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Post by Sara on Mar 27, 2005 18:18:26 GMT -5
Posted by LeeHollins:Article taken from Zap2It.com 'Jake 2.0' Star Has Fond 'Buffy' Memories(Thursday, August 14 11:00 AM) By Kate O'Hare LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Former "Popular" and "Odyssey 5" regular Christopher Gorham now has a show of his own, "Jake 2.0," premiering Wednesday, Sept. 10, on UPN. But even with the excitement of all that, his eyes light up when he recalls his one-episode stint on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which ended its seven-season run on UPN last year. It came in April of 1998, during season two of "Buffy," when the show was still on The WB. "I Only Have Eyes for You," written by Marti Noxon (who went on to become an executive producer), featured Gorham as James, a Sunnydale High student from the 1950s who has an ill-fated romance with a teacher called Grace (Meredith Salenger, who later starred on "Dawson's Creek"). The duo's tragic end continues to haunt the school, and as preparations for the Sadie Hawkins Day dance approach, the spirits of James and Grace possess people in the school, forcing them to reenact a murder/suicide. The last two possessed are Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and the vampire Angel (David Boreanaz), who had recently lost his soul and turned against former love Buffy. In a twist, James takes over Buffy, while Grace inhabits Angel. "Sarah Michelle Gellar was unbelievable to work with," says Gorham. "I played this character that possessed Buffy. There was a big breakup scene where my character ended up shooting and killing his teacher accidentally and then killing himself. "The scene was done by me; it was done by Sarah and David; and it was done by two other guest stars as well. "Anyway, I show up and I'm thinking, 'OK, well, I'm a guest star on the show. They're going to tell me how Sarah did it, and then I'm going to copy what she did.' No. I did it first, and then Sarah and David and the other two guest stars, they watched the dailies of what I did, and they matched me. "On one of the days where we were actually working together, she comes up to me and says, 'Chris, listen, how do you want to play this scene?' Blown away. I was so floored. I couldn't believe it. "I was like, 'OK ... yeah, this is how I was going to do it.' But I couldn't believe she would even ask. She was going first that day, and she asked me how I would want to do it. It's totally the right way to do it, but coming onto a series where she's already a huge star, you don't expect her to do that. She was unbelievable, just great. Nothing bad to say about her." Gorham's compliments also extend to "Buffy's" creator, Joss Whedon. "He is unbelievable. I ran into him a year later. I was at the building, auditioning for something else completely. He walked by, 'Hey, Chris, how you doing?' Floored. Could not believe he remembered who I was. So yes, he's just really cool." In one of TV's interesting coincidences, David Greenwalt, who was a producer and writer on "Buffy" at the time Gorham did his guest shot, is now the show-runner on "Jake 2.0." Further, "Jake" faces off against the "Buffy" spin-off, The WB's "Angel," starring David Boreanaz and co-created by Greenwalt, on Wednesdays this fall. tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271|82874|1|,00.html
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Post by Sara on Mar 27, 2005 18:20:48 GMT -5
Posted by Betsy:
It was touch and go for a while, but now Angel is a sure thing for a fifth season, taking control of demonic law firm Wolfram and Hart. Star David Boreanaz, fresh from playing the villain in a new Crow movie, can't wait to see what the new episodes have to offer.
Words: Gina McIntyre (To order contact dreamwatch@titanemail.com)
Looking forward to another season of Angel? So is actor David Boreanaz, who next year will step behind the camera to direct at least one episode of the series in which he portrays television's most heroic vampire. From the set of the latest instalment of the Crow franchise, The Crow: Wicked Prayer, Boreanaz spoke to dreamwatch about the welcome challenges of this past season, what it was like to reunite with Sarah Michelle Gellar for the Buffy The Vampire Slayer series finale and why he couldn't resist the opportunity to work with Dennis Hopper and play a dastardly villain during his summer hiatus.
Looking back on this past season, how do you feel you were able to stretch as an actor? Did any of the episodes present any kind of unique challenge? All of them were challenging to me. There's always something in each episode that spins me in a certain direction, makes me think about how am I going to play Angel here, how do I make sure his personality comes through, how can you play bad when you wand to make it a little bit more complex. It's a tough question. All the episodes were really fulfilling for me this year. There were maybe some spots I didn't enjoy, but more or less it was pretty good.
You get to play Angelus again. Is that fun for you as an actor? Is it a nice change of pace to play the dark side of the character, instead of being so heroic all the time? Oh yeah. Everybody loves the dark side. I think I have such a complex lifestyle myself, so maybe a lot of that just feeds into Angelus. There's so much going on in your world that you find avenues to exorcise that. I'm not saying that I'm a vicious psychopathic killer, but I just mean in general your frame of mind helps. You can over-exaggerate that and heighten it and explore it and make it real, put something behind it...
That must save you on therapy bills then? I do still go to therapy. Therapy itself helps bring up tons of stuff and then you can just take that and say, 'Alright, I'll use this...'
