Anthony Head

Scifind.co.uk managed to chat with Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s Antony Stuart Head whilst recording DVD extras for his paranormal documentary series ’True Horror’

The interview was conducted on the 1st April 2005 by Kerry Edwards.

Kerry@Scifind How did you get involved in ’True Horror’?

Antony Head Well, basically it wasn’t a huge surprise to me that they would come to me, the Watcher from Buffy, as they have previously done a show on ’Warrior Women’ presented by Xena (Lucy Lawless) - so they came up with the idea to explore the myths behind Hollywood horror. They thought that I was the most obvious person to present it. When they pitched it to me I thought it was going to be one of those, ’I am in a studio’ and I tell the tale of reports made by other people, but no what they wanted was much more hands on, they said “We want you to journey around the world and we want you do the interviews and we want you to...” well I said “Well hold on a minute - I cannot do this, I am an actor, give me a script and I am fine.” they said “We’ll tell you what to ask, and who knows you might be coming out with questions of you own..” and needless to say I said “Yes”. Once the process had started I found myself coming out with questions readily. It was a departure from anything I had originally anticipated. Everyone was trying to make something that wasn’t just ’Stick an actor in front of a camera and get him to talk about something’. The whole thing was my journey finding about this stuff. They wanted to make something as new and fresh as possible. They went to great lengths for experiences to be first hand and for me not to act. It made for a very interesting show. It was a more interesting show than I had first anticipated. Looking again at the whole thing, beginning to end I am really proud of it.

Kerry@Scifind Which was your favorite episode to make?

Antony Head Although it was the one that was hardest to put together (for some reason I was doing a lot of work at that point and it was very different to in me down) we had a couple of ’travel days’ where I had to do an interview then get in the car for 5-6 hours then I had to work at the other end. But I think, probably, “Were Wolves”, where I got on really well with the director, we laughed a lot, and it really was fun. [Were Wolves] was more about philosophy rather than findings. Each one of them had a very, very different feeling, though I enjoyed making “Vampires” although I don’t think it is the strongest of the 5.

Kerry@Scifind My personal favourite was the ’Haiti’ [Zombie] (Tony lets out a nervous laugh) episode and that sounded like that was a 12 change of underwear trip (Tony - “oh yes”) was it very scary?

Antony Head VERY scary, it was really interesting that as the program tended to unravel in front of our very eyes, how do you keep it together, we still came away with an episode that was very much about Zombiesbutit was about the episode unravelling, it’s fascinating television, it really is, I see why it is your favourite as it has the element of not knowing what is going to happen next is one of the things that is actually the most interesting thing about the series. [Zombies] doesn’t go the route you necessarily expect it to go at any point.

Kerry@Scifind Do you actually believe in the paranormal or do you think it’s all bunkum?

Antony Head There are so many things outside the realms of our experience that you would have to be very hard to say with any certainty that things don’t exists. I am a great believer rather than the popular scientific way of dealing with things that ’Nothing exists unless you can prove it’. I am pretty much the other way that pretty much anything can exist unless you can disprove it. I am willing to have an open mind I am willing to entertain most things that are thrown at me.

Kerry@Scifind Have you ever had an experience, for instance seen a ghost?

Antony Head I have heard a ghost, basically it was a little girl that ’lived’ in our house that thunders along the landing and calls out. Both our girls have seen her, and a number of people that have visited our house have seen her. She is benigh, she is very gentle, she is nice.

Kerry@Scifind Did the filming of “True Horror” change your views?

I had always thought that Zombies were something that were made up, I was just dumb struck to find out the reality of how tangible the idea of them is. The logic of the science of making the zombies makes so much sense that I don’t see how someone can say ’no it can’t happen’

Kerry@Scifind Christopher Eccleston has just said that he wont do a second season of Doctor Who, do you think you would ever take the role if asked?

Antony Head I think there have been rumors of me doing it since, well for a long time. I think it is very unlikely that they will ask me as I was the readers choice in the ’Radio Times’ and that is enough to put any producer off actually coming to me to ask if I’ll do it. I don’t know to be honest. I’ve done one character in a ’cult’ series [in Buffy] and I don’t want to get a reputation for doing that. But then never say never.

Kerry@Scifind Are you involved in the Animated Buffy series?

Antony Head Well yes I have - just the pilot but it has gone very quiet on that front, it IS being made and the scripts are really, really good.

Kerry@Scifind Also can you tel us about ’Ripper’ the proposed Buffy spin off centering around Antony Stuart Head’s character Giles?

Antony Head Well I have talked to Joss (Weldon) I actually didn’t mention it. [Joss] has worked out a way of doing it , but until he says he is coming over (to the UK) to do it and going to make it I am not going to push him about it. If it happens I will be very happy. If he said it tomorrow would I do it I would make a window. But I am not going to hold my breath. [Joss Weldon] needs to make some movies and so far he has only made ’FireFly’ .

Kerry@Scifind Do you think there is any similarity between yourself and Giles?

Antony Head I think what you do is draw on the part of you that you feel is closest to the character. I am shy but I am not as shy as he is.

Kerry@Scifind Back to ’True Horror’, do you have any idea of the age ranges the series covers , as my brother is in his early twenties, my mother is 51 and my granma is 80 and they are all interested by the show so it covers several generations is this a good thing?

Antony Head Oh my god? I think there is a 15 certificate on the DVD. I would think, probably, below about 30. There is so much illumination to it.

Kerry@Scifind So, what is next for yourself, have you anything in the pipeline?

Antony Head I am doing an episode of a show called ’Rosie Malonie’ , then I am not sure, there is a couple of things we are talking about, but nothing concrete. Then I have a movie due that currently has the title, that I hope they are going to change, called ’Lady Godiva - Back in the Saddle’ sounds like a Carry On movie but its actually not, thats shooting in Coventry and the Isle of Mann. Then there’s the film that I did last year ’Click’ will be coming out in, I think, September. [Click] is a romantic comedy with a huge difference, and I am not going to say any more. I play a father of the bride throughout the movie and it is basically her voyage of discovery and she falls in love with someone who is not necessarily her husband. It is a really lovely script, it is extraordinary warm and gentle film.

Kerry@Scifind It has been nice talking to you.