Feature: Angel

Better the Devil you know

Angel turned nasty in the new season, but for actor David Boreanaz, that’s what makes the character so special.

It’s not Apocalypse time just yet, but there are definitely some major events brewing on Angel as the show winds up its fourth season. There’s a powerful three-episode arc involving Faith (Eliza Dushku), an unexpected appearance by Willow (Alyson Hannigan), the death of a major character, and a season-ending storyline featuring a brand new character played by Gina Torres (Cleopatra 2525, Firefly). And there’s also the small matter of Angel’s demonic alter ego showing up for a reign of terror.

“Oh yeah, Angelus!” enthuses the series’ star, David Boreanaz. “I really enjoyed those last couple of episodes, because it’s really great when he’s outside mixing it with people and his personality; that’s definitely when you see him shine. When he’s trapped in a cage for two episodes, all he’s doing is gabbing away, which is fun, but he’s really far more interested in being out and around people and messing with their heads.

“Again, I really enjoy playing Angelus when he’s out, so I was glad when I finally got a chance to get out of that cage, because it was driving me crazy. That was such a pain in the ass: it was so long and difficult shooting those episodes because there were so many takes. I wanted to get out and roam around and take it up a couple of notches, which I was able to do in the later episodes, so that was very exciting.”

Boreanaz is on a one-man publicity blitz (largely organized by the actor himself), to promote the final eight episodes of the season. One of the recent highlights is the aforementioned Angelus/Faith arc, in which the now-soulless Vampire squares off against his former slayer nemesis. “There’s a very fine line there,” he explains. “I know what type of personality I’m playing at a specific moment, and that’s when I’m playing regular Angel or regular Angelus. His personality and tendencies are all over the place. Depending on which situation he’s in, he’s going to act differently, so he’s an ever-changing personality and that’s what I like about him and that’s what I bring to him. I don’t want him to be just this rambunctious loudmouth person running around. I like to give him some kind of depth, as much as you can when you’re playing an evil character.”

Although Boreanaz pretty much has his hands full shooting the final three episodes of the season, he’ll also be making a quick trip to Sunnydale for the series finale of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. “During that same period of time I’ll probably fit something in there,” he confirms. And how does the actor feel about returning to Buffy for its final curtain call? “Well, good-bye to the series and moving on, of course that always comes into play, but going over to Buffy and doing an episode, of course that will be strange, because I’m not really one for reunions. I don’t really dig them, but as far as the story is concerned, I think it’s something the fans will really enjoy, seeing the two characters together once again.”

by Joe Nazzaro

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Starburst #298

Photo © Warner Bros
Feature © Visual Imagination 2003. Not for reproduction

Taken from

Starburst #298
May 2003
ships from Apr 10 2003
News-stand Price
UK £3.50 / US $6.99

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