always do so well. But it’s so independent of the show it came from (Girlfriends), that it’s really found its own home.
Right, right, exactly.

What about Malik made you want to play this character?
What made me want to play him, first of all, I thought initially he was so much like myself. Not externally, but internally, he was so much like myself. He was a mama’s boy, he was dependent on his mom, who hasn’t quite grown up yet, a big kid, a kid at heart. Just really trying to find where he fits in, in life. Not just in the NFL, and with his mom, but just basically trying to find a way for himself to be his own person, to be who he is as an individual. That was my space and time at that exact time. Plus I thought it would be a lot of fun, just playing someone who is ego driven, can say whatever he wants to say, do whatever he wants to do, because that’s not me; someone who does not think before he speaks.

Sometimes you wish you could do that all the time, don’t you?
Right! Everybody wishes that they could do that.

Going along those lines, what’s your favorite thing about Malik?
There’s a certain innocence about him that I respect and I like a lot. Just off of him, just being a mama’s boy and being sheltered from a lot and having only his mom to depend on. That was pretty much me. I had my grandparents. My grandparents raised me, but it was just me and my mom at times. It was just us. No father figure, no dad, other than my Granddad, but if you look at the fact of the matter, I really only had one parent and that was my mom. His dependency on his mom; which, he’s actually trying to gain independence right now, but yeah, that’s what I like the most about him.

I read a bit about how you wanted to become an actor. You were pretty young when you realized – was there something specific, or was it just a general feeling?
It was just a general feeling – my favorite TV show from adolescent years was The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. In particular, what Will Smith did. I enjoyed watching him. That’s kind of how I was. I was kind of the one that entertained my family. I was the one that was always cracking jokes, always looking for something to entertain my family and my friends. School really wasn’t my thing. School wasn’t my thing. Not that I got the worst grades, I just didn’t feel like I fit in, I just didn’t want to be in school, haha. I always wanted to be clowning around and enjoying myself. The thing that made me want to be an actor – it wasn’t anything in particular, just the entertainment aspect of it.

How did you break in? What is your story of how you ended up on the West Coast?
I just made a decision to move to LA. There was nothing anybody was going to do about it. That’s what I wanted to do; I wanted to be an actor. I knew in order to be an actor I had to be in California, so that’s the decision I made.

And it paid off, which is great. Because sometimes you get the horror stories of people who are out there forever, and it doesn’t.
I didn’t even give myself like 5 or 10 years. I didn’t give myself a time limit. I just knew that at the end of the day, I wanted to pursue my dreams at any cost. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, and I knew it wasn’t going to be without some sort of sacrifice. I made up my mind to do it, and that’s what I did. I don’t think I made.

Where do you see your career taking yourself in the next few years?
Films and producing. Not necessarily producing the films that I’m in. Hopefully, I’ll be fortunate enough to do that. But definitely doing some films. Some really good studio films and some independent films. And definitely producing – I started a production company.

Who would you like to work in the future?
I’d love to work with Will Smith, Laurence Fishburne, Don Cheadle, and Clive Owen.

Right there are some of the best actors of our generation.
Some of the best actors. These are the people that I look up to. These are the people that when I think of my career, where I’m going and what I want to do, these are the people that inspire me to do better. They are the ones that inspire me to stay on top of my game, they are the ones that inspire me to learn more about my craft, and not just feeling like I’ve made it. I’ve said that I never felt like I made it. Making it is waking up and every day, bettering yourself and being able to go to work. That’s what I’m doing, and those are the people that I look up to that inspire me to be a better artist, and not just be complacent with my TV show.

What’s coming up for Malik?
The very last episode that we shot will be a good twist and turn for all of our characters. My character – I will say, loses a little of his power, and he realizes that he does not control everything. It’s really hard to talk about what’s happening right now, because we stopped dead. We stopped the show, mid-arcs for everybody. Everybody was headed in a certain direction and we stopped the show. By now, we’d have an extra four shows in the can already, unfortunately, and it’s kind of hard to tell what’s going to happen because we don’t know.

I think nobody knows, everybody’s a little scared about what’s coming up.
Nobody knows, we stopped right at the point where we’re all going in our own different moves. The episode that aired with me firing Tasha – you get to see the beginning of that, but you know, none of these stories, with any of our characters, they don’t conclude

On one hand, that’s kind of a good thing, because people are going to want to come back, I mean, to find a silver lining. What would you say to someone who hasn’t watched the show yet, or who has casually watched it – what’s a really good reason to get involved?
It is, I think, one of the best executed shows that show, I could say, multi-cultural, multi-faceted characters, in one world, all struggling to find their own place. The reason I would say you should watch the show, is it’s a damn good show. It keeps you laughing, it is the perfect mixture of drama, comedy. You can be laughing in one moment, and the next moment it turns extremely serious. It’s not a sitcom. It’s not a show that goes punch, punch laugh. It’s not that type of show. It’s a very real setting. Clearly, we’re a comedy, so we have to have comedic factors. That’s what makes it gold, that’s what makes it great, because it’s hard to accomplish that, with a purity and an honesty. That’s where all of these characters in this show come from. And the show is made for basically no money, haha! Our budget’s not great and look at the product. Mara Brock Akil, and her husband Salim Akil, who is our director, he’s directed every episode so far, they set a tone for this show that is one of the best tones I’ve ever seen, for this amount of money. I’ve not seen anything on this network, and on this network, with this budget that pulls off what they pull off.

I wouldn’t have known it was a low budget show – it doesn’t seem it.
It doesn’t. And Dan Dugan, our producer. They have vision for the show and that makes all the world of difference.

What other shows do you watch when you have free time?
Two of my favorite shows are on FX, outside of my show. One of them is Nip/Tuck and the other is Damages. I fit a little bit of reality TV in now and then. I love American Idol, when it’s down to the last couple people. I think it’s one of the best executions for a reality show. Heroes. I watch Heroes. I’m about to erase it from the TiVo. And one other show Pushing Daisies. It’s like a Tim Burton film. It’s very mythical and magical. Dark, gritty, and magic.