Katee Sackhoff Bares All For Charity

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Katee Sackhoff became a celebrity, a role model and a feminist icon when she played Starbuck on Syfy's signature series, Battlestar Galactica. That's also where Sackhoff met her best friend and business partner, Tricia Helfer, who played Number Six.

Since the series wrapped in 2009, the two have launched Acting Outlaws, a charity which previously raised funds and support for the Gulf Region in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig catastrophic explosion in April 2010. Their latest endeavor is a beautiful 2013 calendar that benefits amFAR and celebrates their bodies, ensuring it will become a Must Have for their fans.

ETonline caught up with Sackhoff to find out how the calendar came to be, if she was hesitant to pose nude and why we have Vin Diesel to thank for the body she's flaunting.

ETonline: How did this calendar come about?
Katee Sackhoff: We were actually approached a few years ago by a company who wanted to do a calendar, but they wanted to retain complete ownership. We figured if there was a market out there for a calendar of us, we should own it and keep it under the Acting Outlaws umbrella so we can make sure it's for the right charity. I mean, it's a little less egotistical when it's for charity. When it's for a good cause, I'll take my clothes off.

ETonline: Thanks to BSG and Starbuck you have just as many straight male fans as you do gay female fans. Which demo do you think will buy more copies of the calendar?
Sackhoff: I think the lesbians are buying more because their spouses don't make them feel guilty about it [laughs]. You have two women in the house who think it's sexy, but in a straight couple, it's just the guy. I think with our lesbian fanbase, we're hitting both parts of the couple.

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ETonline: Was there any month you fought for?
Sackhoff: Not really. Tricia and I were both born in April, so that was hard, but we were more interested in how all the photos worked in a layout because early on it became clear there was no story to the calendar. There's no chronology to the photos, we just knew we wanted the singles to be sandwiched with a double from each of the "looks" we did.

ETonline: Well, my birthday is in October, which features you completely nude. Were you hesitant to bare it all?
Sackhoff: I never thought I would ever pose nude. But Tricia was the first to get naked, so that made it easier. I mean, it's pretty easy to get naked in front of that lady anyway ... not that I would just get naked and show her my va-zush, but we've changed in front of each other multiple times. And my fiance was there … although he's not as understanding as Tricia's husband, who would totally ask, "Do you want me to oil you up?" My fiance is like, "Can you please stop spreading your legs for the photographer?"

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ETonline: Were there any photos left on the cutting room floor that you wish had made it?
Sackhoff: There's actually one shot that was so beautiful, we're going to save it for something else. In it, we're embracing, nude. I mean, our vaginas were six inches away from each other and I kept screaming at her to stop laughing because it was making her boob get closer and closer to my face [laughs]. the whole thing was nerve-wracking, but my body looked so good at that time because I was working out so hard for Riddick, so I was ready.

ETonline: So little is known about 2013's Riddick movie, how do you describe it?
Sackhoff: Tonally, it's a throwback to Pitch Black but there are moments where, stylistically, it's just as beautiful as The Chronicles of Riddick. You do have a bit of the Necromonger world in this one, so it's like the best of both movies. But for fans of Pitch Black, this goes back to those roots. It's pretty exciting. Dahl is by far the toughest character I've ever played. I keep saying that to people and they don’t understand how that's possible – but she would beat the sh*t out of Starbuck.

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ETonline: Starbuck was such an iconic role, do you struggle with typecasting in Hollywood?
Sackhoff: Oh, for sure. But I love playing the strong characters. I don't think I will ever stop. It comes easily to me in that I am athletic and enjoy getting thrown around, but I've definitely had to fight for the roles where I didn't punch somebody in the face. There was one movie I desperately wanted the lead for, but they offered me the Starbuck-esque character and I turned it down. I have to be selective – not in that I don't want to play those women, but I can't play too many on top of another. I'm trying to spread my wings a bit. Purely because I won't be able to kick ass much longer [laughs]. I think I've got about 4 or 5 more years left of this. Then I might actually have to do something else.

ETonline: Does part of you want to play the girl in the pretty dress who swoons in the romantic comedy?
Sackhoff: Totally! That's who I am in real life. I'm also a singer and would love to do Broadway. I have a totally different side to myself, it's just for some reason, these characters are what I'm known for. But it's so far from who I am that all my friends find it laughable. I'm such a pansy.

To purchase the Acting Outlaws calendar, click here!