BSG's Presidents Baltar and Roslin Speak Up

Zap2it has a great interview with Mary McDonnell, James Callis, and Exec. Producer Dick Eick. God I'm loving Battlestar so far this season and if McDonnell and Callis don't get nominated for an Emmy its a damn shame.

If Roslin is so moral, why is she hiding Hera from Sharon?
McDonnell: I haven't ever really thought of Laura in terms of her being a moral person. I do think that there are many things and there are more of them in season three that Laura chooses to do that she wouldn't do under normal circumstances. And I think that if Laura would take the time to really feel the moral consequences of some of these actions, she probably would be incapable of doing them. So I do think that there's a stepping aside of certain implications.

What can we expect to see Roslin to do this season? Will she ever get into a knock-down-drag-out fight?
McDonnell: She's still teaching, but I think one thing you can trust about Laura Roslin is her passion for the fleet and her commitment to getting them to Earth doesn't really go away. So whatever hat she's wearing, I think the agenda remains the same. I actually feel that not getting into the fights is part of the deal, but I do think that perhaps you may see something like that one of these days.

Will Roslin have sex this season, act out the chemistry between her and Adama?
Eick: It's sort of like asking someone to explore the stories involving sexuality in their mother. Mary's like the mom of the show. I'll only say this: There's definitely going to be an exploration of a completely different and I guess you could say personable or private side to the character in season three. And an effort to not divulge spoilers at this point, I'll leave it at that.

How will Baltar develop over the course of this season?
Callis: By the end of the first few episodes Baltar's going through this existential crisis because he can't quite believe that he isn't dead. And the longer that he seems to evade [death's] clutches and fate, the more he is beginning to kind of wonder that there really might be a plan and that he might really have a part in it. Otherwise, why would he be alive out of these 30,000-plus people striving to find something? It's like everything in the world, everything in the universe points to the fact that he should be dead. So you think he's gaining momentum in understanding his purpose.

McDonnell: There's something going on in him that [Roslin] can't put her finger on. And I think that James said has something to do with that. There's something in him that you understand as seeking something good. And it makes it almost impossible -- otherwise there's no reason why, knowing the way my character is, she wouldn't have already tossed him out an airlock if she could. I think it's a beautiful thing about his character.

How does Gauis communicate with Number Six? Is she a figment of imagination, a projection, etc.?
Callis: One of the things that I like to think is I don't believe that he believes that she's a figment of his imagination for one moment. She feels and looks to be everything that's real as he is. And that would lead me to think that on some strange level, they are connected in an alternate universe beyond the grasp of anybody else. When we see her, the place is slightly different. It is the same place, but slightly different. So that's my take on it.

How much free will does Gaius have? Is he controlled by Number Six?
Callis: I think it's fairer to say that she's manipulating me rather than controlling me. So much of what she has to say seems to help. It's being forced to do things that you don't want to do necessarily, but a voice saying, "That actually by doing these things, there's a plan: It'll work out," -- the last thing you ever expected. So there has to be some argument with it.

Is she telling you what you already want to hear?
Callis: I think so on some deep level in the psyche. Yes, this is the voice that says, "Do the thing that you're straining against and you don't want to do."

Why can't other humans have Cylons in their heads?
Callis: Actually, I'd probably defer to David on that answer, but I'd say, "Gaius Baltar -- because he's the chosen one."