What was it like for you to go back to appear in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer series finale? It was fun. It was a reunion of sorts between Sarah and I and some of the cast people that were still there and the crew members. It was stepping back into those shoes and seeing those two characters together again, which I'm sure the fans will really like. It's good to give them that which they've been asking for quite some time now. We had a good time. It was pretty painless.
Did you and Sarah Michelle Gellar fall into your old rapport? We pretty much did. That's what's so great about her and the rapport that the two of us have. We just stepped back into those shoes and had some fun. All I can say is that the fans saw those characters where they wanted to see them. Again, it's probably going to be an open ending, but hey, that's life [laughs]...
How do you think Buffy's departure from the air will affect Angel? I don't think the end of their show would affect our show. I think that it maybe would help it. Maybe more viewers would come watch us. It's interesting that you chose to work in the genre during your hiatus. What made you want to sign on to do the next installment in the Crow franchise? I read the script and I was instantly attached to the themes going on and the rhythm of the script and the dialogue. It's really wicked and juicy, sarcastic and extremely out there. Again, here's an almost four-dimensional character which I get to play. He's evil, and then he's really evil and then he's like the anti-Christ. He travels in a group of four, and he's the head of the gang. Dennis Hopper turns him into the devil, basically, which is really cool. The opportunity to work with Dennis, and then also the director [Lance Mungia] was new and fresh. The last film he did [1998's Six-String Samurai] was, I felt, really cutting-edge and had a really cool vision to it the way he shot it. I think it's a perfect fit for the Crow franchise.
How does working with someone like Dennis Hopper affect your own acting style? It takes it up a couple of notches. In the case of Dennis Hopper, he's a screen legend. He's an idol. He's been in the business for 49 years. He's worked on films like Giant. He worked with James Dean. When you work with someone like that, you watch, you learn, you observe and that energy gets into you. It's very contagious in a good way. You try different things because he enlightens you. Unconsciously or consciously, whether you know it or not...
Are you taking anything away from this experience that you think you'll be able to use on Angel next season? Oh yeah. Every season with the show has been a great learning experience for me. You set the bar at a very high level, which I've been doing every season and continue to do because it challenges me as an actor and keeps things interesting. You don't really want to fall into the routine of it because then it becomes boring. Then you don't want to do it. Here, you get the chance to set the bar even higher and challenge yourself scene after scene, as long and as tedious as that can be. As long as I can keep pinpointing where I want to push myself in certain areas, emotionally and physically, I know that I'm in the right direction.
You mention the idea of playing one character for so long. How do you keep that interesting and are you looking forward to changing things at all next season? People ask me that question a lot, and I'm looking at somebody who's about 248 years old, just as far as the character description is concerned. So, this character inhabits a lot of genres. He works in a dark genre, but he's action adventure, he's romantic, he's sarcastic comedy, which I've enjoyed playing and pulling out of him. I think more of that will come this year with the way they've set the show up. I think Joss [Whedon]'s plan is to have more standalone shows and have more fun with it. I really enjoy that aspect of Angel, putting him in awkward situations and having tht kind of sarcastic comedy come out of him. The show's never been boring for me. I've never found it to be that way.
There's been a lot of talk that Joss Whedon will be more hands on with Angel now that Buffy has concluded. How would you describe his role with regard to the next season of Angel? He has been very hands on from the beginning of the show. Last year, he had Firefly, he had Buffy and Angel, three major shows to run, which took a lot of his time and energy. But he did oversee every show that was on the air and looked at every script that Angel had, and he's been doing that since day one with the show. I think his level of envolvement personally will be a tad bit higher. I know that he's going to be directing some. I know there are other things that are on his plate that he wants to develop, but first and foremost, there's Angel. I think the energy level will be a little bit higher, but I don't think it's going to be that drastic a change. I saw the development of the stories and the scripts last year and they're all Joss Whedon's moves and changes and transitions.
James Marsters is going to become a regular on the show, too. That seems sure to create an interesting dynamic. That's what I heard. It is an interesting dynamic. I can see how it can work, and I question how it could work. That's something for the master writers to come up with. I can see where the connection can work and happen. I'm also kind of confused about how it can happen, but I'm sure that will all be answered in the months to come.
Do you have any plans to step behind the camera next season? I know I'll be directing episode seven, which will be interesting and a lot of fun. To be able to step behind the camera and direct since I'm in every damn scene, I'll really use a lot of help from people around me. I directed a lot of scenes last year, so now I'm actually going to direct an episode. I look forward to doing that, to a whole kind of new beginning. The way we left the show on the season finale really opened the door. It was kind of a pilot shot for the next season the way Tim [Minear] did it. He did such a great job with it. That's really what the show has been about - to have fun with it.
Can you reveal anything about the episode you're going to be directing? I probably won't know anything about it until two days before it starts shooting [laughs]. That's generally the way that it works! I think that this season will tend to be more standalone shows. I don't think the arcs will be as heavy. The humour level's going to be way up there. I think it's going to be even different types of humour, and we're going to see each character that's involved in the show expand on their horizons and their potential, rather than being stuck in a hotel. It's going to thrive on humour as well as standalone shows that won't be so muddled and thick with exposition and plot. It's going to be fun. Hopefully [laughs].
