MeeVee

MeeVee Exclusive! Interview with Battlestar Galactica's Grace Park
3-23-2007

Lieutenant Junior Grade Sharon "Boomer" Valerii is dead. And yet she just had a baby. Oh, and she's a robot.

No, this isn't your typical soap opera. This is a modern-day space opera.

This Sunday, Battlestar Galactica celebrates its third season finale. If the twists and turns of the plotline have gotten you dizzy (like Sharon's life), then worry not: Grace Park, the actress behind Valerii's amazing transformation -- make that transformations -- will bring you back down Earthside. The Korean American actress portrayed no less than three different characters, all of them Cylons (the robotic alien race bent on the destruction of humanity). But somehow, she and the viewers have kept it all straight. In this exclusive interview at the SciFi Channel Upfronts, Vito Delsante chats with Grace about politics, fans, and her love of sci-fi.

How do you feel your character arc has gone this year?
GP: Can I say "out of this world?" Out in orbit and back a few times! It's been so astounding playing two characters, and then just when one dies, she actually comes back! Add to that having to recreate everything that has happened in that [character's] time frame. And then the other [character arc] which is seemingly so simple, running around on the planet with Helo (Lt. Karl Agathon, portrayed by Tahmoh Penikett). It just seemed like a nice break from the Battlestar. And the arc that's developed with Sharon -- having a child and a family and ultimately, holding up a candle for hope for the unification of these two races [the humans and the Cylons] that have been so bloodied and destroyed -- it's so beautiful.

Have you worked within the sci-fi genre before?
GP: You know, I have done a lot of sci-fi stuff before and I didn't realize it! I've done Stargate SG-1, Andromeda, Outer Limits, and Dark Angel.

Do you like working within that genre specifically?
GP: I definitely love it! I think that if you can let your imagination go, it becomes so much fun because there's so much play involved with acting. We're in entertainment, right? If you take it too seriously, you might stay away from the sci-fi shows, but it's so fun!

Have you attended any of the fan conventions?
GP: I've gone to Comic-Con International in San Diego, and it's such a blast! I'd love to spend more time there.

What has the fan reaction been like?
GP: The fans are so supportive. I feel like they're very devoted to the show and the characters. And they're so loyal and smart! [On Battlestar Galactica], not everything is solved in one episode. If anything, we create more problems, so you have to watch more than one episode to get more out of the show and to get a sense of resolution.

Are the fans responsive to the show's political implications?
GP: I love it! And I think that's what keeps a lot of our viewers interested. Growing up in the States, we're exposed to political agendas on a daily basis, and if it's not on our soil, it's on someone else's. So, if anything, it's a forum for us to be able to see what Battlestar is putting out there. It opens the gates for us to discuss whether or not it's a commentary on us, as a people, and open up the discussion.

Is it hard to divorce yourself from your own politics and just do the work?

GP: No, because playing Sharon, I don't have such a heavy political agenda like Mary McDonnell (President Laura Roslin) or James Callis (President Gaius Baltar). Being a robot takes me out of that! [laughs] But probably not for long!

What's on Grace Park's TV must-watch list?
GP: I've TiVoed Inside the Actors Studio, but I have yet to watch it. I love it, but I have to make time for it!