Angel

Christian Kane

Lindsey McDonald: Wolfram & Hart lawyer

Special Thanks: Mike Kerz [Flashback Weekend] and Eric Griffin [Christian’s Manager]

Phone Interview in conjunction with, and to celebrate the upcoming Buffy/Angel Flashback Convention

"Love it, Hate it, but never Ignore it"

HW: Is Lindsey honestly evil, or is he just playing for what he considers the winning team? The fans are quite torn and many [including myself] think that not even Lindsey himself knows the answer to that question - but how do YOU play him? Evil or not?

Christian: That’s probably - the way you worded it, is probably the best question I’ve ever had. [HW: Really?] Yeah [HW: wow, thank you] because without just asking - is he evil? It’s going to be... it’s coming... his character. Joss [Whedon, creator of Buffy/Angel] wrote this character and continues to have an influence on this character. I don’t know, I honestly don’t know if Lindsey is good or bad. I think that Lindsey does not like Angel. I know that Angel does not like Lindsey.

I’m playing someone that wants to be bad. Wants to. I honestly think that’s what it is. And when I say bad I don’t mean bad apple. I’m saying leather and the ’67 corvette, and all that stuff. [HW: So, a rebel teenager?] Exactly. But honestly, Joss keeps me jumping around with the dialogue and all the other stuff. Now that Lindsey is bad, as in capital B.A.D., I think ... [laughs] Well, no one ever asked him to play for the team. [HW: there were a few points during season two when he could easily have become part of Angel Investigations] Yeah, I think that’s what it is. Without getting too across the line [spoilers] that’s what it is.

HW: What interested you in the [originally auditioned for] role of Riley, and then in Lindsey?

Christian: Well, initially, I knew Riley was a paying job [both laugh - HW: that is an honest answer!] I didn’t care about Riley [as a role]. Marc Blucas [Riley] is a very good friend of mine, still is to this day, and I’m glad that Marc played that role because I would not have fit in. [HW: He did an excellent job with it] Yeah, he’s a good kid. [HW: it was actually a very difficult role because there were so many fans out there that didn’t want to see Buffy’s character with anybody other than Angel] No, no... and he got the shaft on that because of it, and I know that because they really didn’t just... he really had to swim through shark infested waters. It just wasn’t a good role for me. In that role you needed an all American kid, and that’s what Joss was looking for. I read with Sarah [..Michelle Gellar] and it just didn’t come off as that, because I think I was a lot darker, hence they called me for Lindsey.

HW: Now did they call for the role of Lindsey or did they see your audition [for Riley] and almost create it for ’you’?

Christian: I have no idea. You actually have to ask David Greenwalt because, this is... he gave me some tapes for a character he created for a show called ’Prophet’. I took a lot of what I read of that and brought it into the role of Lindsey. Which was with the lawfirm, etc. and you have to credit David Greenwalt for that.

HW: Other than the wardrobe compromise - what do you feel you brought to the character of Lindsey? And what is it about your attorney that made you decide to base your character on him?

Christian: Oh I hated that suit - I don’t want to wear it anymore, ever. I think, and I’m not sure, that this character was a very dry, no not dry, straightforward, "I’m going to do this no matter the cost to others." And that’s how he was, and I think that with a little quick gesture or a little something in the eyes, maybe I brought a little heart to the character. And I think Joss picked up on it, and he said ’woah, maybe we’ve got something here.’ David Greenwalt definitely did, but I think Joss did too, and suddenly instead of firing gun after gun, the kid ended up having a weakness.

Because he’s [Lindsey] supposed to be strong and go through, and nothing matters, and this, and it doesn’t... I think I brought a little bit of this ’wait, I think this kid could sway.’ Hopefully I brought that, if not then again I have to credit, and I can’t stop crediting, Greenwalt and Joss Whedon. But I believe I brought that to it and I think they saw that after the first couple of times I was on film, and hopefully they said ’ya know we’ve got something here, let’s play with this.’ And you know, matter of fact, I’m positive, because they’re both very visual. I think this character... Hell, Joss tried to kill me like four times and it never happened.

HW: So you brought the ambiguity to him?

