Katee Sackhoff is considered one of the great goddesses of sci-fi by many. It wasn’t always this way, though, and apparently Sackhoff had to fight for her role as Captain Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on Battlestar Galactica, which was her gateway role into being such a big name in science fiction fandoms. The Mandalorian star has now revealed details about how she had to fight for her iconic role and why she knew it was worth fighting for.
Katee Sackhoff landed the role of Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica near the beginning of her career in Hollywood almost 20 years ago, and in an interview with Looper the actress says she had to fight against her youth and reputation from a previous role to be considered for the job. Here it is in Sackhoff’s own words:
But the main reason I fought for Starbuck — I mean, I fought for her. I must've auditioned seven times. I wouldn't take no for an answer. I just kept calling, like, "They have to see me. They have to bring me back." Because I was about 10 years younger than what they wanted and the job I'd gotten right before that, I had just come off the Max Bickford show. So I was fighting against this idea that I was the chubby girl from the Richard Dreyfuss show who had pink hair, and it was hard. It was hard.
The determination Katee Sackhoff showed in auditioning not one, not two, but seven times must have convinced the casting agents that she would be perfect for Starbuck. I mean, it makes sense, as stubbornness and a determined attitude are traits she shares with the Battlestar Galactica character.
In the same interview, Katee Sackhoff talks about working out to change her body to better fit the role even before she had it. She did this and fought so hard to land the role because she knew it would be vital to the longevity of her career in Hollywood. Here’s what Sackhoff had to say about her very strategic thought process:
I started working out. I started trying to shift my appearance to be right for Battlestar. But my main reason was that I wanted to shoot a gun, and I was trying to think, how do you create longevity in a business that throws you out after five years, 10 years? And the best way to do that is to play characters that don't have an age and exist for something other than what they look like. And so I fought for that role, because I knew that if I could book it, it would be a game changer and that people would start seeing me differently. And so that was the reason for that.
It was a smart move, because all of her fighting worked out in her favor and she portrayed Starbuck in all but two of Battlestar Galctica's 74 episodes, and went on to land more roles in huge franchises. Her career in Hollywood has lasted and she continues to get great roles, and that may have everything to do with her determination to land the role of Starbuck and become an iconic woman in the sci-fi genre who fans can nerd out with. You go, Katee Sackhoff!