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Post by Sara on Mar 27, 2005 18:22:03 GMT -5
Posted by LeeHollins:Fans were shocked when they learned that Charisma Carpenter, who stars in this weekend's ABC Family movie "See Jane Date,'' would not be returning to the WB's "Angel'' for the show's fifth season. The actress - who played the hilariously frank Cordelia Chase for three seasons on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and for four on "Angel'' - was equally stunned. "I was not prepared,'' Carpenter said in a phone interview. "I don't think you're ever prepared for that kind of situation. Seven years, that's a long time. I started that show. To not be finishing it is a pretty big deal for me. They went back to work on July 24 . . . On that day I thought, 'Oh, today is officially my first day of unemployment.' '' Last spring, Carpenter returned to "Angel'' just 10 days after giving birth to her son, Donovan, and spent two long days on the set, wrapping up the season. She said she is absolutely willing to return to the series to provide closure to her character's story arc and bring the beloved Cordy out of the coma in which she remained during last season's finale. "I think it would be incomplete if it wasn't addressed but I don't know what's being planned,'' she said. "I haven't heard anything. As we speak today, there are no plans for me to come back.'' She has not talked with series co-creator and executive producer Joss Whedon why Cordelia will not be working at Wolfram & Hart with the rest of the gang in the fall. "I haven't had that discussion with Joss. It's really none of my business, actually. I'm sure as far as storytelling goes, he will not disappoint. He wants what's best for his fans. "It's obviously going to take adjusting,'' she said. "It's sad in some aspects and very exciting in others. Working with the same people for so long, you feel safe in your exploration of a character, but it's really exciting to work with a different group of people and wonder, 'What's my next assignment?' 'Angel' and 'Buffy' are so special to me. None of the things that happen to me from now on would be possible without the experience on 'Buffy' and 'Angel.' I'd never be able to carry my own show.'' As the delightful title character in "See Jane Date'' (premiering tomorrow night at 8 on ABC Family), Carpenter does indeed carry the show. "The No. 1 reason I wanted to do this movie was that I was very drawn to the character and the genre itself. I've always wanted to do a romantic comedy,'' Carpenter said. "I did not expect to work so soon. I saw the material and I fell in love. I thought, 'Oh my God, I've definitely got to do this.' '' So Carpenter, her husband and their 2-month-old son set off for Montreal. "As a new mother, it was so confidence-inspiring,'' she said. "If I can carry a show and be breast-feeding every three hours, I can pretty much do anything. The producers were very, very accommodating. There was nothing but support.'' Carpenter especially loved the opportunity to do comedy once again. "Cordelia was always kind of the light on 'Angel,' and then that kind of changed in the last two seasons. It got kind of darker.'' Carpenter said her dream would be to do a sitcom - "Sitcoms are conducive to being a mom'' - and any fan of "Buffy'' or "Angel'' knows Carpenter is very, very funny. It's a talent she credits "Angel'' executive producer David Greenwalt with cultivating. "He really made an effort. I didn't know I could do comedy. David said, 'You know, you're funny.' He continually developed quality work.'' Next up for Carpenter is a guest starring role on NBC's new series "Miss Match,'' starring Alicia Silverstone and Ryan O'Neal. At the table read, she heard a familiar voice, turned around and saw O'Neal. "He's an icon in so many ways - to work with him on a peer level, it's kind of spectacular.'' As the now-4-month-old Donovan cooed in the background, Carpenter said simply, "It's good times right now.'' theedge.bostonherald.com/tvNews/edgeTV.bg?articleid=14&format
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Post by Sara on Mar 27, 2005 18:23:04 GMT -5
Posted by Rae:I'm not pasting the article here because it contains some information that might be considered spoiler-ish. You can read it at: tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,274|82762|1|,00.html
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Post by Sara on Mar 27, 2005 18:36:01 GMT -5
Posted by makd:According to this article, DB is hesitant to reprise Angel, as he has other offers for work. www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2004-05/05/11.00.tvIMHO, Angel is a classic role, like Dracula or a role from any classic play. I'm sure there's a young, late- 20s, early 30s actor, who's tall, well-built, and handsome who's just DYING (no pun) to take over the role..... Much as I love DB, I also love Angel, and wouldn't be averse to continuing the series with another star. Isn't that what they do on soaps?
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Post by Sara on Mar 27, 2005 18:36:30 GMT -5
Posted by Spring:
According to this article, DB is hesitant to reprise Angel, as he has other offers for work. www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2004-05/05/11.00.tvIMHO, Angel is a classic role, like Dracula or a role from any classic play. I'm sure there's a young, late- 20s, early 30s actor, who's tall, well-built, and handsome who's just DYING (no pun) to take over the role..... Much as I love DB, I also love Angel, and wouldn't be averse to continuing the series with another star. Isn't that what they do on soaps? I could live with Angel being recast, but I think they'd do better without the character at all (better than trying to sell another actor as Angel). I could see Spike and Andrew, or Spike and Faith, or Spike and Faith and Andrew, being enough to head up a production - with possible appearances by some of the others, like Tony Head, Michelle T, etc. I would watch. I think most Buffyverse faithful would, even if neither SMG or DB appear. Actually, I think James or Eliza could handle heading up a spinoff or movie, all on their own if they had to. I wonder what DB meant about the bar having to be raised a lot higher? Does he mean money? Because he's already getting good material.