Christian: Well, I can’t really say that because as soon as a the first couple of episodes were on, the character started changing. I don’t think I brought it to them, but I think I showed them a different side of Lindsey, maybe accidentally. To get that ’woah, I think we have a character here,’ instead of just ’let’s bring him in and have him represent people that kill people.’ Because obviously, between me and you, I love Charisma Carpenter [’Cordelia Chase’] and God bless Glenn Quinn [’Doyle’], me and David Boreanaz [’Angel’] are the only people still on the show, that will finish the show, that were on the pilot. It’s just me and “D", and “D’s" my boy.

HW: Well, and you guys are friends outside the show...

Christian: Oh, for years. For years before the show. So it’s funny and it’s a little weird, and it’s kind of strange. [HW: But it’s also... you being there, having been gone for a few seasons, is coming full circle] Yeah, it is. Big Time. And especially with James [Marsters, ’Spike’] coming back to the show. Me and him are like peas in a pod [laugh] when it comes to acting. I have so much fun acting with that kid. We’re both kind of die hard... we want the scene to be the best that it can. So with me and James it’s like, when it comes to fight stuff, ’push me harder’ and he’s like, ’no push me harder,’ and I’m like ’ok... but push me harder’. We’ll give up the body to help the soul. And it’s a lot of fun working with him, he’s one of the most talented actors I’ve worked with.

HW: I’m interviewing Stephanie Romanov [Lilah] later, and i’m asking this same question of both of you. Were Lindsey and Lilah a team or enemies? Were they competing with each other, or for each other’s attentions?

Christian: Your going to get the same answer from her... it’s yes and no. I mean it really is. They were definitely competing with each other, but at the same time I think they used each other to get ahead. It was ’Boris and Natasha’ [from Bullwinkle]. And we were definitely competing, we never stopped. If I can win I’m going to win, and if I can beat you I will definitely beat you. But at the same time, it was me and her against the world. If we could hold hands and walk down the yellow brick road, we would, but as soon as we got to the end, somebody’s getting hit. [laughs]

HW: In re-watching all the episodes preparing our trivia game I noticed something. When you left in season 2 your parting words were not bitter or sounding like an enemy. They were actually, "If you want to get Wolfram & Hart you can’t let them make you play their game. You have to make them play yours." It was a helpful hint, almost as a friend to Angel. So is there a difference in how you played the old Lindsey [season 2] versus the new Lindsey [season 5]?

Christian: Yes. I started portraying Lindsey different after ’Blind Date’ [1.21]. The writing would not let me change. Like I said, Boreanaz is one of my best friends in real life, and you have to bring some real life to this even though it is fantasy. In season 1 with ’Blind Date’ I started to feel that oh, David and I are on the same side, we’re fighting for the same team. Of course, I’m looking for trying to be a serious regular on the show because I loved it so much.

Then season 2 rolled around and I’m like "Wait a minute. He’s not on the same team, he’s not a nice guy at all." Then that episode rolled around and then I left [2.18 ’Dead End’]. It is very difficult right now to come back and play this guy, because I have no idea where he’s been. They’ve given me a little background just in the writing to where this cat has been hanging out. It’s been very difficult, to leave like that, especially after what happened with Darla [Julie Benz], and come back and be the character that I am. What I am using is Darla. I’m using the fact that Angel was with Darla, and if I take this and I say, "Even though I’m in love with Eve [Sarah Thompson], Darla was a true love. And Angel did that."

I’m also using a little personal experience, I just lost someone that really really loved me. [HW: oh, I’m sorry] oh no, that’s okay, she didn’t leave me like that, she just left me [HW: oh, well I’m still sorry just not like ’that’] and actually I screwed it up, she was there for me the whole time... but once love is lost you live off that and feed off that. So, that’s what I’m using. The love lost with Darla because of Angel is what I’m using right now as the character.

So he [Lindsey] went away for two years and he trained and he learned all this stuff, just to come back, like I said in episode 100 [5.12 ’You’re Welcome’]. I mean literally, I [Lindsey] just want to kick the shit out of Angel... [HW: just for a little bit] Just for a little bit [laughs] whatever you have for me after that is fine. And you know what, in the 100th episode, if I wouldn’t have gotten sucked into Hell, I was pretty much fine with that. Even though he whooped me at the end just because I screwed around with him a little bit, I’m okay with that. Lindsey’s ok. But that’s my opinion, Joss has got a lot more in store for you guys to see it. [HW: oh, but don’t tell me - I don’t like spoilers] I’m not telling ya...

