Katee Sackhoff: I just love strong female characters

MANILA, Philippines - “I grew up on science-fiction with my dad,” Katee Sackhoff told Conversations at the same Riddick junket. She plays Dahl, the second-in-command and sniper on the crew of Riddick’s nemesis Boss Johns (played by Matt Nable of Killer Elite fame). “And,” she added, “in fact, the first movie that my dad showed me was Predator when I was about five years old. I love movies with strong female characters, that’s why I love the Riddick series because it has them the entire time.”

Best known for her role as Captain Kara “Starbuck” Thrace in the hit series Battlestar Galactica, Katee beat more than a hundred auditionees for the role of Dahl. Asked how she did it, Katee started laughing.

“I got my ways,” she said. “You know…I don’t know. I wish I knew…I wish I could bottle it up and do it again for every audition I do for the rest of my life. But you know, sometimes things just work and sometimes you’re just right for the role.”

Was she internalizing the character during the audition?

“Oh gosh, yeah a little bit, you know. I mean, not so much, though. The audition process is a very interesting thing because you are sitting on a chair like this,” referring to the high chair she was seated on during the interview, “and you feel like you’re flying a space ship.”

In Riddick, Katee is not just “ornamental” as some actresses usually are in action films. Her character is just as important as those of the male cast (including Dave Batista, the half-Filipino wrestler popularly known as The Animal who is one of Vin’s opponents in the fight scenes).

She said, “I would say that my character Dahl cements the image of actresses playing characters that strengthens women empowerment. It’s a very interesting thing because I’ve been playing strong-woman characters since I was young, so I’ve never seen a lack of them,” adding that she would love to play more super-woman roles. “I can’t imagine myself playing a weak character.”

How did she condition herself for such a highly physical role?

“I worked out a lot, twice a day, two months before the shoot. I ate a lot of food because I knew that I would be burning a lot of calories for the movie.”

Working with Vin Diesel and, as she put it, “those big guys” was a big challenge.

“The big guys are great! I enjoy their company. Vin is amazing, a fantastic guy and a great actor. I love him. All the other big guys were my Teddy Bears and they were the ones who took care of me the most.”

On the set, according to Katee, Vin was fun.

“He is wearing many different hats for this movie, not the least being the actor and the producer. He worked really hard but at the same time he’s a hysterically funny person. He likes to laugh as much as anybody else. Never intimidating.”