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Post by Sara on Mar 27, 2005 18:37:40 GMT -5
Posted by makd:I could live with Angel being recast, but I think they'd do better without the character at all (better than trying to sell another actor as Angel). I could see Spike and Andrew, or Spike and Faith, or Spike and Faith and Andrew, being enough to head up a production - with possible appearances by some of the others, like Tony Head, Michelle T, etc. I would watch. I think most Buffyverse faithful would, even if neither SMG or DB appear. Actually, I think James or Eliza could handle heading up a spinoff or movie, all on their own if they had to. I wonder what DB meant about the bar having to be raised a lot higher? Does he mean money? Because he's already getting good material. As per the usual peas in the pod thingy, I agree with you. But...IF Joss wants DB as Angel, I think he will have to pay David more $$. I suspect one of the hidden, not to be discussed reasons for the non-pickup of Angel by another network is David's desire for more acting/directing challenges than the series allows. He's played the role for 8 years; it's essentially taught him how to act, and he's ready for a bigger pond. Good on him; I wish him well and will probably watch almost anything he's in (unless it's like....The Crow, #65). Still, I am hoping for a return to TV of the Jossverse, with characters that I love and know, and maybe some new ones, too. It's too late, she's in another series slated for this fall, but I would've loved to see more of Dana. Lawson bit the dust, but I would've loved to follow his story. Connor's too, although there's already Smallville's superhero. Let's see what Joss will give us next year. I expect....nothing.... Maybe the year after??
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Post by Sara on Mar 27, 2005 18:49:23 GMT -5
Posted by deborah:Here's an article where SMG discusses her reason for initially refusing AtS appearance and her consideration of possible appearance for end of season/series. www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-tv.html?2004-03/03/17.00.tv09:00am ET, 03-March-04 Gellar Open To Angel Gig Sarah Michelle Gellar, former star of TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told SCI FI Wire the reasons she reluctantly pulled out of appearing in the Buffy spinoff Angel earlier this season and left open the possibility that she might still make an appearance, if asked, before Angel winds up its fifth and final season this year on The WB. Gellar, speaking for the first time about the issue, said in an interview that she had to bow out of a planned guest appearance on Angel when her aunt died late last year. Gellar spoke to SCI FI Wire during a break in the filming of her new project, the supernatural horror film The Grudge, in Tokyo. Her Angel decision was "a really common misconception that people have written a lot about," Gellar said. "They had asked me to do Angel, and it was a very bad time in my personal life. There was a lot going on in my family. And I had to back out. And you sort of never hear the second side of the story. You never hear why I didn't do it. And then all of a sudden, people get really angry, and nobody asks why it didn't work for you." At the time, reports suggested that Gellar had pulled out because she wanted to distance herself from the Buffy franchise. As for whether she will guest star in Angel's season-ending episodes, much as Angel star David Boreanaz did on Buffy when it wrapped its seven-year run last spring, Gellar said it hinges in part on her schedule. She's finishing the final weeks of 42 days of shooting on The Grudge, with at least nine more shooting days to go. The final Angel episodes are in production now. "A lot has been written about recently, 'Oh, is she going to do it? Is she not going to do it?'" Gellar said. "Well, to be truthful, I don't know if I'm even going to make it home before they finish. But no one's contacted me. I'll be totally honest. And it depends. I think. I go back and forth on the idea, especially because Angel had such a hard time, in my opinion, always getting out from Buffy's shadow. And it never got to stand on its own. And I would hate for it to go out being about Buffy. It'll all depend on if I'm home in time and what the ideas are." Buffy and Angel creator Joss Whedon has said he'd welcome an appearance by Gellar. For her part, she said she's open to it, explaining, "If everything falls into place, and it feels like the right thing at the time for the right people." Angel airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT
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Post by Sara on Mar 27, 2005 19:01:30 GMT -5
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Post by Sara on Mar 27, 2005 19:02:38 GMT -5
Posted by Laura:This isn't at all spoiler-y (for either AtS or Gilmore Girls), so I'll put this clip here (with the link):msn.eonline.com/Gossip/Kristin/Archive2003/031114c.html
"Rory Is My Bitch!" He's come a long way, baby. Buffy fans who know Danny Strong as Jonathan, the shy nerd from the evil Geek Trio, are seeing a whole new side of him on the WB's Gilmore Girls. Tuesday marked his first episode as Rory's new boss, Doyle, editor of the Yale newspsaper, who, get this, is not a dweeb.
"Isn't that great?" Danny says with a laugh. "Isn't that exciting? Not one ounce of geek. No Star Wars references. Actually, I don't really care about playing geeks--it seems to come natural for me--but it's fun to play a cool character."
Danny has shot two episodes, and he says there could be more, given that the newspaper storyline is likely to continue. At least, he hopes so, because he loves the show (was a fan before going on it) and loves his character.
