I promise. I haven't abandoned All About Tahmoh Penikett. The news has been a bit slow and summer has been a bit busy so I've not posted in a while. I'm hoping to grab some screen caps from The Killing in the next couple weeks. Keep your fingers crossed - we may even have a few surprises to share. For now...
Links originally posted at the Facebook site (follow us there if you're on FB).
Netflix Subscribers can stream many of Tahmoh's earlier movies and television series, including the following (I'll update the list as I find more or they become available):
Just because I can, I'm reposting the flickr link to screen caps Justine took of Tahmoh as Elias Noth in Whistler, which is my all-time favorite Tahmoh role. I don't know any place you can still legally watch Whistler, so these pictures are all I can share until (if?) it becomes available.
Battlestar Galactica: The Exposition opens tomorrow at Seattle's Experience Music Project|Science Fiction Museum. Tahmoh is scheduled to appear at tonight's Members' Only event.
Also on Saturday, The Hostage screens at 10:00 pm at the Beverly Hills Film, TV, and New Media Festival. The festival website has more details about getting tickets and other films showing at the same event.
David Eick praised Tahmoh twice during a recent SyFy press tour for Caprica.
We’re in Vancouver. It’s a smaller pool of talent just in terms of the population. And we got so lucky with “Battlestar.” When you go down the line, I mean Tahmoh Penikett and — I can go on and on with the people we found locally. It’s a temptation to want to cast a lot of those guys again, Cylon and non-Cylon alike, just because they’re damn good actors and, you know, it’s hard to find good actors.
That’s one of the great things about TV. You can discover talent in a way that you can’t in movies. And I was talking about Tahmoh Penikett earlier. I keep damning Sasha Roiz with fain praise by telling him he’s the Tahmoh Penikett of “Caprica” because he’s this great discovery.
For those who don't watch Caprica, Sasha's character, like Tahmoh's was suppose to appear in just one episode, but was brought on for more a more substantial role.
Reader Bertha found this great Trick r Treat behind the scenes video. Tahmoh appears in multiple parts of this first part of the video, but not the second.
Tahmoh joined fellow Battlestar Galactica cast members at the 2009 Spike TV Scream Awards. Access Hollywood interviews Tahmoh (at about the 1:52 mark) along with Michael Trucco, Tricia Helfer, Katee Sackhoff, and Grace Park.
Shock Till You Drop posted some videos of a Q&A with Michael Dougherty and cast and crew members of Trick 'r' Treat. Tahmoh answers a few questions in the second video. Thanks to Bertha for the tip.
Tahmoh appeared with Whistler co-star Holly Elissa Dignard in Hello! Magazine Canada's coverage of Art4Gulu, a fundraising event held in June 2009 for Caleb's Hope, a charity founded by Holly that benefits women and children in Africa. Be on the lookout for more from Tahmoh on his support of Caleb's Hope in the near future.
Jevon Phillips of the Los Angeles Times interviewed Tahmoh about Dollhouse, Battlestar, and Vancouver.
Jevon: What's so great about Vancouver? Tahmoh: What's so great?!? It's just one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Have you been? Jevon: Sadly, I haven't. Tahmoh: Well, there you go. I mean you're on the beautiful West Coast, but [in Vancouver] you're surrounded by the mountains and ocean right there. The city's nestled between some of the most gorgeous mountains you've ever seen. Ocean, sea, sky, massive forests ... it's one of the most beautiful places in the world. Even if you're not an outdoorsman, you can't help but appreciate the view and the energy there. ... It's magical.
Canadian readers can watch The Green Chain on Pay Per View TV channels Movie Central and TMN. Those in the United States can still watch The Green Chain on Hulu. More information at the Green Chain website.
In other Green Chain news, Livejournal member dragonlady981 posted a slew of Green Chain screencaps to the community Tahmoh_daily (you have to be a member to access them). Here are just a few of the caps.
