Recently I had the chance to talk with Nicki Clyne about her time as part of the cast of Battlestar Galactica and her new series Personal Space.
Q: Tell us some about your new project Personal Space and your character.
Nicki: Personal Spaceis a sci-fi comedy web-series that centers around the crew of a generation ship that is mandated to conduct therapy sessions with the onboard therapy computer. We start the show just as the second shift is taking over, after being in cryo-sleep for 25 years, and I play Gail Gartner, the commander of the second shift. Besides the quirky characters and typical problems that arise when smart people are in tight quarters, the twist is that since they left Earth, the mission has been sold to a private corporation and all their “therapy sessions” are now being broadcast to Earth as a reality show. It also becomes evident that the therapy computer is more prone to instigate than diffuse the conflicts among the crew. Similar to my role as Cally on Battlestar Galactica, Gail starts out a little wide-eyed and approaches her job with an earnest commitment, but as the problems pile up and she faces more extreme challenges, we start to see more sides of her.
Q: What was the most fun part of shooting it?
Nicki: My whole experience, from start to finish, on this project was a lot of fun. What first got my attention was how passionate the creators were about the project, and how specific they were with their vision. I had never done a Kickstarter before, so it was neat to learn about that process, and humbling to see how much support we got from family, friends and fans. And as far as shooting goes, I was really excited to work with the other actors, especially after spending two days talking to the camera alone. I felt like every actor embodied their character so perfectly, and it was amazing to see it all come together. I also had a blast doing the zero gravity scenes where we had to hang from wires and pretend to be floating. So, the answer is yes, I do my own stunts.
Q: What was it like working with Richard Hatch?
Nicki: Working with Richard was, as always, a gift. He was such a talented performer in every way, and he committed 100 percent to every take. (I first wrote that sentence in present tense; it’s almost impossible to believe he’s gone.) I feel so fortunate and grateful to have shared this time with him. We had been friends for quite a while, but never worked together directly. And even though he wasn’t feeling well, he was still so generous and humble. He was always interested in people, their backgrounds, what they wanted out of life, and always had words of encouragement to help people feel more confident and connected. He left behind a sea of stories from people whose lives he’d touched in transformative ways.
Q: What's your most fond memory of working on BSG?
Nicki: I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I have so many fond memories of working on BSG—and that’s just what I can remember! Aaron Douglas (who played my husband, the Chief) and I had a lot of fun together. Thank goodness since most of our scenes were together. We played a lot of jokes on each other and tried to crack each other up, and I think our chemistry came across in a really sweet way onscreen. Anytime Edward James Olmos had a speech, it was always very moving. I loved watching him work and learned so much by how he conducted himself on set. He is a leader whether the cameras are rolling or not. Also, on just a practical level, I really liked doing the physical stuff. Whether it was running through the forest from cylons or flying through space; maybe I missed my calling as a stunt person!
Q: And I ask everyone this- Marvel or DC?
Nicki: Oh, come on, that’s almost as mean as asking to choose between Star Trek and Star Wars. Sorry to be lame, but I’m going to plead the Fifth just in case I’m ever offered a super hero role — I wouldn’t be partial.