HW: See I have a note here. One of the questions I had on the initial list that I wasn’t going to ask, but I’m going to ask it now. I don’t do spoilers, I don’t want any... I don’t even read them on line. All I want to know is, ’Are you happy with the way your character ended the season?’

Christian: No. [HW: no?] No. [HW: oh, ok. But don’t tell me anything else.] I’m not [laughs] Before you ask anyone else, no one is going to be happy with the way their character ended the season. Because it’s too young and we’ve all just now gotten comfortable in our skin and nobody is happy with the way their character ends the season. [HW: you are the only one I was asking that of, because your character has flip-flopped and changed so much...] And he’s going in a totally different way again, it’s going to be so much fun. My character is so fun because I get to go from ’hey, can I get you some coffee’ to ’I can kick the shit out of Angel and Spike at the same time right now.’ Which is very very good for me and Joss gave that to me. Joss gave me the opportunity... I’ll tell ya a good story.

I was in New York City doing Taxi and Joss calls me in the hotel room and says hey I’ve got this, Lindsey coming back, and stuff like this. And I said, ’Joss I got to be honest with you. I’m tired of the suit, and I’m tired of the one-hand thing. Everyone else on the show is superheroes and I’m sick of this shit.’ And Joss could have said, well we’re putting you right back in it, and I would have done it, because it’s Joss Whedon and he’s a brilliant writer. It’s just such an opportunity to work for this guy. But I literally said, I’m sick and tired of getting my ass whooped by every female on the show. [laughs] I just don’t want to do it anymore. He’s like, “No-no. This character is totally different." And I said, wait it’s not Lindsey? And he said, “Yes it’s Lindsey, but it’s totally different." And Joss gave me the opportunity to go in there and kick somebody’s ass, which is nice.

I really needed it. Years and years of redemption. I mean I get thrown around the room by Darla, by Lilah, by Faith [Eliza Dushku], everyone was just tossing me around the whole time and I’m like ’you gotta be kidding me. I can kick the shit out of anybody on the set’ [laughs] and here I am getting tossed around in a suit. Joss was very nice, really... and I feel like coming back this year has really cleansed my soul a little bit, to be honest with you. And also, it was so much fun.

Me and David have the most fun when we’re at each other’s throats. Because it’s fun and games. The footage that is shown on TV is nothing compared to the footage that is on the floor in the editing room, because me and him are laughing at each other so much. We are friends outside of the show and it’s just hard for me to look at him and say, ’I’m going to kill you’ [laughs] because he’ll start laughing and then I’ll start laughing... you don’t see it. In season two if you look very very closely when it’s an over off of him to me, or an over off of me to him, there’s shoulders jerking and jiggling, because the other person who’s not on camera but has a shoulder in the shot, is laughing. And that’s the honest to God’s truth. We’d sit there and he’s ’so, you’re going to come back here and I’m going to kill you’ and the other guy’s just bumping up and down laughing. We had to hold a straight face... [HW: So some days it takes a lot of takes to get what we see?] Yeah. Well, actually we’re pretty professional. We pretty much tune out the other person when we can.

HW: Does Lindsey really want Wolfram & Hart or does he just not want Angel to have it? And along those same lines. Does Lindsey hate Angel for cutting off his hand, taking Darla, and ending up with W&H - or just because of who he is and what he stands for?

Christian: The first part I can’t really answer and you’ll find out why. The second part, I hate Angel for taking Darla. [HW: It’s all about Darla?] As much as I hate to base that on a character like that, that’s what I have to use. I honestly feel like Lindsey would walk down the street and give twenty dollars to a bum sitting on the sidewalk. But if a homeless guy came by and tried to steal that twenty dollars from that bum, Lindsey would cut his head off. It’s really the evilness of ... it’s really Jekyll and Hyde. So there’s no straight forward answer. Everybody thinks I go out there and do my own thing, again, it’s Joss writing this stuff.