Filmed in 2007, Trick 'R Treat is finally being released on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 6th. Tahmoh plays "Henry" and Leslie Bibb his wife in the movie. According to Tahmoh: "Henry is very much into Halloween. He loves it. He loves the tradition of it where as Emma isn't so keen as him." (Source)
Check out the movie's website, including the trailer, in which Tahmoh briefly appears. The movie also stars Brian Cox and Anna Paquin, among others, and was produced, written, and directed by Michael Dougherty. IGN review here.
Rebelliousrose also sent us a link she found on Youtube. The video features Enver Gjokaj, Dichen Lachman, Joss Whedon and the cast of Glee, but Tahmoh makes a surprise appearance at about the 1:00 mark.
Tahmoh, Eliza, Enver, and Dichen interview eachother using fan questions at AOL Television. (Video follows a short commercial.)
Steve Eramo at ScifiandTVtalk compiles some information and interviews with Tahmoh here and promises a "detailed interview" about Riverworld later in the year.
Finally, a long article in CinemaSpy about The Green Chain that focuses on Tricia Helfer and Tahmoh.
9:30-12:00 Halloween Comes Early: Trick 'r Treat Screening— Be among the first to see writer/director Michael Dougherty's (Superman Returns, X2) creepy, darkly comic celebration of the scariest night of the year. Trick 'r Treat takes the Creepshow/Tales from the Crypt approach to nefarious new depths with four interwoven tales set on Halloween night: a high school principal who moonlights as a vicious serial killer; a young virgin whose quest for that special someone takes a gruesome turn; a group of teens who carry out a cruel prank with disastrous consequences; and a cantankerous old man who battles a mischievous trick-or-treating demon.
Prior to the screening, Ain't It Cool News mogul Harry Knowles will moderate a panel featuring Michael Dougherty and members of the cast, including Anna Paquin (True Blood, X-Men), Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica, Dollhouse), and Brian Cox (The Bourne Identity, X2). A collection of creepy stories that mixes fun with fear, candy with poison, and laughter with screams, the critically acclaimed Trick 'r Treat will be released on Blu-ray Hi-Def and DVD and On Demand by Warner Home Video in October. Ballroom 20
TAHMOH PENIKETT Paul Ballard on Dollhouse Smarts are sexy, and the Battlestar Galactica alum forever securing the devotion of Joss Whedon's fanbase by starring on Fox's Dollhouse is not dumb. Also sexy: his shirtless chest. We've been known to fast-forward through an episode to see if it makes an appearance.
In this recently released interview from Comic Con, Fox Source questions Tahmoh about Paul's dynamic with Echo, the prequel episode and how Paul and Echo meet (spoilery). Tahmoh also compares and contrasts the character of Paul with Helo.
Rumors are circulating that Warner Brothers has pushed back the release of Mike Dougherty'sTrick 'r Treat to October 10, 2008 from the previously scheduled theatrical premiere a week from Friday. This disappointing change of schedule has not been officially confirmed, but seems likely as there is no promotion of the film on the WB's site and the previous release date is less than two weeks away.
Marcel asked some great questions about Battlestar--both past episodes and what is to come--and Tahmoh's other projects, includingSmallville,The Green Chain and Trick 'r Treat.
Here are some excerpts. Read the full interview here.
Can you tell us about The Green Chain and your character as Brett Hall?
I play a forest fire fighter, who going through rough times trying to support his family, and what have you. He doesn't have that much of an education. I think he was at one time probably the popular athletic guy, maybe the hockey player. The hockey star in high school, what have you, but he never finished his education. Hooked up with a girl, got her pregnant right away, so he's living in the typical small town BC (British Columbia). Living and trying to support his family by being a fire fighter and of course fire fighters up there... The forest fire fighters, they completely depend on whether there's a fire or not. So when there's no fire, there's no work. So he ends up having to work at the Dairy Queen, or what have you, to try to provide for his family. Yeah, that's the character I play in there. Really, it's a neat part. Each of us does these really lengthy monologues. It's probably the longest monologue I ever did.
I was also wondering how your father, a former Yukon Premiere would have felt about a movie like that?
