Tahmoh Penikett Talks About Galactica Beginnings
8 April 2005
One of the surprise story lines of the re-imagine series Battlestar Galactica is the role that Tahmoh Penikett has managed to retain. Those who watched the mini series will recall that Tahmoh's character Lt. Karl ‘Helo' Agathon was left behind and assumed dead by time the end of the mini series came round. However due to popular demand Helo was brought back and his journey through Cylon Occupied Caprica, [that's a planet in Vancouver Canada by the way.] along with his alliance with Boomer [Grace Park] wound up playing a fairly major role in the re-imagined Battlestar show.
Many people who have viewed the new show in its entirety have noted somewhat of a good onscreen chemistry amongst the cast, this kind of chemistry can often make or break a TV series, and Tahmoh reassures fans that the friendships made while filming both the Galactica Mini series and the TV show are very solid, and had such an impact on him that he could hardly wait to return to film the series.
“It was so exciting to come back to so the series.” He told Starbursts Magazines Steven Eramo in a recent interview.
“My first day of work was spent filming in the forest of North Vancouver . It wasn't the warmest of days and it was raining, plus we had rain towers set up. We put in a 15 hour day and it was just gruelling, but that was exactly what I needed. I mean Helo was in rough shape, so the conditions around me were ideal. As an actor I didn't have to bring in any extra ‘stuff' to work with. It was all there for me. I was cold, tired and we were working extremely hard. It was such a neat experience.”
The story arc which revolves around Helo is a key element which plays out straight the very end of the first season, but one thing that made the arc work so well was camaraderie between Helo and Cylon Boomer. However how Boomer came to be both onboard Galactica and on the planet Caprica is not established until the second episode Water. Temoh revealed that he and Grace Park have a good friendship going on which is just as well when you see some of the intense scenes which they have to act in.
“It's established in this story that their ship has been taken and they have to find another way off Caprica. Of course working with Grace Park is always a pleasure. We bonded right away in boot camp and I think that shows in our on – screen relationship.”
What has not necessarily been revealed as of yet is that Peniketts character eventually does make it back to the Galactica, but has to face yet more hardship before that happens. “Helo's and Boomer's situation gets worse,” he says. “At one point they lose each other again and it's unclear if they'll ever be reunited, so stay tuned.”
As to what will happen in the further adventures of Helo, Penikett is as excited to find out as the ‘New Galactica Fans' are. “I can hardly wait to find out what they have in store for my character next year.”
The whole of this interview where the actor talks about the auditions process and his time with the other cast members in boot camp is in the new issue of Starburst Magazine which is out now in all good stores throughout the UK .
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