HW: Now you’re basing it on Darla, but do you think Joss gave you that direction to base it on Darla, or is it just everything? [that Lindsey’s gone through]

Christian: Joss didn’t give me that direction, I’m just using it because I didn’t get shit when I came back to the set. [HW: -laugh- Joss said, here, go...] He did! He did, they said, ’here you know this character’ which I did, I’m very familiar with it, but they didn’t give me a God dang thing. They really didn’t give me shit. I walked back and Skip Schoolnik was there who I love to death, who just directed this episode coming out tonight [Apr 14, “Underneath" 5.17] which is unbelievable. And I said, listen I need to know what... and Skip looked at me and said, “I have no clue, no idea what’s going on with your character."

Joss had a reason for it, and a bigger plan, it really was. And it was so much fun. Instead of having something mapped out, which in TV you get a lot - and I feel bad for these cats, it’s like you’ve got all these great actors on this show that know their characters so well. I got the opportunity to come back and have no clue what was going on. And I know that sounds weird, but it was so refreshing. So I had no idea what was going on or where they’re going or anything else. I’ve already filmed the last episode, I filmed my part literally 2 months ago because I had to go do this other film.

HW: It was ’refreshing’ to come in and have no direction, but was it more difficult?

Christian: Yeah because I didn’t know what they wanted. It was refreshing, but difficult because I didn’t exactly know where they wanted to go with the character. So it’s always hard, because then it’s ’Do I play him as Jekyll? Or do I play him as Hyde?’ Me and Joss talked about it, and he got a sense of where I was going and I knew kinda where I was going, but it was really weird. I have a lot of, well especially with the last episode, I’ve had a lot of six in the morning calls where I come to the set and no one’s allowed on it except me and the director, and the D.P. [HW: Oh, wow.] I’ve done it a lot.

Especially when Lindsey came back, that was so under wraps. And I guess it leaked out over the internet. [HW: I didn’t hear anything, but like I said, I avoid spoilers] Right and it’s amazing... no the thing is, we ended up doing this strip bar scene with me and Spike and one of the extras went online and put it on there that I was back. Joss is amazing. Because they said he’s coming back as, I can’t remember the name, but it wasn’t, it was Doyle. I went into ADR and did the name ’Doyle’.

If you look at that episode, I did not say Doyle, I said, my name is ’Charles’ or something, I can’t remember what it actually was. But Joss did that, and this person went online and said hey Chris Kane is back on Angel as Lindsey and it went across the internet like that. It went from here to China in like two seconds. But it said he’s playing a character named ’Charles’ or whatever it was, and it was the wrong name because Joss is so dang smart. And they put it out there like that and no one got the Doyle reference because I went back into ADR and said ’Doyle’ - if you watch my lips I’m not saying ’Doyle’ I’m saying Joey or whatever it was. [laughs] But Joss said, come back in and now say ’Doyle’. [HW: And hearing that name come out of your mouth? Let me tell ya... ] I know, right? [HW: Oh yeah, everyone was like ’he’s pretending to be who?]

And that’s another thing. When we first started this whole thing, Glenn Quinn, what a great guy and a friend of me and Dave’s, and that upset me and I used that as well. Because Glenn was a good friend of mine, and he was a good friend of David’s and when we first started this whole thing it was me, Boreanaz, and Glenn. We’d go to Goldfingers, which is Glenn’s club, and drink a lot of Jack Daniels and a lot of beer [laughs] and we had a good time. Dave was single, and I’ve been to his wedding and every birthday party that Jaden’s [David’s son with wife, Jamie Bergman] had, and Jamie’s good people. But there was a time when it was just me, big ’D’, and Glenn - it was very very tough [to come back and pretend to be Glenn’s character], and I think David fed off that too, I could see it in his eyes.

Literally, it was tough because I felt that I was saying, hey I’m Glenn Quinn. I used that, but it screwed with me. And when David walks down those steps in episode 100 and says ’Lindsey, and this and that, Doyle’ I think he’s honestly using that because I could see it in his eyes. We’re getting ready to fight, but I could see it, it’s got to be a tough deal for him. And I felt like maybe that’s the one thing that shouldn’t have happened. But Joss is brilliant because he used that. How do you turn me and David against each other? You really can’t because we’re such close friends. So to use that for Angel and Lindsey, I think has a little bit of brilliance to it. It’s kind of sick [laughs] but it’s brilliant. But it did the job. [HW: Yes, and it was also another way of coming full circle.] It was.