"I love it because I get to lay down the line. I was Warren's bitch for so long, and now Rory is my bitch."
For you non-Buffy buffs, he's referring to the show's "head geek," one-third of a trio that included Tom Lenk (Andrew) ***(okay, maybe this part was spoiler-y, so I deleted it; follow the link). [/font] Danny says there are no current plans for Jonathan to guest, but "you never know. I did three more episodes after I died, and I got a raise to boot."
He also guested on the just canceled L.A. Dragnet, as an Internet porn mogul. "It's very scummy, which is good for me," he says. "After all that sweetness from Buffy, it's good to show my true colors a bit."
And he could use some lovin'. "I've actually never had a girlfriend on TV," Danny laments, "and I think Rory would be perfect. She's a good four inches taller than me. And when's the last time we saw that-L.A. Law?"
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Post by Sara on Mar 27, 2005 19:03:58 GMT -5
Posted by Nan:
From Dreamwatch Magazine Sarah Thompson In More Angel Episodes 2003 - 12 - 2nd
Snippets from latest Dreamwatch
Bought the latest issue of Dreamwatch (love the way that there are random Spike pictures dotted all through the cult magazines these days), for three interviews by TaraDi, or Sarah Thompson, ASH, and Drew Goddard. All very interesting, so thanks, TaraDi, hope you do many more. How about one with JM some time?
Sarah Thompson was obviously around the time of this interview (while Destiny was filming) expecting to be around for longer than six episodes. She says that she `hopes she becomes a regular character as season five unfolds. "I’m pretty much committed to AtS until they tell me otherwise," she states. "I think at the end of the first 13 episodes, I have a series option, where maybe I will be a regular. So I’m crossing my fingers."’ I guess she is talking about AtS here, and not the other series she’s now signed for a recurring role in? If so, I suppose that she must now know she’s not going to be a regular and that’s why she signed for the other show. Wonder how many more episodes she’s going to do?
The interview with ASH is lovely. He doesn’t say anything nasty about Spike (not JM, Spike), confirms that he helped JM with Spike’s accent, and that he attended Alexis and Alyson’s wedding and that Joss was there. Apparently, Joss was still talking about the possibility of `Ripper’ on ASH’s last day on the BtVS set. Wonder if it will ever happen? He also says that he was originally supposed to come back for Xander and Anya’s wedding in Hell’s Bells and to be the one who found Xander after he went AWOL and then give him a good talking to but then Joss said he’d rather save Giles’s return for the finale. Personally, I think I’d like to have seen Giles in Hell’s Bells, and in the end, apart from Spike in Normal Again, no one ever did really call Xander on his behaviour except Anya herself. ASH was asked if it was troubling to him to have a rift develop between Buffy and Giles in season 7, and he says: "No, because to have resolution is way too cozy and Joss is never cozy. He is extremely good at observing conflict and conflict makes for much more interesting drama."
The Drew Goddard interview is also well worth reading. He has this to say about the AtS season 5 arc.
DW: Has the purpose and focus of the season been decided yet or is that still evolving?
DG: There is definitely a season arc in place. If I had to equate it to something, I would probably equate it to season two of Buffy, in terms of structure. If you look at Buffy season two, it had all these great stand-alones but there was this building arc with Angel/Angelus and that is the model we are using. Joss came to us and he has a clear idea of where he wants the season to end up and what he wants these characters to be dealing with and you build that in. When the fans see episode eight, they’ll see that the arc is really kicking in - full speed ahead! The Shanshu prophecy is a key element. There is nothing we could come up with that is better than to have Angel’s world thrown out of whack by Spike showing up and being in a similar position. It’s a no brainer.
I just hope Joss’s brilliant plan doesn’t have to mean that Spike dies again, or goes evil, or ends up back with Harmony, or any of the other things I can think of that I would not like to happen to him.
DW: What’s been most interesting for you to write this season?
DG: I’m like a kid in the candy store writing Angel. There is no one more hard-boiled and tough than Angel and that’s a character we didn’t have on Buffy. I have also been the biggest Wesley fan since the beginning. He went from the mini-Giles to the toughest guy in the Mutant Enemy universe. They asked me what I was interested in writing and I said I wanted to do a story with Wesley because I love that character so much. And of course, having Spike is a comfort level. Spike’s voice is the most fun, and I relate to Spike in that he says the thing that is the most uncouth and I have that smart-ass in me as well. Usually, when I’m writing a scene and I can’t bear how important I’m making myself sound, I have Spike come in and make fun of it.
Then yay! For TaraDi because she asks a question about the mindwipe.
DW: At the end of season four, everyone but Angel had their memories of Connor erased. How is the staff approaching writing the characters when there are some key parts of their histories missing?
DG: We approach it like they have holes in their memories and things aren’t clear. It’s almost like thinking back to your college years, or my college years, where you can sort of remember but the specifics get hazy. They can’t remember anything specifically about Connor. You’ll see as the season progresses, it starts to become problematic because when they start to talk about events, they start to realise something is wrong, and we are going to play off that, starting in episode seven. (I think he means six).
