TV Jots

Triple Threat Q&A

Battlestar Galactica veteran Tricia Helfer, known first and foremost to hordes of fans as cunning and seductive Cylon Number Six, recently chatted about her impressive career, which currently finds the former model involved with no less than three fantastic and much-loved TV shows: Battlestar Galactica, Burn Notice, and Chuck.

The first series is nearing the end of its four-season run on the Sci Fi Channel, of course, while USA Network’s Burn Notice has a second-season finale coming up next week and Helfer’s one-episode guest-star stint as another ace spy on NBC’s Chuck has yet to air. What the lineup demonstrates more than anything, however, is just how talented and sought-after Helfer is as an actress.

Read on to learn a whole lot about her Burn Notice role as mysterious spy Carla, the season-long nemesis of principal character Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan), as well as a bit about her other work on Battlestar Galactica, the series that made her a superstar to scores of TV fans.

How have you managed your career, from being discovered as a model in Alberta those many years ago and playing the role in Battlestar Galactica, and having management and agents who are actually seeking roles on shows like Burn Notice and Chuck?

TRICIA HELFER: To be honest, it is the career path that I never thought I would be going down. When I was in high school, I thought I was going to university into psychology. As you said, I was discovered by a model scout, and I thought I’d give that a try.

Cut to ten years later, eight years later, I had a great career, but feeling like I wanted more and definitely something more intriguing for the mind. So, I started acting classes just on a whim, thinking it would help with commercial auditions while I modeled for another year or two. And then I figured I’d probably— I was in the finding out stage of what I was going to do and was I going to go back to university or what, and got into an acting class and absolutely fell in love with it from the first class.

I modeled for another two years and took night classes in New York City and then moved out of New York and moved to LA and a year later got Battlestar. So, it’s building blocks, and it’s a career. I started at the bottom again, a new career and just building your way up. I’m happy that I have agents and managers that believe in me. So, it’s a normal process that anyone takes if you’re not born into it or have any kind of dealings with the business. You start out and you work hard and hopefully things fall your way.

How did you first get involved with Burn Notice?

TRICIA HELFER: I first got involved with the very rare, but very wonderful situation where you get offered a job. I was up in Vancouver filming Battlestar, and I was approached by my agent or my manager about the job. I actually hadn’t seen it, the show, because being in Canada a lot in Vancouver filming Battlestar, Burn Notice doesn’t air up there yet, unfortunately. So they sent me DVDs, and I was hooked from the first episode and gladly signed on to join in for the second season.

When you joined the cast of Burn Notice, was there instant chemistry when everyone came together, or did it take some time to develop?

TRICIA HELFER: I’d say there was instant chemistry, but it was really only— I really only worked with Jeffrey Donovan. I met [Gabrielle Anwar] and I met [Bruce Campbell] and worked with him a little bit. Bruce is just such an easygoing guy, it’s impossible not to get along with him. And Gabrielle is really sweet.

Jeffrey had actually emailed me prior to going down there the first time to welcome me and say he was excited that I was joining the show. So, I went down knowing it was going to be a great cast to work with, and they didn’t let me down. They were just really wonderful to work with.

What have you found the most challenging aspect of your role as Carla?

TRICIA HELFER: I think the most challenging aspect [is similar to] Battlestar. It’s kind of not knowing the end. With Carla, I didn’t know who Carla worked for. I didn’t know who management was the entire time I filmed, so you’re just kind of filling in the blanks yourself.

But at the same time, you don’t really want to say, “Okay, this is who it is,” or make too strong of a back story yourself in case it is revealed. But that I’d say was the hardest thing is Carla being pretty much as elusive to me as the actor as she is to the audience.

What is your involvement in Burn Notice beyond the season finale next week? Are you on board for next season?

TRICIA HELFER: I’m not on board for next season, no. As I like to say, I was the baddie of the second season. So, yes, my last two episodes are this week and the finale, March 5th.

What can you tell us about those two episodes? What kind of resolution might we get?

