Katee Sackhoff speaks about Riddick – Her crazy audition and putting on muscle

Collider scored an exclusive interview with actress Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica),  who – as we posted in a recent edition of Extras – has been cast to play the female lead opposite Vin Diesel in writer/director David Twohy’s much anticipated 3rd Riddick film.

Apparently Diesel and Twohy’s audition process is a bit unconventional, to say the least:

I did audition for it. It’s actually a crazy story. I went in once, and then didn’t hear anything. When I went in for the first time, I just met with David. And then, the next time, they were like, “Okay, it’s down to you and four girls.” I was like, “All right.” And they were like, “Vin’s in town, so you’re gonna have to jump. When they say jump, you’ve gotta jump.” I was like, “Okay,” thinking that it could be 5 pm one night, or 8 pm one night. I got a phone call at 11 o’clock at night, from all the producers and the casting director, which thank god the casting director is a woman because I would have been like, “You want me to come where?

So, at midnight, I got out of bed, I took off my face mask and I drove to Vin’s house with my mother on the phone going, “If I don’t call you in an hour, this is the address I’m at.” And she was like, “Katee, nothing is going to happen.” I was like, “I know, but this is so weird!” And, I got the job because I showed up. I truly believe that. When I was driving home that night, at 2 o’clock in the morning, I called my mom and said, “I do believe I just got that job because I showed up.” As far as acting goes, you get to a certain point where I think everyone can do the job and it comes down to a level of commitment. I think sometimes all you have to do is show up.”

She also mention how she had to prepare physically for the role, so that she could hold her own against Diesel:

It’s funny, the last movie I did, I got severely hurt on. I hurt both my shoulders and my back, so much so that I couldn’t move for three months. When I say couldn’t move, that’s being over-dramatic, but I could do nothing but walk. I couldn’t push off with my shoulders because my shoulders were bad. It was very weird, and it hurt like hell. I went and had ozone injections into my spine, and all this crazy stuff done, because I was so worried I wasn’t going to be able to get physically ready for this movie.

And then, I just started working out a month ago, and I’ve packed on nine pounds of muscle, which I hate. It’s like Starbuck (from Battlestar Galactica), all over again. It’s not where my body sits. My body sits in the 130′s, and then, when I start playing these characters, I pop up to the 140′s, and I’m like, “God, my pants don’t fit anymore!” I was putting on my pants this morning and I’m like, “They’re the same size and they fit, but my ass looks weird now.” It’s very different. But, that is intimidating. I do know Vin, and I do know how professional he is, and I do know how much of a work-horse he is. He’s so committed to making a phenomenal project. To show up less than perfect for he and David would be a million dollar mistake.

Sackhoff is certainly a worthy addition to the cast, as she has both the acting chops and physical stature/presence to pull off the tough female lead believably, as she ably demonstrated on Battlestar Galactica.

I’ve been a huge fan of the Riddick movies, which essentially started out as a monster movie in space, but has evolved into a sprawling space opera. Chronicles left the universe in a very precarious position as master killer Riddick ascended to the throne of the Necromongers and ordered their fleet to the Underverse. I’ve been dying to see the conclusion ever since.

There is no scheduled release date yet.

Last Updated: January 14, 2012