And it was also a way of... you’ve got to root for Angel, and there’s a lot of them, God Bless them I love them to death, but there’s a lot of Lindsey fans. [The fans ask...] Why is he bad? Joss is very smart about that because he confirmed why he’s bad. Which you have to do, I want him to do. You guys need to know that I am bad. [HW: Oh we love you because you’re bad] Exactly. And if I’m on the fence and I’m walking that little narrow line, that doesn’t work. You’ve got to know that he’s bad, and Joss did a very good job of that, because you know there’s a lot of Glenn Quinn fans out there.

HW: Lindsey teetered on the edge of doing the right thing several times in the past - the new Lindsey doesn’t seem to be that ambivalent. Do you miss that side of him? Is it easier or more difficult to play pure evil, as opposed to somewhat evil?

Christian: That’s a good question. There’s a measure of a man, most of the people I grew up with and most of the people I know out here, 80% of it’s Cain [Cain & Able] - so that’s just a walk in the part. It’s that 20% that’s nothing but love, nothing but compassion, that you really have to grab and put in a choke hold and hold onto that. In this day and age it’s so easy to go off the other side. I’ve never had a problem playing evil characters. It’s the ones that love something that get to me.

HW: So the scenes with Darla back in season two, were more difficult

Christian: Yeah. No. Because it had to do with love, I did love her. But because she’s Julie Benz and she’s just such a great actor. But it’s just very easy to play someone evil, because honestly I think we all have it in us. It’s very hard to grab the love out of you and out of life, this is for me, and put it up there on the screen for people to see. That’s what I fight for in life and in the character, you have to fight for love. If you just take that and throw it to the side, it’s so much easier, and it’s a lot of fun because it’s a walk in the park for me to play someone who’s evil. I always play the bad guy, I have no problem with it.

HW: How big is the contrast between Lindsey and yourself, other than the obvious ’evil’ streak?

Christian: Honestly, as smart as Lindsey is, as smart as they’ve written him, I still think this cat looks at the glass as being half empty. And so, damn it, I’m going to drink the rest of that water, or the rest of that beer if you will. In real life I fight so hard just to look at the glass as half full and see what we can put in there. [HW: So you’re more optimistic?] I’m a little more optimistic, I believe. When I look at the glass and it’s half empty I’m asking who’s got another beer. Lindsey’s like this is the last of the beer and I’m drinking it.

[now remember that we had this conversation just hours before the episode in which Lindsey says to Angel, ’it’s all in how you look at the glass...’ and yes I immediately thought of this answer when I saw that scene!]

HW: You work in no set genre, a true jack of all trades, you have done a little of everything. What’s your favorite genre, and why?

Christian: I’ve been very fortunate, very lucky. How about my favorite movie? It’s easier than genre. [HW: You can do that. I loved you in Secondhand Lions.] Oh, that was fun, I could go for an hour with that. [HW: Yeah that was in my original questions but I figured we probably could go for an hour on just that, so I took it out.] Oh actually, I just got out of bed and you called so you can go as long as you want. [HW: OH! I’m sorry - did you get any coffee?] I got a little coffee in me. [laughs]

You know I trained for about a month and a half in sword play from a good friend of mine, Anthony De Longis. He went from ’pick up the sword’ and I picked it up and he said, ’no.’ It was like from step one. Walter Scott did stunt choreography on that, I went to his ranch and he saw me throwing this thing around and he was like, ’Jesus Christ... we’re never going to get this kid to do this.’ And literally within three weeks, Anthony took me from ’not knowing how to hold it’ to ’nobody can touch my ass.’

And that was one of the reasons episode 100... most of the stuff was me, definitely with the sword. There was a couple of things where somebody stood in with wires and stuff, but anything with the sword was me and David, or me and Mike Massa.

