Battlestar Galactica - James Callis on Gaius: Paley Center

Actor James Callis (Gaius Baltar) discusses working with the director to establish his character.
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[@mdarcy785]

I'm ashamed to say I only recently discovered BSG but it is without a doubt one of the best things ever.

[@VaeVictisXIII]

By far the best character, alongside Caprica, in BSG. Amazing transformation and such a reflective character. Brilliant acting.

[@Japantiem]

I hated Gaius at first, but after the first few episodes I loved him... you kind of realize how misunderstood he is.

[@solidsnake0408]

I had ¨a crash on the first sight¨ ! I don´t know why but he seemed to me more human that the rest ! And Dame I HATED Roslyn !

[@jacksmith4460]

he is just a shit storm, really all he ever wanted was to get laid...a lot lool, which resulted in the destruction of mankind, later its enslavement, and him becoming a cult leader, there is a a wonderful tragic irony to his story , he is my favorite character, the way Callis plays it too is so funny You hate him in the beginning but cant help but like him by the end, the Trial episodes are amongst the best (partly also because Romo appears at that point, who is a great character as well)

[@davemarx7856]

Misunderstood? He's an insane person. Of course he's misunderstood. You can't understand insanity.

[@jacksmith4460]

not really he is just a bit shallow and weak, he's not really insane, he see's 6 in his head...but its not a halucination, narcissistic yes, but not insane

[@popkhorne5372]

@@davemarx7856 nah, he was sane, and not malicious. Just weak. A coward sometimes and a hero sometimes. The duality of man.

[@Zeruckiven]

The entire cast was absolutely magnificent, but I honestly believe that Adama and Gaius Frakking Baltar were the two best actors on the show.

[@davemarx7856]

Zeruckiven Some days it XO Taigh

[@robinhood5627]

@@davemarx7856 You're gods damn right!

[@dotdashdotdash]

Mark Sheppard as Romo Lampkin is my fave

[@HM-dm3qg]

@@dotdashdotdash Thanks

[@MFM230]

I loved watching Gaius in the 3rd and 4th season. Battlestar Galactica was so post-modern, and the religious ideas in the final season (4.0 & 4.5) were especially so. I loved his transformation shown in episode Daybreak, Part 2: G: "Caprica, what are you doing here? I don't think you should be here [joining the assault on the colony]. C: "I've been in more battles than you have." G: "You have a point. I guess the most pertinent question is, 'What I'm doing here?' What the hell was I thinking?" (scene change and return) C: "I'm proud of you!" G: "What?" C: "For doing this, for being here when you could have walked away. I don't think I could understand it before, but I always wanted to be proud of you. Guess I felt that was the only thing missing." (Gaius grabs her and passionately kisses her).

[@Warhorse500]

On a side note...Grace Park's laugh is infectious...:P

[@KaitainCPS]

Gaius was not written originally as a comedic character, but after they saw what Callis was bringing to the ensemble, his natural comic instincts, they started writing more to his strengths.

[@calanais06]

He´s so charming, his fantastic English accent is so sexy, even that tie is cute... and he is so funny! This man is flawless! And I agree with several of you, Gaius was absolutely the main character in BSG.

[@leNOIRfae]

amazing actor and person, full of joy

[@everythingshiny]

That's a great Aussie accent...good job him :)

[@KaitainCPS]

Yeah, it's really a show about politics, the military, liberty, security and where we strike a balance between all of those under conditions of existential threat. The ideas it covers are some of the ones Plato discussed in 'The Republic'.

[@nickofmillertime]

Baltar is my favorite character. So much depth.

[@strikedizzle]

I don't know what I would have done to myself if I had never seen this show. I saw it on netflix and gave it a try and I was automatically hooked. I'm not a huge sci-fi fan but I think this transcends that genre into something more real than sci-fi.

[@Mitchcraft.]

I look at it this way. Game of Thrones maybe set in a fantasy world but it is much more than that, it is politics, war, relationships amongst so much other stuff you don't see normally in a fantasy show or movie. BSG is the SCI-FY version that came before Game of Thrones that done the same. It was set in a sci-fi setting but we had again, politics, we had law and trials, mutiny, relationships, religion and so much more. It really deserves as much attention as GOT imo.

[@VooDooEf]

i like that guy, i laughted my ass off watching him in episodes!

[@fireandsomethingsomethings8887]

Omg Alucard 🖤

[@billmilligan7272]

James Callis should be the next Doctor Who.

