STNDRD ISSUE 4 THE STNDRD VOLUME 4 | Page 107

Riddick Genre Heroines Katee Sackhoff has had a huge impact on the roles actresses are allowed to play in current genre storytelling. Here are some other female contributors we are fans of. Carrie Fisher There may not be a more iconic woman in all of science fiction than Princess Leia in the Original Star Wars trilogy. Star Wars is a cultural phenomenon and remarkably has very few women playing integral parts in the six-film saga. The lack of feminine roles helped to make Fisher’s Leia truly memorable and celebrated. Sigourney Weaver Weaver’s part in four Alien pictures is a rare example of a woman getting the chance to headline a genre franchise. In the late 70s, when the first Alien was released, a female protagonist in this type of picture was extremely rare, if not unheard of. She helped to pave the way for current actresses headlining action films, like Kate Beckinsale. Sarah Michelle Gellar Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s impact on modern television and popular culture is often underrated. So many current trends in genre storytelling can be first traced back to this classic show about a teenage girl who must confront various monsters. Gellar was a huge part of the show’s success and she made Buffy one of the alltime great heroines. The sci-fi film Riddick is the third installment of the successful Vin Diesel-led series. Katee Sackhoff joins the Riddick franchise as the dangerous bounty hunter Dahl. The actress is in no way a stranger to the sci-fi genre. Millions of sci-fi geeks worship Katee because of her iconic role as Kara ‘Starbuck’ Thrace on the classic television series Battlestar Galactica. Her truly convincing portrayal of the hard nosed rogue heroine on Galactica has defined her career and made her one of the top action stars in Hollywood. We spoke with Katee about her on-screen persona and her most recent project. Are you as strong in reality as the characters you play on TV and in films? I think there is a side of me that’s tough, but when it comes to my health...I get really freaked out. I do crazy things like jump off cliffs and ride motorcycles, but emotionally, I’m not very strong. I don’t have bravado like my characters. Is it unfair that you have been labeled a “tough” actress just because you play strong female characters so often? Life isn’t fair—the older you get the more you realize that’s a true statement. I try not to focus on it too much, but it is frustrating. For the first part of my career everyone thought I was a lesbian; I don’t find that offensive, but I do find it offensive that people only thought that because of the characters I play. Did you have any concerns about joining an established franchise like Riddick? Did you worry about fitting in and not messing up the successful formula of these films? Not really. I loved these movies [Riddick series] and have been a huge fan of Vin Diesel for a long time. I remember watching Pitch Black as a kid and wanting to be in that movie. To be a part of it ten years later is what I love about this business. There are a ton of things I hate about this business, but then you have a moment that shows you why you do it. Did you enjoy playing Dahl? She’s a little crazy. I loved playing a character that did whatever the hell she wanted and did it right the first time. That’s something interesting that I have never played...I usually play a character that screws up a bunch and finally figures it out. This is a character that asks questions second and never apologizes. She is by far the toughest character I have ever played. You obviously have had a lot of experience, and a whole lot of success within the sci-fi genre. Is it possible to understand what makes a project like Riddick successful or what makes it unsuccessful? I find that audiences today expect more from their movies. As long as a movie like Riddick stays true to its core...it’s going to be fine. You have to constantly ask yourself, ‘in our world, does this fit?’ If it fits I think audiences will enjoy it—if it doesn’t—you are going to take the audience out of the movie. No. 107 THE STNDRD LIFESTYLE - THE ARTIST ISSUE Resized 9.00004 by 11.0 to 9.0 by 10.875 and Adjusted to 98.8% Vertical and 100% Horizontal 117_TSM_Issue4_Full.indd 107 8/8/13 2:34 PM