Finally, he confirms that the events of ep11, which he co-wrote with Steve DeKnight, are part of the ramifications of Chosen.
Great interviews, TaraDi. Thanks.
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Post by Sara on Mar 27, 2005 19:05:29 GMT -5
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Post by Sara on Mar 27, 2005 19:08:18 GMT -5
Posted by Betsy:Words: Guy HaleyAndy Hallett is a little dazed, his conversation wobbling like an unstable syroscope. One moment he's almost as smooth as Lorne - the demon he plays in Angel - the next he's distracted by a huge soup tureen. He could be schizophrenic. Either that, or he's just been out on the town. "You can hear it," he says, gesturing at his throat, from whence an unually husky voice issues. "I've been screaming for two days and partying hard. I mean, we party a lot, but London wears me out!" If thsi sounds like deja vu, thenyou'll remember the last time SFX interviewed Hallett in England, at the Nocturnal convention in 2001. Then he'd just taken a nosedive down two flights of stairs after boogeying all night. Two years later and we're in another swanky hotel. We've just asked him which route his career will take - music or acting, hence the comment about his voice. He insists he's not too confident about it. "I never want to be the one of those people that does both," he says. "Those that the audience watches and goes, "Oooh, would he stop doing that!" Like Mariah Carey. I love her, I think she's a wonderful person, but she's a singer. She's a multi-platinum selling artist, she accumulated literally a fortune from her music sales. Then she did the movie. Unfortunately it didn't work out and everyone was dogging her. I don't want to be one of those people." He shouldn't worry. Angel's audience is very vocal and aren't afraid to point out what they hate. And they certainly don't hate Hallett, who has gone from a one-off appearance to having his name in the opening credits. So, when pushed, he admits he'd like to pursue acting. "I think that I could experience a more stable and, hopefully, longer career with acting." Hallett's a happy-go-lucky, nice kind of guy. He loves his job, and is genuinely thankful for it. He's full of praise for his co-stars and constantly tells stories - J. August Richard's excellent singing voice; David Boreanaz's "Mandy" rap; Mark Lutz and his bizarre conversations . . . "The goose is moving, the goose is moving with a twisted ankle," he quotes, speaking into a pretend walkie-talkie. "When we're in make-up - we always say that, 'duck is heading westwards!'' He catches my slightly puzzled expressing. "Er, which means nothing . . . um, I don't really remember what I was talking about because I'm rambling on about ducks." He's full of these anecdotes, slightly scrambled today as he's partied-out. It doesn't help that some men at the back of the room have started fitting carpets. The room is full of fumes. Worse, they give Hallett flashbacks to helping his dad, himself a carpet layer, as a kid. He sniffs. "I'll never forget that smell. They're seaming together two pieces . . . I used to do that with my dad on jobs. It was the worst smell in the world, so I'm about to burst into tears." Then he's off again, this time relating his enormous respect for Joss Whedon. "I was with Joss at his beach house," he explains. "All his family ws there, me and my friends and some of my family. And he was inside while we were all outside playing on the water. He has this upright piano in the corner. All summer he'd be there, and I would say, "What are you playing?" and he'd say, "I don't know, I can't read or write music; I'm screwing around." "Well, when they did the premier of the Buffy musical, it was unbelievable," Hallett grins, reliving his amazement. "This was the guy over in the corner while we were on the jet ski, this was the guy saying, 'I can't write music.' And he wrote a fucking musical! AFterwards there was a cocktail party and everyone's praising Joss. J. August and I look at each other and mouth" ' Angel musical!', because all we could think about was us!" He collapses into giggles. "He and I are both microphone whores - we try to get them as much as we can." Sounds like he'd have loved to have done it. "oh, I was plucked that I didn't get to do a piece in the Buffy one," he moans, using his favorite work for "miffed". Apparently a cameo was on the cards, but inter-network politics rendered it impossible. Shame. Time is called on the interview, before we're all gassed ("God, that smell is killing me," he gasps). There's time for one more question. So, we want to know, is Lorne gay? "It's ambiguous. He calls Angel 'cupcakes', but he says it to everybody. at first it was to the gals, 'Hey sweetheart, baby, darling', and then it was to Angel. But I never meant for it to be gay. I never meant to be, 'Hi, Angel cakes!'" He paws at my arm lasciviously and waggles his eyebrows. "I know I wasn't that butch with it, but . . . I think we're going to die from this!" he sniffs again, eyes watering. The air is now full of acrid blue smoke. "Lorne's got a lot of love for everybody. And I don't know this, but if he ever gets a love interest I'll bet you anything that it will be another ambiguous character. Demon, human, or . . . I'm sorry man, I can't cope with this smoke. We gotta go!" This must remind him that he could always fall back on a career in carpet fitting. "Yeah! And I was getting pretty good at it. Damn Hollywood!" Reply by Idelrossi:Thanks for all the typing Betsy. I think I'm going to subscribe to both Dreamwatch and SFX and with the new Angel mag, I'll be totally immersed in everything Angel and Joss. I love Lorne's character- sweet, funny, thougtful, and quite often the only one who sees the truth. I am glad he was made a regular. He really is like Shakespeare's comic relief characters and since Joss is such a Shakespeare fanatic, it's no wonder. Reply by BetsyThanks for all the typing Betsy. I think I'm going to subscribe to both Dreamwatch and SFX and with the new Angel mag, I'll be totally immersed in everything Angel and Joss. I love Lorne's character- sweet, funny, thougtful, and quite often the only one who sees the truth. I am glad he was made a regular. He really is like Shakespeare's comic relief characters and since Joss is such a Shakespeare fanatic, it's no wonder. I just adore Lorne myself and I think she gets some of the great lines. Looking for to him and Spike snarking back and forth to each other . . . should be quite hilarious. I'm also subscribing to SFX and the new Angel Mag. Also to BtVS. Not sure if I'm gonna subscribe to Dreamwatch, but I may.