Oh, he absolutely agrees with it. My dad's a left wing man, he's a socialist, he's the leader of the NDP (New Democratic Party), so he's very much... He's always been a conscious environmentalist and he's all about sustainable resources. I was raised in that environment. Of course my mother is First Nation, so I have a huge respect for the environment, Mother Nature and to just use what we need, and respecting the environment and what have you.
Okay. Can you tell us about Trick 'r Treat and your character Henry in that movie?
Yeah, I can't really say that much about it other than my character Henry is the loving husband to Emma, who's played by Leslie Bibb. She's a great actress, really funny, beautiful energy, and a nice spirit. Anyway, Henry is very much into Halloween. He loves it. He loves the tradition of it where as Emma isn't so keen as him. But it was a neat role. We had a loaded cast on that film: Brian Cox, Dylan Baker, Anna Paquin...
Is it working okay for you as a character, for Helo? Is it what you wished?
Yeah, it's good! I just finished some mid-season stuff that I'm really prevalent in. An opportunity to act with some actors who I haven't been able to work with for a while, so that's always fun. That's great, I'm really enjoying that. It's been some strong stuff.
IESB.net has gotten an exclusive first look at the trailer for Mike Doughtery's R-rated Halloween horror flick, in which Tahmoh stars. The movie is set to premiere in the US on October 5th.
Here are a few screenshots. Tahmoh appears briefly in the trailer at around 1:07, freaking out that his wife (dressed as a robot!) blew out their jack-o-lantern.
Hera represents something very, very big in the Battlestar universe. A bringing together of two races in the name of love. You’ve said before that you’re proud of your own mixed heritage, and I’m wondering if that mixed heritage gives you a deeper appreciation of what’s being told in the Helo/Sharon/Hera story?
Tahmoh: Absolutely. I think that story is more relevant and more important right now, with where we’re at in history, than maybe any other time. Maybe since the civil-rights movement in the 60’s. Right now we have such a clash of cultures and religion around the world, and I like to think that it’s not breeding more ignorance. If anything, I hope it’s forcing us to be open to different cultures, ideas, religions. To agree to disagree.
And that’s an optimistic view, but it’s a tumultuous crazy time in the world right now, and a lot of the reason for that is ignorance. People aren’t accepting the idea that it’s a big, beautiful, wild world out there. People have different views, and we have to accepting and accommodating to that, because that’s what the future of the world is about...
"I did a great project last Christmas, which was Trick ‘r Treat. I got to work with Michael Dougherty, who’s the writer of X-Men 2 and Superman Returns. He’s just a brilliant, brilliant kid. He’s awesome and we clicked right away. He’s a friend. I think it’s going to be an awesome movie, I really do. I’m only in there so much, but I got to act with Leslie Bibb, who’s a sweetheart; really funny, great little actress.
I can’t wait to see that movie. That was fun. It’s been a good year for me. There’s a great local project, The Green Chain where I have an extremely long monologue, which was a lot of fun to do. I’ve never done a nine page monologue, which took like 13 minutes to do, so we’ll end up seeing that. I’m looking forward to that. That was a neat experience in itself, a totally different character. "
In happy news, he mentioned he's signed on to appear at the official BSG convention in November in Burbank!
Also, he wanted to pass on the news of a new project he's involved in, Whistler:
"It’s pretty much a Canadian OC, and it’s based in Whistler, one of the biggest ski resorts in the world just outside of Vancouver. It’s in the soap opera genre, and it’s very much like the OC. But the character I get to play in it is just incredible. I play this reclusive artist who’s an ex-junkie that’s become really quite famous, and I’m approached by one of the lead female characters played by Holly Dignard. She plays Nicole who works for this big hotel chain and approaches me to donate a piece, and I’m straight-up a prick to her. Very, very anti-social and hot and cold with her. We have this tumultuous relationship that goes over what is now a four episodes..."
Warner Brothers has released 27 new stills from Trick 'r Treat, the Halloween horror film written by Michael Dougherty coming out this October. Tahmoh's character, Henry, and his wife, Emma, are a suburban couple who learn the dangers of blowing out a Jack-o-Lantern before midnight.
PRG: Pink Raygun was very happy to see a Helo-centric episode in “The Woman King“. What were the most challenging and the most rewarding aspects of that episode for you as an actor?
