Posted in: Movies, TV | Tagged: army of darkness, babylon 5, entertainment, film, Patricia Tallman, tv
Patricia Tallman On Babylon 5, Army Of Darkness, And Fun Times Traveling
By Jason Strangis
Actress Patricia Tallman played the most powerful telepath in the universe in the television series Babylon Five. Besides being part of that popular 1990s Sci-Fi series Tallman has played a variety of other interesting roles over the years. She was The Possessed Witch in the cult favorite film Army of Darkness, and also worked as a stunt woman. Currently, Tallman loves traveling around the world and taking part in new adventures. She enjoys the convention circuit and most recently signed autographs and chatted with fans at the San Diego Comic-Con. The following is an interview with this creative and talented actress.
Jason Strangis: What was it like being a part of a popular series like Babylon 5?
Patricia Tallman: When I read the script I was completely blown away by how awesome it was. It was so well written and the characters were fantastic. The character I was to read for (Lyta Alexander) was so amazing. I knew it was a good script but we didn't know we had a hit series.
JS: Any thoughts on show creator and writer J. Michael Straczynski?
PT: He really is an amazing writer and loves to write to the actor's strength. He's great at creating words.
JS: You also appeared in several other Star Trek spinoffs over the years. Were you a fan of the original series?
PT: I used to watch Star Trek with my dad when I was younger. Star Trek to me was completely real. I believed everything. The other show I loved was Dark Shadows. What I love most is science fiction and horror. I was a huge fan of the scary stuff.
JS: Speaking of horror, you played the role of Barbara in the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead. What was that like?
PT: I got to play the lead role. George Romero changed the character to be a survivor.
JS: In 1992, you played a scary witch in the cult favorite Army of Darkness starring Bruce Campbell and directed by Sam Raimi.
PT: Playing the Witch was really great but super hard. The makeup took 4 ½ hours to put on. Getting out of it was another 2 ½ hours. It was an 18 hour day. I loved working with Sam and Bruce. Sam was very animated when he directed a segment with the whole army, and he is usually pretty quiet. He seems a bit shy to me. But he's very friendly and loves his actors. He was so appreciative with my efforts while we shot the scene in the castle as the witch. He and Bruce called me on the car phone after they had been editing and were yelling about how great a job I did.
JS: You've been acting steadily since then in a variety of roles. What do you enjoy doing for hobbies?
PT: I've traveled so much and love to travel. I'm looking forward to going to the Big Island for HawaiiCon in September (check out Quest Retreats for more information). I've been an avid scuba diver all my life. In the future I'd like to do a Pirates of the Caribbean tour and go to New Zealand for a Hobbit tour. There are so many projects that I love. I feel very blessed.
Jason Strangis is a freelance writer who enjoys superheroes, sci-fi, and attending comic book conventions. He can be reached at jwstrangis@gmail.com