Garret Dillahunt JUST AS LETHAL ON FOX SERIES

[Brian Damage]

February 17, 2008 -- Garret Dillahunt has made a name for himself playing killers.

First, he played Wild Bill Hickok's assassin on HBO's "Deadwood." Now, he's playing another a murderous cyborg on the trail of Sarah and John Connor on Fox's popular "Terminator" series.

Dillahunt has found something to admire about his hardwired slayer. "Terminators have a drive and sense of purpose I think actors could emulate," says the 43-year-old actor. "They have no guilt, they follow orders, they don't hesitate. They don't care what people think. Those are qualities I'd like to keep."

A fan of the original movies, Dillahunt, 43, says he feels like he's checking off a wish list of boyhood role-playing: "I've been lucky enough to play a lot of cowboys, and now a Terminator. It's kind of a cool year for me," he says.

Although Terminators don't carry the types of complexities actors might relish, Dillahunt nevertheless has his ideas. "I'm playing that he needs to be tweaked a bit," he says. "Maybe his imitation of human happiness is a bit off, which I think is kind of amusing."

Because Cromartie originally was played by a different actor in the pilot, before the robot baddie lost his flesh in a bit of explosive time traveling, Dillahunt's casting meant he got a brief chance to play the vain, unwitting actor as well as the Terminator who copies his appearance.

"I literally got to kill myself on this show, which was trippy and weird," he says about his debut in last week's episode, the first of four he was able to complete before the writers' strike. "I like playing two characters in the same show, it seems."

Dillahunt is referring to what happened on "Deadwood," when after he'd filmed his last episode as Jack McCall in the show's first season, creator David Milch told him he'd be coming back the following season as a different character, geologist Francis Wolcott.

"It was really exciting," he recalls, adding that he wasn't worried about fans being confused. "We were lucky that I'd uglied up so well as McCall, with the droopy eye trick, the scraggly beard and being so dirty. The makeup guys were great. I just had to clean up."

Of the acclaimed show, Dillahunt says, "That was a special time. I was really lucky to have that experience. It boosted my confidence, and it was certainly a turning point for me in everyone else's eyes."

Raised in a small farm town in Washington state, Dillahunt originally studied journalism in college until an elective acting course hijacked his interests. Since earning his MFA in acting from NYU, Dillahunt has worked steadily in theater, television and film.

"I always want to be able to move gracefully between all of them," says Dillahunt, who now makes his home on both coasts with his wife, actress Michelle Hurd.

Dillahunt, who made a splash on the big screen this fall as Tommy Lee Jones' dim-witted deputy in "No Country For Old Men," admits he's a workaholic. He cites the tragic, sudden death of his 19-year-old brother – Garret was 16 at the time – in solidifying his attitude toward life and career.

"He was a real dreamer, a sweet soul, and he wanted to be a rock star," says Dillahunt. "And I remember real conscious thoughts that I can't waste time doing things I don't enjoy with my life. Money became less important. And now I have a career that's made me very, very happy, a perfect blend for me of digging a ditch and sitting at a desk. It's a great life."


THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES

Monday, 9 p.m., Fox

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