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BATTLESTAR GALACTICA NEWS
Campbell shares reason for leaving Galactica
MONDAY - APRIL 10, 2006
by Darren Sumner
Actor Paul Campbell discusses his acting career and his role as Billy Keikeya on Battlestar Galactica in a new interview now online at Media Blvd. Beware of spoilers for Season Two's "Sacrifice" below!
In the interview, 26-year-old Campbell explains why he left the hit series, and why Billy had to die in the second season episode.
"It was kind of my choice in a way," he told the site. "I was kind of given an ultimatum eventually because in between the end of Season One and the beginning of Season Two I had actually gone to L.A. and booked a pilot. Because Battlestar production didn't have me under contract, I was free to go and do that. And it was their loss if the show got picked up and I wasn't able to come back for Season Two. I think that was a problem they had with a few of the cast members, that everyone was a free agent after Season One, and I think that scared them a little bit. They could have potentially lost half their cast after Season One, and I think after that, they pretty much ended up signing everyone to a contract.
"But I'd already been cast in another show and decided to go off on my own and see if it worked. As it turned out it didn't work. ... So after that [they] kind of gave me the ultimatum and said, 'Sign a contract for five years, or we kind of need to go our separate ways.' And I kind of put it off and put it off, then eventually they just said, 'Look, we can tell you're not really committed to the show, and we can't write storylines. So we've decided to kill the character.'
Billy Keikeya served as aide to President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) during the vital months following the Cylon attack. |  |
"It wasn't really a surprise, but I wasn't expecting it to happen when it did. But I certainly wasn't surprised that they had to do that."
Campbell isn't particularly a science fiction fan, but does appreciate good work when he sees it -- including Galactica. "I'm a fan of good film and good TV, and if it happens to be good it doesn't matter if it's sci-fi or fantasy or comedy," he said. "I'll enjoy it. But for the most part I find a lot of those shows, Andromeda and Stargate ... to be a little campy for my tastes. I also don't really jive with the 'Not Another Teen Movie' genre of comedies as well. If it's smart and it's well done, then I appreciate it.
"And that's one of the great things about Battlestar, is that right from the get go, I could tell it was just a top-notch show through and through. ... Leaving Battlestar was pretty difficult. But I think it was the right choice."
Be sure to read the first portion of the full interview at Media Blvd. The rest of the interview will be published soon, in cooperation with The Scifi World and bsgtns.com.
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