Editing Grace Park

{{Cast Data
|stargate=1
|dark_angel=1
| image=Grace Park.jpg
| character= [[Number Eight]]<br/>{{callsign|Boomer}}<br/>{{callsign|Athena}}
| born_month= 03
| born_day= 14
| born_year= 1974
| nationality= CA
| sortkey= Park, Grace
| imdb= 0661825
| series=TRS
}}

'''Grace Park''' (born March 14, 1974 in Los Angeles, California) is an actress who portrays the various [[Number Eight]] Cylons, notably {{callsign|Athena}} and {{Callsign|Boomer}}, in the [[Re-imagined Series]].

Born in Los Angeles, California, Park's family moved to Vancouver in Canada when she was 22 months old. Grace considers herself to be a Canadian, while also recognizing her Korean heritage.

Park broke into film with a small role in the [[w:Jet Li|Jet Li]] movie ''[[w:Romeo Must Die|Romeo Must Die]]''. In the few years following, she appeared in episodes of ''[[w:The Outer Limits|The Outer Limits]]'', ''[[w:Beyond Belief|Beyond Belief]]'', ''[[w:Dark Angel (TV series)|Dark Angel]]'', ''[[Imdb:tt0248644|The Immortal]]'' and ''[[w:Stargate SG-1|Stargate SG-1]]''. Following this, Grace Park was one of the last two finalists up for the role of "[[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]]," the other being [[Katee Sackhoff]], who ultimately got the part.

She also starred in the Canadian television series [[w:Edgemont (TV series)|''Edgemont'']] (with future BSG co-star [[Dominic Zamprogna]]) and the 2007 real-time strategy game ''[[w:Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars|Command & Conquer 3: Tiberian Wars]]'' as Lt. Sandra Telfair, a member of the GDI Forces.

Park holds a degree in psychology and speaks English, Korean, some French and Cantonese, and is currently improving her Spanish.

Park co-starred in the Summer 2008 TV series ''[[w:The Cleaner (TV series)|The Cleaner]]'', and in the fall of 2008 joined the cast of the Canadian crime drama series ''[[w:The Border (TV series)|The Border]]''.

Park co-starred in another re-imagined series: ''[[w:Hawaii Five-0|Hawaii Five-0]]''.

== On ''Battlestar Galactica'' ==
Park's journey to being cast as Sharon "Boomer" Valerii was a multi-step process. She originally auditioned for the role of [[Anastasia Dualla]]. The producers then asked her to read for {{Callsign|Starbuck}}, and she became one of the final two actresses in consideration for the part before it went to [[Katee Sackhoff]]. She was then offered the role of Sharon, which she was initially hesitant about until she re-read the script and saw the character's potential, particularly the surprise reveal that she was a Cylon.<ref group="Book">{{Cite book|author=David Bassom|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|year=2005|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=1845760972|page=124}}</ref>

On the challenge of playing two distinct versions of the same Cylon model, Park explained that it wasn't confusing because they were "so clearly different." She described the ''Galactica'' version of Sharon as "vulnerable, emotional and... a very conflicted character," while the [[Caprica-Valerii|Caprica version]] was "completely manipulative and ruthless for the most part." She noted that she always "wanted to make sure they both had good and bad aspects."<ref group="Book">{{Cite book|author=David Bassom|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|year=2005|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=1845760972|page=122}}</ref>

Prior to the [[Miniseries]] debut, Park met [[Herbert Jefferson Jr.]], the actor who played [[Boomer (TOS)|Boomer]] in the [[Original Series]]. She recalled that he was "very kind and very supportive" and advised her not to let any criticism of the new show phase her.<ref group="Book">{{Cite book|author=David Bassom|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|year=2005|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=1845760972|page=125}}</ref>

During a 2007 interview, Park discussed her approach to playing the multiple versions of Number Eight. She explained that she differentiates the characters by drawing upon their unique experiences, which have shaped them into distinct individuals despite being the same model. She contrasted [[Sharon Agathon|Athena]], who has found a family and forgiveness, with [[Sharon Valerii|Boomer]], who exists in a "darker space," lacking family or a sense of purpose.<ref>[[Sources:June 2007 Sci-Fi Channel Digital Press Tour]], {{vidlink|Part 1|tE2J00pHO|102}}</ref> Park also recounted an encounter with director [[w:Quentin Tarantino|Quentin Tarantino]], a vocal fan of the show, who had specifically mentioned wanting to meet her before an awards show. She joked, "I think I had to download that and just like burn it, save it for my grandchildren."<ref>[[Sources:June 2007 Sci-Fi Channel Digital Press Tour]], {{vidlink|Part 2|cD1hdQfLj|422}}</ref>

[[Fulvio Cecere]], who plays Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]] in "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]", spoke about Park's performance in the confrontation scene between Thorne and [[Sharon Agathon|Athena]]. He noted that he and Park spent considerable time with director [[Michael Rymer]] discussing the characters before filming, and that he repeatedly checked that she was comfortable given the intensity of what was required of her. Cecere said of her work: "She did a great job, especially in light of what she had to put up with... There's a lot to take into consideration there."<ref group="commentary" name="damen_galacticatv_cecere_interview_park_praise">{{cite web|url=http://www.galactica.tv/galactica-2003---interviews/fulvio-cecere-galactica.tv-interview.html|title=Fulvio Cecere Interview|author=Marcel Damen|publisher=Galactica.TV|date=January 10, 2007|accessdate=May 17, 2025|archive=Y}}</ref>

== External Links ==

* [http://board.thescifiworld.net/viewforum.php?f=34 Ask Grace Park] in [http://board.thescifiworld.net The Scifi World] forums
* {{archivelink|url=http://www.galactica.tv/battestar-galactica-2003---interviews/grace-park-galactica.tv-interview.html|title=Grace Park interview at GALACTICA.TV|live=No}}

==References==
===Commentary and Interviews===
{{reflist|group="commentary"}}

{{reflist|group="Book"}}
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