TP: The most challenging aspects of that episode as an actor had to be the fact that I was finally given an episode to “carry”. This was obviously a Helo-centric episode and with that comes the responsibility to give the story a beginning, middle and end. There has to be a plausible arc that the character takes within the parameters that the writers have given you. It really comes down to how strong of choices you make as an actor.
I was lucky of course to work with Michael Rymer on this episode. We discussed at length where we thought Helo was at and what the internal struggle really was within him in this episode. I also had the luxury of changing some dialogue which better suited where I thought Helo was coming from and what he’s trying to communicate. After three some odd years, to have an episode which primarily features my character is extremely gratifying and exciting. I had the opportunity to act with four veterans, my favorite director and, of course, my lovely cast mate, Grace Park.
Trick 'r Treat writer (& BSG fan), Mike Doughtery, added a new teaser poster for the upcoming film, which stars Tahmoh as "Henry," to his myspace page. The poster for the R-rated Halloween flick looks suitably creepy.
In other Trick 'r Treat news, Dreadcentral just posted a report about their visit to the film's set, including an interview with Doughtery and much of the production staff.
The plots for all four have been online for a while, but the actual meaning behind them has not. "One of the stories is very much about the Halloween of your childhood, dealing with your parents, not being old enough to trick or treat necessarily," producer Alex Garcia explained during our tour of the set tour, "Another is the Halloween of adolescence where you’re probably too old to be tick or treating but you’re out anyway; you may get into trouble, you may not. The next is the Halloween of your 20s and 30s when it’s very much about sex, then we get into the Halloween of Mr. Kreeg (played by veteran Brian Cox), the old man who hates the holidays."
Tahmoh Penikett, who co-stars in the upcoming Halloween-themed horror film Trick 'r Treat, told SCI FI Wire that writer/director Michael Dougherty cast him in part because Dougherty is a big fan of SCI FI Channel's Battlestar Galactica, in which Penikett plays Lt. Karl C. "Helo" Agathon. "Before I went into the audition, my agent told me that the director was a huge fan of the show," Penikett said in an interview earlier this year on the Vancouver, Canada, set of the supernatural thriller movie, which interweaves several narratives on a Halloween night in a small town.
But Penikett wasn't prepared for how big a fan Dougherty, co-writer of Superman Returns, really was. "When I went in, I see this really young-looking guy," he said. "Mike looks like he's in college or something. ... And as soon as I come in, this guy comes up to me, he's like, 'Wow, I'm a huge fan of the show.' [He] introduced himself, and we sat there for, like, five to 10 minutes just talking about the show. I'm like,'OK, are we even going to do this audition?' It was great. It was nice. You could tell he was a genuine fan. So we had a great conversation, and then, of course, I found out that I got the gig, and Mike didn't hesitate once we talked again to say, 'Look, I'm a huge geek. ... I'm a huge [fan] of the show, and I would love to come to the set and check it out.' So we actually had a closed set to the press for [the] last couple of months because of all the leaks that have happened, and I talked to the producers and, of course, Michael Rymer, the key director, and said, 'Would you mind if Mike came in?' ... They're like, 'Fine, no problem.' So we brought him in, gave him the royal tour, showed him everything. It was cool." Battlestar Galactica also shoots in Vancouver, and Penikett lives there.
In Trick 'r Treat, Penikett plays an earthbound young husband. "I play Henry," he said. "I'm the loving husband to Leslie Bibb's character. There's one key scene that we're involved in where I think a lot of the characters are all brought together. That's this big parade scene that's downtown." As for the rest of the stories, Penikett said: "It's really sort of cleverly interwoven, the whole storyline." Trick 'r Treat is in post-production with an eye to an Oct. 5 release.
Paul Florez from Wizard Entertainment spoke with Tahmoh recently about tonight's BSG ep, "The Woman, King," in which Helo plays a prominent role. Tahmoh also discusses his roles in the upcoming films, The Green Chain (which also stars Tricia Helfer) and Trick 'r Treat.
WIZARD: So this upcoming episode is going to center around Helo, correct? What can you tell us about it?