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Post by Sara on Mar 27, 2005 19:17:19 GMT -5
Posted by Betsy:
In an interview conducted shortly before the announcement that Angel would be returning for a fifth season -- but without the character of Cordelia Chase -- Charisma Carpenter expressed some of her frustrations about behind-the-scenes changes on the show and the fact that there seemed to be little support for the series from the WB network.
How are you feeling right now? I can go off on some big tangent on the wrongs of Angel; how we've been wronged by our network or programming. Being pre-empted for six episodes for Glory Days, getting pre-empted for Birds of Prey - which ended up cancelled. They have put every possible obstacle in the way of the fans, including moving us every season for as as many seasons as we've been on. It's heartbreaking and really sad, because I don't feel that they're really behind us. Maybe they just don't think we're as great as we think we are. We've never had a real article done on us in TV Guide. Then again, why should they care if our network doesn't! Do you know how hard it is to sell a show whose future is undetermined?
Nobody wants to put us in anything. Even as an actress trying to get personal publicity on a show that may or may not go. It's very hard unless you have a movie or a follow-up to egg you on. I wish somebody would tell us why this is the situation. I wish somebody would just say, "You know what? You're just not marketable." At least then we've have some kind of an answer.
How did you feel about David Greenwalt leaving Angel? I feel that the Three Stooges - the main men - that ran our show and made it great, all left (Greenwalt, Joss Whedon and Tim Minear). I miss David Greenwalt terribly. My character misses him. Tim Minear wrote great for Cordelia, and I don't know how long Joss has been missing. I know he always had his hand in things, overseeing storylines and deciding what happens when, and the others would make it happen. Those decisions were obviously his and very important and key and brillant, but without those three, how could the show possible be the same? How could the characters expect to be the same? How could they not suffer? But to hear Joss tell it, the show has never been better. I just don't know.
Do you feel secure about Angel's future? We're sitting around asking, "What's going to happen? Are we even coming back next year? What's the word?" This is the first time since I've worked on either show that our future was undecided or undetermined or possibly threatened. Whatever happens, I'm just glad to have been a part of something so special. That's for sure. Having worked with these three men heading up the show has been a lifetime of lessons and information about writing. I can identify a piece of shit from something else in the writing process. Their work ethic is so strong. I don't know how Joss does it all and I don't know how it's all turned out for him personally, but I feel really lucky to have been a part of it. It's just been a very special situation for a long time, so I feel very lucky to have had that to use as a benchmark for a potential future. And it does feel as though it's coming to that.
When I was on Malibu Shores years ago, that was the sensation: the show was not going to go on, the network was in our makeup trailers every day having their hands in everything, but in a negative way. On Angel, the sensation is that this is winding down. All good things come to an end.
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Post by Sara on Mar 27, 2005 19:21:15 GMT -5
Posted by Betsy:
Shiny Happy Angel Interview by Ian Spelling
Let's go back to the start. How would you say that Angel, as a show, evolved?
The show was a mismatch at the beginning. It was a lonely show. You could see some really intersting things in the pilot, though, that we don't have as much now, that I wish we had. In the pilot, Angel jumped into a car and knew it wasn't his. I loved that kind of humor. I look back at the pilot and I was really pleased. Of course, when you're doing it you're so involved that you can't really take a step back and look at it objectively, for what it is. I looked at it a few weeks ago, though, and I was blown away by what we did, by how we did it in the (limited) time we had. Everybody involved was great and we had a blast.
The first season had a lot of stand-alone episodes. It was about trying to find the show's voice, which characters fit and which ones didn't. Season Two and Three had a little of that, too. The characters were going off in their own directions, working on cases, developing relationships. angel was part of the group and then away from the group and then part of the group again. Sometimes it got pretty dark for everyone. And now, after Season Four, I think we're going to come back (for Season Five) a little lighter and probably with some more humor. I'm excited.
You've got to be amazed by the show's good fortune. It could have been cancelled, and now the show is coming back and doing so in the much-desired post-Smallville timeslot? How concerned were you that Angel might not make the cut?