That [Secondhand Lions] was so much fun - for two weeks I’d just go to the set and hang out with Duvall [Robert] and then I’d go home. And they were like, you need to be here to mimic Robert Duvall, you need to get his mannerisms down. I said, I don’t have to get Robert Duvall’s mannerisms down, I’ve grown up with him, I know how to do Robert Duvall. When I get off the boat, soon as I get off the boat in Secondhand Lions, I had a lot of people - producers, the director, everybody - Tim McCanlies directed that and he was nothing but compliments, he says ’it looks like Bobby.’ And that was a huge compliment to me. I mean listen, I got to play Bobby Duvall, I can hang up my horns.

I can hang up my spurs. That’s something in life that nobody can take away from me. I could quit today and be 80 years old and someone could ask, ’Well what did you do with your life?’ I could say, well I played Bobby Duvall [laughs] I could get rude, but...

HW: So then in answer to your favorite movie, would that be it?

Christian: No. It was the most fun I’ve ever had on a film, literally. But Just Married was by far... you had three kids that didn’t know where life was going - me, Brittany [Murphy], and Ashton [Kutcher]. I had already worked with Brittany on Summer Catch, so we had become friends that whole summer, and Ashton was a buddy of mine. Life was wide open for all of us at that point. We were young and we did it and it was just so much fun. Shawn Levy directed it and he gave us a lot of leeway, which is something to say for a director that is an actor. He was an actor to begin with. So he would give us direction and he had a definite idea of where things were going, but he would kind of give us leewayto do what we kind of wanted to do.

But he developed three great characters in that movie by just letting us go where we wanted. And he’s brilliant like that. And I believe that’s why he was so successful in Cheaper by the Dozen, because - I’ve never worked with him, I’ve never even met him, I would love to, but - Steve Martin, what can you tell him? [laughs] You can’t really tell him how to act, you just tell him, ’look, this is where I want the scene to go.’

Taxi is another movie like that, with me and Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah. Tim Story did that, who did Barbershop and he’s a brilliant, brilliant director. You have to turn Jimmy and Queen Latifah lose to make the scene. It’s scripted, but you do that. And I’m a huge fan of that, and I learned that from Angelina Jolie. I play defense, I really do. I have not been in a role yet where I can be the offensive player. A lot of time I’m going to try and shine, but it’s not my movie, so I let them go and I play defense. [HW: Ah, but you play really good defense.] Thank you so much, I really appreciate that! And with those people, especially with Tim and Jimmy Fallon who laughs at everything, you have to let them go and you play defense. Whatever they give you, you have to come back. And I wouldn’t say improv because it is scripted, but you’ve got to be ready to go. And that’s the beauty about how Tim Story directs, I mean he did Barbershop and he did this, and he let’s the characters go. A lot of fun working with Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah.

HW: You’re so good at defense, do you want to do offense, or are you comfortable where you are?

Christian: You know, I’ve been the lead in a couple of things and even when I’m the lead, I still play defense. I really do. I’ll give you something as soon as you give me something, and I’ll take it from there.

HW: In another interview you said that the first time you were recognized in public you got very self-conscious and freaked a little. Your characters, however, are generally very bold, and going on stage is quite bold. How introvert/extroverted are you really?

Christian: Well that’s a different deal [stage vs. acting]. Being recognized is off the charts now, and it’s still different. People always ask me, and it’s the question I hate the most, ’would you chose music or acting?’ That’s just, honestly and you didn’t ask it so I can say this, it’s an unintelligent question. It’s not cool. And it really kind of upsets me to be honest with you, it’s two different deals. I can see why they’re doing it, it’s like asking a broadway performer, ’do you like film or stage?’ Then I could see it, but music is totally different. Music, I’m opening up my whole life in front of someone, and I’m on stage so I’m very vulnerable. You can clap for me or you can throw a tomato, but you’re doing something. My motto is ’Love it, Hate it, but never Ignore it.’

The thing is, when I’m playing Lindsey or any other role, whatever I do you have to watch it. That’s it. That’s what’s out there. But when I’m on stage, I can feel it come back as immediate feedback from the audience and I can change. Not necessarily bend for what I’m going to do, but I can sway. It’s immediate feedback and it’s unbelievable. When people are out there and they’re clapping for me, it’s like ’Oh my God.’ I’d love every day for someone to watch an episode of Angel and sit there in a crowd of people and listen to the feedback and stuff like that, but when you’re on stage it’s right there. There’s not really any... Sweetheart, I’m making this so hard on you. Let me put it this way.

