Aaron Douglas
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| Portrays: | Galen Tyrol | ||||
| Date of Birth: | August 23, 1971 | ||||
| Date of Death: | Missing required parameter 1=month! , | ||||
| Age: | 54 | ||||
| Nationality: |  CAN
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| @ BW Media | |||||
[{{{site}}} Official Site]
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Aaron Douglas (born August 23, 1971) is a Canadian actor who portrays Chief Galen Tyrol in the Re-imagined Series.
Early Life and Career
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, acting was not Douglas' first career, but he often helped friends prepare for auditions and went along to auditions to read opposite them, and found himself getting bit parts.
After studying acting at Canada's famed William Davis Centre and performing with the Okanagan Shakespeare Company, Douglas has gone on to appear in such films as X2 and Final Destination 2; on such shows as Dark Angel, Smallville, Jeremiah, Black Sash, Stargate SG-1, The Outer Limits and the mini-series Steven Spielberg Presents Taken. He has also featured in such recent films as John Woo's Paycheck, the remake of Walking Tall, the Pitch Black sequel The Chronicles of Riddick and Alex Proyas' Isaac Asimov adaptation I, Robot.
Battlestar Galactica
Casting Process
Douglas was a huge fan of the original Battlestar Galactica series and actively pursued involvement in the remake.[commentary 1] He first auditioned for the roles of Lee Adama and then Lieutenant Gaeta, before being cast as the chief of Galactica's flight deck. Although Tyrol was originally conceived as a significantly older character, the show's producers agreed with director Michael Rymer's assessment that no one could play the chief better than Douglas.[production 1]
Character Development
Douglas has described his connection to the character of Galen Tyrol:[commentary 2]
- Tyrol is kind of like me. He's kind of brash and abrasive on the outside, but deep down he's a teddy bear. And if I were put in a position to run a deck on a Battlestar, I'd probably do it just like Tyrol. He's someone who loves his job and he's a leader who leads by example. So I'm very happy in the role. I wouldn't want to play anyone else now. Tyrol fits me the best, by far.
The actor was delighted by how Tyrol evolved from a minor supporting character into a major role:[commentary 3]
- Ron Moore told me that when he wrote the miniseries, he thought Tyrol was just going to be this secondary character who gave a little life and background to the ship. But Ron enjoyed what I did with the role and all my ad-libs, and he gave me more things to do as season one went on.
Character Psychology
Douglas has provided insight into Tyrol's complex relationship with Sharon Valerii, particularly regarding his subconscious awareness of her true nature:[commentary 4]
- Tyrol's not a dumb guy and I think deep down — on a subconscious level — he realizes she's a Cylon during season one. But he just can't bring himself to accept it. It's just like in real life where someone thinks their boyfriend or girlfriend is cheating on them, and they know they're right on some subconscious level, but they don't feel like they can examine it or face it.
Regarding the decision to end Tyrol and Sharon's relationship, Douglas was supportive of the creative choice:[commentary 5]
- The opportunity to break up with Sharon was really cool. When Ron Moore decided to split up Tyrol and Sharon, I was completely with him. If they'd stayed together, Tyrol might have become this one-dimensional guy who just kissed and argued with Sharon, and that could have become a little dull.
Episode-Specific Work
Douglas was particularly excited about his expanded role in the episode "Litmus":[commentary 6]
- David Eick had told me a big episode for Tyrol was coming up, and when I read the script I thought it was great. I'd been given a lot of interesting stuff to do in other episodes, but there was a lot of really cool scenes for me to do in 'Litmus'.
Series Assessment
Despite initially being skeptical about remakes, Douglas became one of the series' most enthusiastic supporters:[commentary 7]
- I don't like remakes generally, but this Battlestar Galactica is really different and original, and is just a great show. When I saw the opening episodes of season one, I remember thinking to myself I would watch this show even if I wasn't in it!
References
Commentary and Interviews
- ↑ Bassom, David (2005). ed. Adam "Adama" Newell Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion. Titan Books. ISBN 1-84576-0972, p. 127.
- ↑ Bassom, David (2005). ed. Adam "Adama" Newell Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion. Titan Books. ISBN 1-84576-0972, p. 127.
- ↑ Bassom, David (2005). ed. Adam "Adama" Newell Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion. Titan Books. ISBN 1-84576-0972, p. 127.
- ↑ Bassom, David (2005). ed. Adam "Adama" Newell Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion. Titan Books. ISBN 1-84576-0972, p. 127.
- ↑ Bassom, David (2005). ed. Adam "Adama" Newell Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion. Titan Books. ISBN 1-84576-0972, p. 66.
- ↑ Bassom, David (2005). ed. Adam "Adama" Newell Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion. Titan Books. ISBN 1-84576-0972, p. 65.
- ↑ Bassom, David (2005). ed. Adam "Adama" Newell Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion. Titan Books. ISBN 1-84576-0972, p. 127.
Production History
- ↑ Bassom, David (2005). ed. Adam "Adama" Newell Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion. Titan Books. ISBN 1-84576-0972, p. 127.
External Links
- Official Fan Site
- Aaron Douglas LiveJournal community
- Aaron Douglas Fans - fan site with photos, multimedia, filmography, articles, etc.
- Aaron Douglas interview - a long interview with Douglas prior to Season 3
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