I really wouldn't say that I was worried or optimistic. I take every season as a season, and when I'm done with the 22 I say to myself, "Okay, that's it." I've got to think, "Okay, it's over, It's done." And then when we get the order for another 22, then it's time to focus ont he next season. So, sure there's some anxiety. You're anxious to find out. A lot of people work on this show and are counting on it for work. I wanted to come back, especially because of where this show started and where it's gotten to. It's at a really good crest right now. It's riding really well. You wanted to see it come back for a fifth season. You want to see its continuation. You want to see it go in a direction that's good for the characters, that's good for the writers, that's good for the cast, and that's fun for the viewers.
Which fourth season episode were you most pleased with?
I really enjoyed the episodes that revealed to everyone that Cordelia was the Big Bad ("Players" and "Inside Out") and where you got to see Angelus out of his cage ("Souless"). He was walking around, free-wheeling, and with the crazy personality that he has. So that was enjoyable. I really liked the season opener ("Deep Down"). We got off to a really strong start with that. I think the Vegas episode ("The House Always Wins") had its moments.
Overall, I think the Faith episodes ("Salvage," "Release" and "Orpheus") were the best. I really like working with Eliza. We just rip it up on the set and I think that showed on the screen. We had a blast. I thought that Faith fit right into ur storyline. That was a testimony to the strength of Eliza's character, this character she helped create. And I think Eliza coming back was fantastic.
I also thought the (final) arc with Gina Torres as Jasmine was relly interesting and crazy. Jasmine prophesized a lot, but she was also this very strong, dark force who brought a lot of change. She was a very free-loving character, let's say.
You looked as if you were having a blast playing Angelus. Were you?
I enjoy it when Angelus is out of that cage. It was tough to be in that cage for almost two episodes. I physically had nowhere to go and was basically just standing there. I had fun tormenting everyone, and it was okay the first couple of days, but after tha I started to get a little stir-crazy standing there in that damned cage. I like it better when he's out and about and mixing it up with people. That's when you really see his true colors. To be able to go back and play him is refreshing. But what happens is I'll play Angelus for a while and miss Angel, because Angel's got so much to go on. When that Angelus arc stopped I was playing Angel again, and I was playing him in a different light because he'd just been Angelus and because of the circumstances with Faith and Jasmine.
And how about "Home," The fourth season finale? Did you like the way that came together?
I loved the finale. I loved what we did with the characters, how they handled everything with Cordelia and Connor at the end. There was one scene that they cut out, though, which I really liked. It was probably a time thing. We were way over on the show to begin with, so things got cut. There was a scene between Fred and me. I was getting healed up from all the wounds I'd suffered during the long battle I'd had with Jasmine over the episodes she was on the show. Fred was putting stuff on me and I was talking to her about how Connor wasn't the same and how he was acting weird the last time I saw him, when he took off. It was a good scene, but ("Home" writer-director) Tim Minear cut that out. I'll have to ask him, but I'm pretty sure it was a time thing. But I really liked the episode.
I loved the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory idea. I thought that ws fantastic. You take every character and you put them into what they're best at. Having us at Wolfram & Hart opens up all sorts of opportunities for our characters, and the opportunity to introduce new characters is just phenomenal. Man, I'm ready to run the chocolate factory. I really am.
And now what? You're in the chocolate factory. What have you not done yet as this character that you want to play before the camera?
I think that with Angel there's still so much more to do. I say that because he's got so many deep issues and problems. There's a lot of shadow with this character. He's got a dark side and a good side and he's trying to merge them together. He's always kept them so separate and now he's trying to bring them together. It's like a self-therapy session with this guy and you could go on for years with him because, emotionally, there's so much going on. He's been through so much and done so much and seen so much that there's a whole lot more story to tell as far as this character goes. We had that episode that was like Adaptation, where I battled my own conscious. That was really fun, really cool.
Angel has a remarkably loyal fanbase. Why? Why do people love these characters and this show?
The network moves us around and we still have our fanbase that won't leave us. That's a testament to (co-creator and co-exectutive producer) Joss (Whedon) and the writers and to the fans and the cult status of the show. People are just into this show, into these characters. It's an appealing show to watch. It's very intelligent. It's very witty. It has a lot going for it. I think that, looking at it now as a whole, somebody probably said, "It would be a shame not to give it another season." I really believe that where it is now, at the end of Season Four, is more exciting than where it had been at the end of (each of) the first three seasons. We're in a good place to take it to the next level and hopefully increase our fanbase.
You returned to Sunnydale for the last two Buffy episodes, "End of Days" and "Chosen." What was that experience like?
To work with Sarah (Michelle Gellar) again for two shows was great. To step into those shoes and see those characters together again was great, and it was great for the fans, too. The fans wanted to see that. It was a good story and it made sense. Buffy was always about story, and the stories were always so damn good.
And let's switch to a totally different kind of experience. What are you making of fatherhood
It's fantastic. It's really good. It's about constant improvising. On a day-to-day basis you're learning more about yourself. It's a beautiful experience to see a child learn things and grow. I'm having a great time. I've heard people say that I'm a happier guy since we had the baby, and that's very accurate. I think that the fourth season of Angel was a testament to having a child, it helped my work. You become a better person. How could you not.
David Boreanaz, thank you very much
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