Katee Sackhoff. Photo: Getty Images
Katee Sackhoff is best known for playing kick-ass female characters. As proven by her roles in science fiction series like Battlestar Galactica to action-packed 24 and crime drama Longmire, Sackhoff is clearly attracted to characters who stand strong and hold their own. It's a great claim to fame and her latest persona is no different. Sackhoff plays a tough mercenary named Dahl in Riddick, the third sequel in the Vin Diesel sci-fi franchise. In Riddick, out today, Sackhoff is the sole female character, fighting alongside muscled actors like Dave Bautista on a hostile alien planet. Their mission: Capture Diesel's titular character Riddick. In the film, Sackhoff beats up dudes, fires a lot of weapons and refuses to be objectified by her male counterparts.
We spoke with a tired Sackhoff during a recent promo stint for the film ("My face doesn't hurt—yet," she said) about what it's like to play these resilient characters and how she prepared for the role. As for her next film? The actress has a few things in the works, including some producing projects, but what she's really looking for is to join the cast of a musical—which is a very different sort of kickass female character.
What attracted you to this role?
I love the fact that you have a woman surrounded by men. They've given her so many of the characteristics we've seen strong women have before, but—Riddick aside—she's stronger than all these men. I love that. And I love that she's unapologetic about it.
Throughout the film the audience doesn't really learn that much about Dahl. How much of a backstory did you create for her in your head?
Quite a bit, actually. Vin sat everybody down in the very beginning and said "Once the script's handed to you and you have the role, nobody's ever going to know this character as well as you do. Do your work, figure out who she is, why she does what she does, and if you've done your work, then you're going to be right." A lot of times directors and producers don't realize how much just giving someone trust and ownership in a character inspires them to give even better work.
Are there any characteristics of Dahl you connected with on a personal level?
So few! She's a crazy, tough bitch. But she makes a phenomenal number two. She's smart enough to know that she doesn't make the best leader, but that she follows very well. Sometimes in the world when everybody's trying to be a leader they start butting heads and sometimes it's best to get in line. And that's something that I definitely subscribe to every once in a while.
How much of a challenge is it to be the only female character in the movie?
The biggest challenge is just realizing that you're, for the most part, the estrogen core of a movie. It's pretty daunting. I try to play all the roles that I play in such a way that women identify with them and they can relate to them. When you're the only woman in a movie there's a lot of different personalities you're trying to speak to. So you're trying to be the best you can and hope it works for all these women. You want to find a through line with women and that's in [Dahl's] internal strength. That sets her apart from the men.
What did you do to physically prepare for the role?
Knowing the guys they were casting in the movie I realized I needed to add some mass and some size to myself to not get lost on screen. I just ate a lot of food and my trainer had me lifting heavier than I'd ever lifted before. I actually had an ex-football player come up to me in the gym and call me crazy and ask me what the hell I was doing because I was lifting so heavy.
So that's not your typical workout?
Oh, hell no. Normally I just go hiking with my little chihuahua and that's enough for me. I'm a lot more girly in my working out than I used to be. I'm too old for that [stuff].
What is it about the science fiction genre that keeps you coming back?
I ask myself the same questions all the time. I've got five scripts sitting at home for potential work to do in the next year or two, and it's a split down the middle with half science fiction and half romantic comedy. I'm just more driven to science fiction. I find that the women and the characters tend to be more well rounded a lot of the time. Not all of the time, but a lot of the time.
Is there a genre you've never done before that you hope to do in the future?
I would love to just do straight comedy. And I also love musical theater. I would love to be in any one of these musical movies that are coming out. I'd love to do A Chorus Line or Chicago. Les Mis was beautiful and I absolutely loved that. There's so many of these movies coming out that I absolutely love.
Is your own style similar to that of the characters you play?
Not much. I grew up in Oregon, so I have an element of hippy. That bohemian thing has always permeated my style. I love big gold jewelry. I wear a lot of heels and a lot of dresses, but at the same time I love wearing shorts and tennis shoes. I don't think I have a very distinct sense of style—it's more what fits the day and what's inspiring me that day.
How much does a costume help you channel your character in a film like Riddick?
It's incredibly important. If somebody puts you in the wrong wardrobe it can destroy everything you had in your mind about who this person is.
Have you ever stolen an element of style from one of your characters?
The characters I play are much too masculine for anything I would actually wear. I do have chaps at home, but they're actually for riding a motorcycle. Not just for wearing around!