TRICIA HELFER: I think the first two episodes back from the midseason hiatus definitely showed that Carla had been taken by surprise a bit. She’s been rattled, which she’s not used to. It definitely comes to a culmination in the finale where she’s been trying to get information from Michael Westen about who tried to kill him, who tried to blow up his apartment, and it really comes to a culmination with management breathing down her back. And she’s put her neck on the line in terms of vouching for Michael Westen, and Michael hasn’t really fully come up with anything to help her out. So, it comes to a culmination point in the finale.

As Burn Notice has gone on, Carla has tended to let her guard down and started to trust Michael more. Even though your character is not going to be in the third season, are we probably going to find out more about Carla’s character?

TRICIA HELFER: You’ll get to see a little bit. You do see her, Carla, soften a little bit. She’s been rattled and she needs to rely on Michael a little bit more, and she puts some trust in him. So, she’s hoping that he doesn’t let her down.

And like I mentioned before, she has management breathing down her back. So, she’s definitely putting some trust in Michael and hoping that he steps up to the bar. But you really don’t learn— Carla still stays pretty elusive to the audience, even through the finale. She’s certainly not— Her whole history is not going to be revealed.

Are we going to find out more about the organization breathing down her neck?

TRICIA HELFER: You’re definitely going to get a big clue, a big hint in the finale about who management is. I won’t say for sure if you’re going to find out who, what the organization is. But there will be another piece to the puzzle, and you will definitely meet Carla’s higher-ups. You will meet management, yes.

After years of watching you manipulate Gaius Baltar on Battlestar Galactica, describe the difference and the challenge in trying to manipulate Michael Westen, who resists a little more than Gaius did.

TRICIA HELFER: Yes, he does resist a little more than Gaius. They’re both incredibly intelligent characters, but with Gaius, Number Six never had to worry of him outsmarting her. Even though he’s obviously the genius scientist, he’s so genius he’s a little bit socially inept in some ways and Michael Westen isn’t.

[Micheal]‘s so adept at becoming other people and other characters for his work that you want to be concerned that you’re not being taken advantage of or that he’s not pulling a fast one over on you, so to speak. Baltar is a little bit more “you see what you get.”

Is there anything else you can reveal about your last two episodes on Burn Notice without giving too much away?

TRICIA HELFER: It’s kind of hard without giving too much away. I will say I’m really excited to see the last episode. There’s a great stunt at the end that I’m just so excited to see. It’s not even my stunt, but I’m really excited to see it, and I think it’s going to be a great finale.

It really comes to a culmination point. And Carla has kind of had it with Michael Westen, and she realizes he’s just basically run her around in circles after she’s put some trust into him that he’s going to find the bomber and help give her the name, which essentially is a rogue agent. But she knows it is, and he disappoints her, so it comes to a culmination.

Burn Notice is doing so well and your character, Carla, is mysterious and so empowering and everything. What do you love the most about playing her?

TRICIA HELFER: I think that it is empowering and that she’s strong and smart and she’s gotten to where she is by her own gumption, her own dedication. I like the fact that she’s very similar to Michael. Although you don’t get to see her fun side like you do for Michael; but maybe she has a bit less of one. I like being on par with that level of agent — the fact that Michael Westen can pretty much do whatever he wants, as can Fiona and Sam, to some extent.

That’s how I feel that Carla is. Carla is not one to be taken advantage of, which I think is what’s interesting about coming up to the last two episodes is, she doesn’t trust anybody and she’s finally put a little bit of trust into Michael. And I think that’s probably backfiring on her. I like the fact that she’s strong and she’s as good at her job as Michael is at his.

What have you enjoyed the most about your work on Burn Notice and Battlestar?

TRICIA HELFER: I think, really, to be honest, I think just getting to work with who I’ve gotten to work with — they’re really talented people. And getting the kind of writing and direction and everything, the people involved, not just the cast.

But you’re talking about [Battlestar Galactica creator] Ron Moore and [Burn Notice creator] Matt Nix and just really great guys, incredible writers. I’m fascinated with how their minds work. It’s just beyond me how they can come up with all this stuff. I’d say getting to work with who I’ve gotten to work with and that kind of level of quality scripts and production that I got to work on.