Photo: Nicole Radja

Canadian-born actor Tahmoh Penikett is most recognized as Helo, father of the sole human/Cylon hybrid baby in Battlestar Galactica. But this past Friday, Penikett was introduced to a whole new world of geekdom in the series premiere of Joss Whedon’s new show Dollhouse. In the show, Penikett plays Paul Ballard, an FBI agent obsessed with uncovering the existence of the titular organization, which rents out programmable humans for any and all purposes. I sat down with Penikett on the eve of the show’s premiere to discuss Battlestar, Dollhouse and what it’s like to be the go-to guy for Friday sci-fi.

TOC: In the first few episodes Paul is separate from the main Dollhouse storyline. What’s that been like as an actor?
TP: Paul’s on this mission by himself. He’s very much a lone wolf. I think it helps as the actor at the beginning of the season, working by myself and separated from the rest of the cast.

TOC: Why do you think that he’s so intent on discovering the truth the about The Dollhouse?
TP: I think, ultimately, that will be one of the most compelling and interesting parts of Paul’s storyline. Why is he so affected by it personally? There’s obviously something that happened in his past that relates to what the Dollhouse represents and it drives and motivates him on a personal level.

TOC: Before the reshoot of the pilot happened, there were clips floating around the Internet of a scene between you and Echo, but now it seems like that meetup has been delayed a bit. When are we going to see that?
TP: You’re not going to have wait for very long to finally have an initial encounter. Speculation aside, the overall storyline and what the writers and Joss were aiming to do, is pretty much the same. Once we get about midseason, the fifth, sixth episode, it finds its feet again and the show really gets back on the path and the course that they wanted. I think it leaves the audience with something to look forward to. It’s a smarter choice.

TOC: A lot of the fan response to the time slot has been reactionary because of the way things happened with Firefly. But you’ve had a lot success on Friday night with Battlestar Galactica…
TP: I think Friday’s the best night ever. Friday’s going to be excellent for us, that’s all there is to it. What I also hope, though, is that people aren’t influenced by all this speculation that Friday is a bad night and people that aren’t genre fans give the show a chance. It’s going to be an excellent procedural drama/action show.

TOC: You’re probably best known to American audiences for Battlestar. Do you feel like this new character is a chance to show a different side of you?
TP: Oh, absolutely. There’s similarities between the two and, obviously, it’s still Tahmoh Penikett playing the character, but they’re very different. Helo is the type of guy who’s got such a sense of right and wrong. But he’s a driven family man. Paul is very much alone and I think he chooses to be alone. Paul’s an intelligent, capable special agent, but he’s made some mistakes. He’s got a short fuse. He is quick to bend the rules and be heavy-handed in his tactics of getting information out of people and interrogation. That’s interesting. How far is this guy willing to go?

TOC: Between Battlestar and Dollhouse, what’s it like to be the sci-fi guy on Friday nights, at least for the next several weeks?
TP: I’m just really proud to be at the point in my career where that’s the case. I think it’s a pretty special thing that both these excellent shows and these two amazing creators are complementing each other’s work by having them back to back, without even intentionally doing it. I’ve been on a mission ever since I got this gig to remind [the Dollhouse audience] that the creator, this brilliant man that you so admire, he thinks Battlestar’s probably the best thing that’s ever been done.

TOC: Joss has gotten a lot of notoriety for the musical episode of Buffy and now Dr. Horrible. Are you preparing for the possibility of having to sing in a future episode?
TP: I’m always asked this question. I don’t know if audiences are going to be very happy to hear me sing, but I’ll do it. If Joss has me singing, I’ll sing. I think it’ll be funny if I do, but yeah. I’ll probably be the funniest part of the show.

TOC: In addition to Dollhouse and Battlestar, you’ve had appearances in Smallville and Stargate, are you a big sci-fi fan?
TP: Always have been.

TOC: What was your favorite stuff when you were a kid?
TP: Well, I grew up in the Yukon, in the North and we didn’t have cable television. We had the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which is CBC, and one thing that they aired was Star Trek. I watched every single original Star Trek [episode] many times when I was a kid. It was something I looked forward to.

I’ve told this story many times, but I remember seeing Blade Runner for the first time when I was a kid and that movie had such a profound affect on me. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen. And it was one of those times where I thought, “I want to be an actor. I want to do what they do. I want to be a storyteller.” The performances in there are exceptional. Rutger Hauer, his performance, it’s the most beautiful performance he’s ever done. The most truthful, spellbinding, intricate and scary performance he’s ever done. It’s still moving to think about it. You don’t even want to know how many times I’ve seen it. That shows you how big of a geek I am.

And Edward James Olmos, man, you get that very small, cameo appearance. He’s only shown briefly and, man, you’re curious about that guy. And that shows the beauty and the power of our art form and what the best can do with it. I can’t tell you how big of a deal that was to me. Eddie’s been an incredible mentor to me, he’s taught me so much and he’s an excellent friend now.

TOC: Do you have any hints on what we can expect from Helo in these last few episodes?
TP: There’s some big surprises coming up. I know that you’ve heard it already, but it’s not done, and it’s far from predictable. He’s going to be taken to his limits. There’s going to be big turns in the storyline.

TOC: Joss has been a really vocal Battlestar fan. Has he or anybody else on Dollhouse been needling you for hints about the end of the show?
TP: Joss is famous for not wanting spoilers. The other day we were doing a signing at ComicCon. Right at the beginning of the panel [he says], “Don’t tell me anything, don’t tell me anything,” because he’s two episodes behind because we’ve been so busy lately. One of the Battlestar fans came up at the signing and said “Oh my god, I can’t believe this happened, why did this happen?” and Joss was so upset. He was actually quiet for 15 minutes. He was just sitting there like this [Puts his head down].

Dollhouse airs Fridays at 8pm on Fox. Battlestar Galactica airs at 9pm on Sci-Fi. Read our BSG recaps here.