PENIKETT: It’s a great episode. It’s the best to have a Helo-centric episode after three years. I’m put in charge of the very difficult job of trying to organize all the refugees. We lost so many of the ships during the Exodus. So basically, Helo is trying to organize this whole refugee camp down in the hangar bay of Galactica with these hundreds and hundreds of refugees with specifically this one group of people, the Sagitarrons, who are despised by many for their specific religious beliefs.
TV Q&A: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA—TAHMOH PENIKETT As Helo on the hit Sci Fi Channel show, the actor finally gets his day in the sun By Paul Florez, posted February 9, 2007 6:20 PM
“Battlestar Galactica” actor Tahmoh Penikett has much to celebrate. His character on the critically acclaimed Sci Fi series, Helo Agathon, is finally stepping into the spotlight with the first-ever Helo-centric episode, “The Woman King,” airing at 10 p.m. this Sunday. On top of that, he just wrapped up two flicks, “Trick ’r Treat” and “The Green Chain,” the latter of which also stars fellow “Galactica” actor Tricia Helfer (Number Six).
The 31-year-old actor graciously took time from his hectic schedule to talk with Wizard about Sunday’s episode and his upcoming movies.
WIZARD: So this upcoming episode is going to center around Helo, correct? What can you tell us about it?
PENIKETT: It’s a great episode. It’s the best to have a Helo-centric episode after three years. I’m put in charge of the very difficult job of trying to organize all the refugees. We lost so many of the ships during the Exodus. So basically, Helo is trying to organize this whole refugee camp down in the hangar bay of Galactica with these hundreds and hundreds of refugees with specifically this one group of people, the Sagitarrons, who are despised by many for their specific religious beliefs.
Besides religious ideology, why are the Sagitarrons despised?
PENIKETT: Well, they are quite extreme with their views. They don’t believe in modern medicines, they brew and drink very potent-smelling tea, which drives people nuts. They also don’t believe in outsiders, and can be quite difficult and negative toward anyone who tries to help them; to anybody who is not a Sagitarron, they are very untrusting. They start to get a lot of animosity and anger pointed toward them on the ship, and especially because we get this disease that starts to spread amongst them, pretty much an epidemic. This disease is spreading fast amongst them and part of the reason is because they’re refusing the vaccine.
Wow, sounds like hell down there.
PENIKETT: I’ll give you a little tidbit from the episode. My fellow pilots start to nickname me “The Mayor of Dogsville,” calling the area Dogsville because it’s really bad. I’m in charge of it, so it’s a very difficult job. So yeah, I’ve been given that title. Of course, there are things that happen in this episode. Some distrust and some almost very violent confrontations I have to come in between.
We’ve seen themes of genocide this season and now discrimination. Does the show seem to be getting darker to you?
PENIKETT: I don’t know if I would agree with that. We aren’t a light, fluffy show, and that’s not to say we’re negative all the time. But we deal with some heavy issues, and a lot of it is a reflection of what’s going on in the world today. I feel a lot of it is quite relevant, and it’s important that we touch on these issues.
One thing I always find in our series is the constant theme of no matter what everybody goes through, it’s that the human spirit is always strong. We pick up and move on and hopefully we learn from those things. And this episode can have some dark things about it, but at the same time it’s a great little mystery. It’s a neat episode, and I think it will be different and a unique change of pace, compared to all the episodes this season.
What was it like to work with guest star Bruce Davison?
PENIKETT: I had a little experience when I was doing one of the opening scenes of the episode and I’m sitting there with Bruce, Michael Hogan [Colonel Tigh] and Edward James Olmos [Commander Adama], and I’m looking at these guys and thinking, “Okay, each of these guys has been in the business for 40 years. I’m sitting here with about 120 years of acting experience.” I’ve had some great scenes over the years, but this episode very much was an amazing opportunity to work with the likes of Bruce, who happens to be an Academy Award nominee. [ EDITOR’S NOTE: Bruce earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in 1990’s “Longtime Companion.”]
Does the title of the episode, “The Woman King,” have anything to do with your character?
