Don’t let that friendly, coffee-shop name fool you — Katee Sackhoff, the actress who played the fighter pilot Starbuck on “Battlestar Galactica,” likes action.
She’s crashed motorcycles, flipping snowboards, faced down the sci-fi fan hordes and survived a serious cancer scare at age 28. And that’s all been off camera.
Sackhoff now says she’s as surprised as anyone that she has landed a major part on “24.”
Q: Were you a sci-fi person growing up?
Sackhoff: I come from a very small town in Portland, OR. where only two of the TV channels in our house came in clearly. When I was little I had constantly to battle my brother and parents for the TV.
I remember my mom always putting “Dynasty” on and my dad changing it to “Star Trek.” He always won that battle. After a few episodes I was hooked.
Q: Some fans of those sci-fi shows are known to be lunatics.
Sackhoff: [Laughs] Well I’m not going to call them that. They helped launch my career and put food on my table. The ones I’ve met at conventions like Comic-Con I would describe as . . . very passionate.
The funny thing is most of them were expecting to meet a butch based on the attitude of my character [Captain Kara “Starbuck” Thrace] from ‘Battlestar.’
When people saw me in a dress and heels they were confused. It was like a disappointing blow for them.
I’d be rich if I got a dime for all the times I heard “Oh My God! You’re pretty.”
Q: You’re also dangerous. Tell me about your motorcycle and snowboarding adventures.
Sackhoff: I’ve dome some stupid sh – – in the past but I never got hurt until a few years ago.
I went snowboarding by myself which is not a good idea. I fell and slammed my head so hard I actually saw stars.
I’ve had concussions before but nothing like that. I drove myself to the hospital and then I blacked out.
My friend Tricia [Helfer from ‘Battlestar’] and I recently decided to learn how to ride motorcycled together. I’ve fallen a few times but that isn’t stopping us from starting our own gang.
Q: Did your appetite for action lead you to “24”?
Sackhoff: Absolutely. Once I heard about the part I was ready to fight someone for it.
One thing is there are no women heroes on TV anymore — there’s a huge void and I want to fill it.
Q: Tell me about your character.
Sackhoff: I play an expert data analyst at CTU working on counter-terrorism that interacts with and tries to help Kiefer [Sutherland]. I’m also involved with Freddie Prinze, Jr’s character, Cole Ortiz.
Q: You almost didn’t get the role, right?
Sackhoff: Two years ago I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I just sat there sobbing, scared to death. Just hearing the word cancer brings out fear.
Luckily, for me, I had one of the most curable forms of it. Once the surgery was done to remove my thyroid, I took nine months off.
Then, a pilot I began working on fell through. I experienced every actor’s nightmare at that point: I’m never going to work again.
Then, the role in “24” suddenly appeared . . . and I jumped on it.