Tahmoh Discusses his Dollhouse Experience

Tahmoh recently provided really thoughtful answers to readers' questions about his work on Dollhouse. Thanks Tahmoh!

How did the acting process differ from BSG to Dollhouse, and how did you approach the differences?

Interesting question. The biggest difference between the two was the tone, for lack of a better word. Each project, especially a potentially long episodic, has a specific tone or music. Joss [Whedon]'s style on Dollhouse was different than Ron Moore's on BSG. Each very unique and intelligent, yet different. Sometimes it takes a while for an actor to find that tone. Often it takes longer when there are some creative differences in the beginning of series and the direction it's taken. You have to roll with it as an actor, though, and do your part--which is to show up and do the work. That means doing extra back story or whatever else you may need for it to resonate more with you.

Was Paul an easy character for you to play, or a difficult one?

Paul was by no means easy. I was really excited to play him and had a good time on the original pilot and felt good about the work. When we started off the first season and I realized that we were going to block shoot 4 eps and cannibalize the original pilot I was thrown off a little. It honestly took me awhile to find Paul's music or tone as I put it before. I'm not sure after some major creative changes made early on that the direction or order with how they were going to develop his plot line was that clear either. There were times that were very easy and magical and others where it was somewhat difficult to connect. That's almost always the case though with a series.

Who were your favorite actors to work with on Dollhouse?

All in all, it was a great experience, and I'm so blessed to have worked with the talent that I did. Joss is brilliant and I'm honored that he chose me for the role.

Everyone in the cast was a blast to work with. Eliza [Dushku] is a true professional and worked her ass off. I was always a fan of Olivia [Williams] and Harry [Lennix]. They are excellent actors and working with that talent is always a learning experience. Fran [Kranz] is hilarious; that guy cracked me up often and was easy to work with. Enver [Gjokaj] is a gifted actor and a great guy. Dichen [Lachman] is an angel and I think has a great career ahead of her. I absolutely love Miracle [Laurie]; we had too much fun on set and always laughed together. Had some really magical scenes with her, she's quite the actor.