PENIKETT: It’s the name of a woman I encounter, one of the Sagitarrons, who is affected by the sickness.
Speaking of being sick, how is Helo and Sharon’s baby, Hera, doing? Is Dr. Cottel reluctant to help Sharon and the baby out?
PENIKETT: Maybe Sharon is the one who is very suspicious of Cottel, considering everything we’ve gone through with him. I mean, Cottel was involved with the president in hiding the fact that our baby didn’t die.
Is the fleet outraged that the Cylon-human hybrid is alive?
PENIKETT: I think it’s safe to say that anything on this fleet, especially on this ship, spreads like wildfire. Regardless of what has happened recently, I think people respect Helo and Sharon now to know they are competent, able and committed in their way. When it comes to family, they’re just going to leave them alone. Like I said, I think one hard lesson the entire fleet has to learn constantly is that we have to move on.
You know, Helo has really changed this season. He used to be a pretty passive and compliant officer.
PENIKETT: Well, it’s interesting that you use the word “passive.” I’ve never really felt Helo has been passive. If he is, I think part of the reason he has been is because he realizes in many ways the adversity, the animosity, the prejudice, the distrust he’s going to be facing. He realizes he’s really a minority, it’s him and his lady. So he’s got to be cautious in his step.
I don’t think we ever doubt Helo’s loyalty to the fleet, to human beings and his survival. Over these three years, everyone has faced so much hardship and death. Helo is on the fast track of growing up really quick, and he’s on a mad survival course. He is the type of guy who only needs to learn the lesson once, and he’s willing to go to any lengths to protect his family.
Is it hard to play a character who, for lack of a better term, has dual loyalties? To humans and his Cylon family?
PENIKETT: It’s definitely difficult. Every once in a while, they’ll give me a line that really throws it off. Sometimes, as an actor, they’ll write something for you that I don’t truly believe, and I don’t think Helo believes.
When [President] Roslin and I had the confrontation over whether it was justifiable to use a biological weapon to wipe out the Cylons completely, I have a line in there where I say, “Well, they tried to live with us on the planet.” Helo didn’t believe that when he said it. I know they didn’t try to live with us. He’s grasping, and he’s trying to come up with something on the spot, because literally they just said, “Okay, we’re going to annihilate your wife’s race.” Imagine trying to fathom that idea.
We’re a bit confused with your XO status. Now that Col. Saul Tigh is back as XO, has Helo been demoted?
My rank is still captain. I’m not XO. You can be any rank for XO. But yeah, Saul is definitely XO again.
You just finished shooting “Trick ’r Treat,” which contains four different stories all occurring on Halloween. What can you tell us about that?
I can’t tell you much. My character’s name is Henry. I play the loving husband to my wife, who is played by Leslie Bibb [“Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby”]. Basically, Henry is a big kid, he loves Halloween, the spirit of it, he knows the history. He is very much into dressing up and having a good time, and I can’t tell you much more than that.
You’ve also worked with fellow cast member Tricia Helfer on another project, correct?
Yeah, a movie called “The Green Chain.” It’s a very PC story about the forest industry, all aspects of it. They touch on the old-lady conservationist, they touch on the tree-hugger who lives in the tree. I play a firefighter, and Tricia plays the movie star who lends her name to try and preserve the trees. Tricia and I didn’t share any scenes at all, though.
Have you had any scenes with her recently?
Nothing since the beautiful woman kissed me [in Season One].
One last thing: Does Helo trust Sharon? Should he?
He wouldn’t have taken their relationship to this point if he didn’t. I think definitely in the second season there was always doubt, and I think there will always be a doubt like anybody in any relationship has, but I think he very much trusts her.
Last week Tahmoh spoke with Fangoria about his upcoming role in the Halloween horror film, Trick 'r Treat (2007). For more on the project, see my previous post.
Penikett says of Dougherty’s TRICK ‘R TREAT script, “It's very witty, with all of these different stories and characters interwoven on Halloween night.” [...]
“The coolest thing about this project is all the people on board: Bryan Singer and actors Brian [Red Eye] Cox, Dylan [Fido] Baker, Anna [Darkness] Paquin and Leslie!”