[@vincer9960]

Gaius was always my favorite character from the start. I was only disappointed because I thought he was going to massively grow as a person and become some sort of true hero or the president again or the one to save the entire crew or, I don't know, I just thought he was going to really, really evolve. I thought he was going to eventually show everyone "the light" and be the "saviour" and become an extremely strong and selfless person. But he didn't evolve much. I felt there was soooo much more to come from his character. I'm disappointed in the writers with how much of this character they didn't use.

[@mightbesherwood1313]

What's amazing about your comment is that you're basically right, but literally wrong. Gaius actually saved the fleet multiple times, became Vice President and then President (ahem), and did become the closest thing they had to a spiritual "savior" when he went through his guru phase. It's just that he wasn't someone anyone would like or admire, and because of that, we overlook his contribution. Objectively great, but subjectively hateful.

[@TheMainCore1]

He is the prodigal son of the series. His arc is not one of being elevated to great heights by the end (he’d risen to those heights many times throughout the show, president, religious leader etc with varying degrees of narcissistic self indulgence) or redeeming every other character in the show, those would be the grandiose types of thoughts that Baltar would have towards the beginning of his arc but that would’ve been a really tacky ending for his character. To see him truly humbled by his experiences and to live a modest life of farming, with a true love who he had once seen as little more than a means to satisfy his own carnal desires at the end of the series is absolutely one of the most poetic endings of any character in the show. He DID massively grow as a person, arguably more than any other character!

[@amylh322]

Yes! It so hard to do... I could do pretty much any accent, but gave the heck up on Oz. There's something about how the words curl under... and a bad Australian accent is nobody's friend ;-)

[@CrystalTears234]

and James cuts that epic line just perfect!

[@photofriend44]

Dr. Baltar was not only the best character on the show. James Callis's performance was also probably the best performance.

[@rhyfeddu]

He's hilarious. Loved his Aussie cameraman.

[@amylh322]

Did any of you think the Baltar character didn't deserve .... i don't want to spoil for anyone who hasn't seen it yet - how his character comes to a close? I was OK at first and then thought "That shouldn't have happened" because of so and so... OK, that was vague. And I must add - James is FAB! I saw him play Hamman in a film about Esther (from the Book of Esther in the Old Testament) and he was a bloody good Really Bad Guy there!

[@catherinegriffith5735]

Such a great actor James Callis xxx

[@eelisabethh]

@AlannahClaire I know x) He's hilarious! Another good one: “I just don't respond to the title 'Doc.' A dock is a platform for loading and unloading material. My title is "Doctor" or "Mr. Vice President," if you don't mind." :P I love this guy!

[@__J____ff]

I WILL WATCH THE 15 SECONDS AD TO WATCH THIS GUY'S INTERVIEW. YES I WILL.

[@tttravs]

Ha! I mentioned that same thing to my boyfriend last week when we both started watching...the accent, facial features, and mannerisms are all dead ringers for Julian Bashir.

[@caseydavis6689]

So true!!

[@HisDivineShadow245]

He also does a passable Aerilon accent. :D

[@videovixen71]

He is just as charming (and handsome haha) as his character.. hehehe

[@tehninjastickman]

first time i watched bsg at 15, hated gias. three years later watched it again loved gias

[@peter486]

if you havent watched Battle-star you must see its insanely good Boltar is such a sneaky character, but thinking back hes the spider in the net it always ends with him :).

[@tribbleq]

@tank4731 Jamie couldn't probably because Olmos was already cast and the son is not going to have a completely different accent from the father. They even gave Jamie blue contacts so he actually looked like his son.

[@MsElise2009]

For some reason this guy (or rather Gaius) always make me think of Doctor Bashir from Deep Space 9.

[@Neoony]

@Cmet332 yeah he has been acting wery well in bsg

[@darkasthesky]

ha ha ha ha ha james is so funny & i love Grace´s laughter

[@Dantallus9000]

Great great actor.

[@glenwood1054]

This guy is awesome

[@kristinaF54]

*Spoiler Warning* (just in case) He gave a nuclear bomb to someone he knew was a cylon merely out of spite for Roslin and yes, he knew the consequences of doing it (he's a genius remember). He lied about the genetic results of boomer because he was protecting himself. Time and again his actions were only out of self-interest. If you think this character was misunderstood or really a decent guy, you're probably missing some important human traits there.

[@ducksoup2007]

i have seen all the BSG Paley Center video but the videos are incomplete where are the rest does anyone know

[@KassaGretaHandsCrossed]

"oh, yeah" xDDDD

[@GrissomLovesSara]

me . totally. i agree with you

[@GeneticFreak]

@AsASeins that means he's doing a pretty good job in the acting ;)

[@BrendanBeckett]

Did Grace Park say anything during this? There ar eno clips of her

[@Unreal_Ra]

his hair

[@fairhair1539]

Ohh yes. Gaius for president! ...oh wait.

