Interview: Move Over, Captain Jack. There's a New Gay in the Galaxy Named Sam Adama.

Move over Captain Jack, there’s a new gay character on the sci fi block, and he might just be as groundbreaking and kick-ass as you were when you first arrived on Torchwood.

His name is Sam Adama, and he’s a Tauron enforcer working for the Halatha Crime Syndicate on the planet of Caprica. Sam's already killed once in a rather spectacularly brutal fashion. But he’s also happily married to another man, and is the loving uncle to none other than Battlestar Galacatica’s iconic William Adama, the man who helped save humanity after the Cylons nearly wiped them out.

Sasha Roiz is the actor so indelibly bringing Sam to life. Indeed, the role of Sam was originally envisioned as only being in the pilot, but thanks to strong writing – and the magnetic performance of Roiz who initially read for another part – the role was expanded, and Sam is now one of the show’s most important characters.

AfterElton.com recently caught up with Roiz to discuss how he’s similar to Sam, gays in science fiction, and if Roiz had any concerns playing the part – not because Sam is gay – but because he kills people for a living.

AfterElton.com: The standard question actors playing gay roles used to get asked was are you concerned about taking on a gay role, but it's 2010 and I think we're past that. Nobody ever asks actors what they think about playing a character as morally complicated as is Sam. So what was your approach to that as an actor?
Sasha Roiz: You know what's great is that I think it's a wonderful addition to the character that he's gay. But the thing is, on Caprica, there's no discrimination as far as the sexes or sexual orientation. The discrimination is more cultural. We're more discriminated against as Taurons as anything else. As a matter of fact, the word gay wouldn't even be used on Caprica because it's not an issue. It's a completely normal way of life. You love who you love.

AE: Jane Espenson [Caprica’s executive producer] and I were talking about that. Frankly, I love that approach. And I love that we have enough gay characters these days that we can have some complexity in them. So playing a character who has already killed in the pilot, and in the third episode is asked to kill somebody rather shocking, basically you're a mobster hit man. Does playing a killer mess with your head in any way shape or form?
SR: No, because I think when you play any character, unless you have issues as the character about killing, I don't think you ever question what the character's motives are. You just embrace it. The way I approach it is that he truly believes in the organization he works for. He truly believes in the cause and the tasks that are asked of him. He doesn't question things.

Sam killing a corrupt, racist judge

There are moments later on in the series where he does question things, very much so. He's conflicted about things he's been asked to do or been forced to do, and those are really fun to tackle, but when it comes to the organization, the mob that he works for, he truly believes in his cause.

He has a real disdain for Capricans. This is a man who believes he's being treated as a second class citizen and the only thing he can do to survive and thrive in this world is remain loyal to the culture he's from and the people who look after him. That's the only people he cares about.

AE: Is that the difference between the Halatha crime syndicate and the Mafia, in your mind? The Mafia is basically an organization for extortion and making money, whereas the Halatha, as you just described it, is more like, "We're downright discriminated against so we're going to do whatever we can."
SR: I think it's not really reminiscent of that modern day mob. It's more like the turn-of-the-century mob. The early 20th Century when Italians, Irish, Jews all came over and had very limited opportunities. They were ghettoized and forced to create a life and survive any way they could. In response to being ghettoized and discriminated against, they found their own ways and their own rules.