Feature: Buffy The Vamoire Slayer

Someone to Watch Over Me

He may be spending more time in England, but Rupert Giles is still an active force in the Buffy universe. Anthony Stewart Head explains that while this may be the last season, he’s still got Slayers to take care of…

Rupert Giles has done it all. Watcher, fighter, er, lounge singer. Based in England, he’s been keeping a watchful eye on events on the Hellmouth, which is why in the seventh season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, he realizes he must retire to his old Sunnydale haunt to fight an ancient evil…

Rumour says that you wanted to leave Buffy after Season Four but they wouldn’t let you…
I didn’t really. Basically, I went to Joss in Season Four, and said, ‘Joss, I need to go home. I need to be with my family’ and basically asked him to write me out. They didn’t want to write me out. They liked the character, and, thankfully, liked me, which is kind of a relief. [Joss] said, ‘Well I don’t want to do that, but if you’re willing, I’ll bring you back as I need to. Basically, you don’t have to be a series regular anymore. You can be recurring.’ They said that the character would be missed.
It’s been interesting. We’re trying to work dates out so [I can do] other things I’m committed to now… so we’re running backwards and forwards trying to make sure we can do everything. But so far it’s worked very well. I did two episodes in my own home, which was very nice. I’m about to do the fifth, and we have some scheduled later on. It’s not really a change of heart on my part. It’s literally being available, or making myself available, as best I can, for what Joss needs.

How many episodes do you expect to be appearing in during this season of Buffy?
I was in the first two episodes of the season. And then I think I’m coming back in eight or nine.

Can you give us a preview of what’s coming up for your character?
Of course not!

Does it feel like the show is winding down this season?
It’s not winding down. It’s coming to an end. It’s run its course. Joss has brought it really neatly back into a full cycle. It’s come back to the highest quality level. In terms of telling Buffy’s story, in terms of saying how she has learnt to deal with her gift, and how it has affected her life and also the lives of [those] around her, it’s reached the end of the story. It’s not a surprise to anybody who is working on the show that it feels absolutely right that it should finish now.

Could Buffy do without Buffy?
Not as it stands, no. Having said that, there is a script available for an animated series. And they are fantastic. I’ve read scripts and they are just spectacular. At the moment, I don’t know what’s happened with that. At one point we were up to speed, and they were going to get me in to do some voicing. And then the plug got pulled.

by Danny Buensuceso

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Starburst #294

Photo ©
Feature © Visual Imagination 2003. Not for reproduction

Taken from

Starburst #294
January 2003
ships from Dec 19 2002
News-stand Price
UK £3.50 / US $6.99

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