[@davemarx7856]

Crusader Kitten He kept most of them alive on NewCaprica... Through sheer ignorance but the result is the same.

[@mononoke721]

Seems like they cast the right actor - James Callis is as charming and magnetic as Gaius Baltar is supposed to be, even more so given he isn't responsible for countless deaths!

[@vBDKv]

Awesome show, a little confusing in the end.

[@abyssus99]

@AlannahClaire Agreed :D

[@LSnicket4]

tribbleq's intentions are in the right place, but got a little mixed up. Eddie Olmos got the contacts and Jamie dyed his hair a little darker to resemble him.

[@MsElise2009]

He does kind of look like him now that you mention it

[@penigan85]

Been saying that for a year now!

[@DocWyldeCard]

@Nartakh So say we all.

[@amylh322]

Hee :) Thank you! You might be the only one :)

[@ducksoup2007]

does anyone know where i can veiw the full interview

[@ducksoup2007]

where can view the whole video

[@luckycharm222]

oh yes!!!!

[@TonyEvans96]

I like how he's the only one NOT with a water bottle... look carefully. Lmao, I love the actor, I hate the character with a passion. Let's airlock him

[@AfroPoli]

First I thought he played Baltar really well, but now I'm seeing that he only is himself...

[@Icepacalapse]

Gaius Baltar.....he's the motherfrackin shit.

[@ducksoup2007]

where can i veiw the whole interview

[@solidsnake0408]

ouh YES !

[@MitholX]

They gave Jamie blue contacts...? But...they gave Eddie Olmos blue contacts too. That sounds a bit unnecessary.

[@esportsmental]

he rocks!

[@teknizian]

best character of bsg

[@GrissomLovesSara]

i adore james callis as james callis. Didn't like Gaius Baltar though I realize Callis was great in that role

[@theinfiniteawe]

Yeah that's true =D

[@maulcs]

Gaius is fucking awesome

[@ctraver]

James Callis for the 12th Doctor.

[@tank4731]

He acually kept his accent unlike Jamie Bamber

[@psychicriver]

Argh, I hated Baltar, but James Callis is so funny! And so much like Baltar in his mannerisms!!

[@maxdecphoenix]

it's no secret! the whole Fleet knows that this man tried to stab me through the neck.. .and you missed! Butterfingers!

[@butcherjsy8]

No more mr nice Gaius!

[@Britbloke23]

like.

[@JohnnyDeppFan1433]

James is SO hot

[@darkasthesky]

hahahaha he so funny

[@jordanhughes8472]

Has to face the camera and the person hes speaking to, Hmm sounds just like stage acting. If the camera was the audience that is.

[@mostlikelyme]

almost sounds, Ironic? or some kind of Synchronicity.. ~~ALL OF THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE AND WILL HAPPEN AGAIN~~

[@Bananinasdasd]

youre kidding... right?

[@theinfiniteawe]

He *nailed* the sterotypical accent, but I hate that accent, and I'm glad I don't talk like that lol.

[@MisterMunt]

Wow. A non-Australian who can do a decent aussie accent

[@necessaryevil101]

lmao

[@AsASeins]

@flyinggeese426 no really, I don't like him in any way. 95% of the moments with him are boring (when he sees the 6 it's just useless). I'm not saying is'nt a great actor or whatever I just can't stand the character

[@maxdecphoenix]

lol. oh the irony. I realize this comment is like 2 years old, but you couldn't have picked a worse actor to make your argument for. Jamie Bambers father is American. From Detroit. Bamber modeled his accent on BSG after his fathers. His mother is from N.Ireland. Bamber's normal speech is a Londoner accent nothing close to how either of his parents sound. My sis in law is from Wales, and neither of my two nephews has an accent (at least to me :D)

[@SRaitsa]

What Australians have you heard? The only accent that resembled to me was the poor attempts that you get out of Hollywood

[@Alan123123123]

@ClaudiusPapillion Millions? try billions. But don't worry, god forgave him.

[@AsASeins]

can't stand him in the show, I was so hoping he dies during the early season !!!

[@MANBEARPIG248]

i dont think lee likes him in real life either...

[@stevedandy973]

BSG'04 was like capturing lightning in a bottle. EVERYTHING and EVERYTHING "clicked."

[@sarevor]

Gaius Baltar is a hero! Best character in the series!

[@Unreal_Ra]

his hair

[@argonaut200]

1:26 apollo is like "get your fraking hands off me. Now" lol

[@emijackman]

Mine too! Funny, I was just thinking about it today.

[@THEOogalieBoogalie]

he says LIKE a lot