Penikett is equally impressed by his writer/director, who just so happens to be “a big fan of the [Galactica] series,” which led to the actor being called in to audition for his TRICK ‘R TREAT role. “I was amazed at his résumé,” the flattered Penikett says of Dougherty’s previous work. “He’s an incredibly talented and intelligent individual.”
ETA: Full text below. Actor talks TRICK ‘R TREAT Canadian actor Tahmoh Penikett (pictured) gave Fango the lowdown on the Warner Bros. horror anthology TRICK ‘R TREAT, in which he co-stars. Written and directed by X2 and SUPERMAN RETURNS co-scribe Michael Dougherty with those film’s director on board as a producer, the movie is currently filming in Vancouver for October 5 release next year. Penikett (best-known for his portrayal of Helo on the Sci Fi Channel series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) tells us from the set of TRICK ‘R TREAT that he plays “Henry, husband to the lovely Emma, played by the beautiful and talented actress Leslie Bibb.”
Penikett says of Dougherty’s TRICK ‘R TREAT script, “It's very witty, with all of these different stories and characters interwoven on Halloween night.” The four tales involve a high-school principal who moonlights as an All Hallow’s serial killer, a wife who despises the holiday and her husband’s obsession with it, a virgin on the lookout for that special guy and a group of tweens who orchestrate a sadistic prank. While he’s certainly enthusiastic regarding the ensuing mayhem, Penikett notes, “The coolest thing about this project is all the people on board: Bryan Singer and actors Brian [RED EYE] Cox, Dylan [FIDO] Baker, Anna [DARKNESS] Paquin and Leslie!”
Penikett is equally impressed by his writer/director, who just so happens to be “a big fan of the [GALACTICA] series,” which led to the actor being called in to audition for his TRICK ‘R TREAT role. “I was amazed at his résumé,” the flattered Penikett says of Dougherty’s previous work. “He’s an incredibly talented and intelligent individual.”
As for the number of days he’s scheduled for, “I believe it’ll end up being eight, [due to] all of the days we had to cancel because of some surprise snow.” Regardless of the frigid conditions, the Vancouver native says he’s having a good time. “Mike’s awesome to work with, but you have to watch your back on set because he’s the ultimate prankster! We’ve been in stitches most of the shoot, because he’s constantly trying to get Leslie.”
Despite the youthful orientation of the majority of the movie’s storylines, the actor says that not only is TRICK ‘R TREAT aiming for an adult demographic, but that the production has brought in some big guns to realize its more horrific elements. “Bill [FREDDY VS. JASON] Terezakis and Patrick [UNDERWORLD] Tatopoulos are doing the creatures,” Penikett reveals, with “visual effects by Rainmaker [Animation].” As for how much onscreen splatter Penikett, who also appears in another forthcoming horror anthology, TRAPPED ASHES, has endured, the actor concludes, “Without giving away too much, I can definitely say that one of the scenes I’m in is gory!”
According to IMDB, Tahmoh has been cast as Henry in Bryan Singer's Halloween horror drama, Trick 'r Treat, set to premiere on October 5th, 2007. The film's plot involves:
"Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband."
Tahmoh will play the holiday-obsessed husband, Henry, whose wife, Emma--I kid you not--dresses as a robot for Halloween.
Comingsoon.net had this to say: "Trick 'r Treat interweaves four tales of chaos and malevolence and has been loosely described as Pulp Fiction set on Halloween night." Filming started in November in Vancouver.
Brian Cox, Anna Paquin, Dylan Baker and Leslie Bibb are set to star in horror pic "Trick 'r Treat," which Bryan Singer is producing for Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. through his Bad Hat Harry Prods.
Michael Dougherty, who co-wrote Singer's "Superman Returns" and "X2," penned the screenplay for "Trick" and will helm in his directorial debut. Lensing begins Thursday in Vancouver.
Singer, intrigued by Dougherty's script, signed onto the project and will be on the set throughout production. Story is set on Halloween night in a town where those who break the rules of the holiday do so at their own peril.