I can lie all I want to on camera, but there’s no fibbing when it comes to being on stage. So you can like me for who I am on screen, but when it comes down to performance and when it comes down to stage work, what you see is what you get. And for someone to stand up and clap, even if it’s one person in an auditorium of two thousand, that’s all I need. [HW: The immediate feedback on stage helps you adjust...] Yep, because I can’t see how many people - and hopefully we’re touching someone out there when we do our acting stuff, that’s why we all do it - but when I can see, even if it’s just one person, then I did my job.

[In reality] I’m very introverted, and that’s why I like music. I don’t know if it’s just me, and I don’t want to speak for everyone, but when I get on stage as soon as somebody smiles I’m comfortable. It doesn’t have to be everybody, it can just be one person. [Everyday me] I’m very quiet. I live up in the hills, and I’m very secluded in my house.

HW: Now you said acting or music was stupid, but this is different than that. How about, ’the chicken or the egg?’ Which love came first is what I want to know.

Christian: Acting [came first]. But there’s no rules anymore. There used to be, and now it’s two different monsters that I deal with every day. I would like to do both. Obviously he doesn’t do it anymore, but Mark Walberg did music and turned it into acting, which was a huge feat for anyone. Will Smith is another guy that does it. He balances and that’s kind of what I want to do, it’s just a different thing for me.

I’m a big Dwight Yoakam fan, and Dwight has gone into acting and stuff like that. Dwight kind of does his own thing, and actually doesn’t really like me. I’m a little too Rock ’n Roll for Nashville, and a little too Country for L.A. So what I do is just do my own thing, and they can all... uh, you can print whatever you want after that. [both laugh - HW: yeah, I knew where that was going] Yeah.

HW: What are you working on now? Any future projects in the horror genre?

Christian: Not in the horror genre, but I’m getting ready to hopefully play the ’good guy.’ I’m getting ready to do a film with Estella Warren, called ’Her Minor Thing’ June 11th. It’s a really nice little comedy with Charlie Matthau directing, whose Walter Matthau’s son. It’s going to be a good little vehicle for me to show [laughs] that I can be the ’good guy.’ [HW: Well, you weren’t a bad guy in Secondhand Lions] No, I wasn’t [HW: You were just the ’wild child’ ] Yep, that’s what it was. And Bobby Duvall has got so much damned fire in him that it’s so easy when you’re playing him to let that come across on screen. Hopefully that did. [HW: You did a wonderful job] Thank you. But as far as acting and music, they’re two totally different things.

HW: Now, your band, Kane, is getting more and more press and is [according to the site] currently in discussion with record labels. How is that going?

Christian: That’s going great. Like I said before, I’m a little too country for L.A. and a little too rock ’n roll for Nashville, so they don’t know what they’re doing with it. But then again, I have to look at it like Kid Rock, a white kid that raps and plays Southern Rock. And I have to try and look at it like that.

Honestly, with the talent I’ve got behind me... I’ve got so much talent behind me, when it comes to the band - and we’re playing May 15th in Chicago. [HW: Yep, I’ll be there] Oh awesome, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Just a lot of talented kids that really back me up and have stuck with me through the whole ’I’ve got to go do a movie for three months’ type of thing. They’re just good kids and they’re very very talented, and I can’t take all the credit for the band.

HW: [chitchat led back to Angel and he started talking about Stephanie Romanov, ’Lilah’] I was very glad to be given the opportunity to interview the two of you, because honestly, of all the big bads that have come and gone, Lindsey and Lilah were the best.

Christian: Yeah, it was fun. A lot of fun. You may expect me to say, cool thank you, but I actually know that [Lindsey and Lilah being the best]. Just because it was so much fun working with her and the stuff they gave us. [HW: You just fed off each other] Yeah, we really did. [HW: And when you’re doing things alone - she was alone last season and you are this season - and you’re still just as powerful as big bads.] Which is kind of crazy, because we really did feed off each other. When I went to work I knew I was working with Stephanie so it was kind of like there was always a back thing there. It’s kind of weird not working with her now.

HW: Well, thank you very much for the opportunity to speak with you

Christian: It’s my pleasure, are you kidding me? And give me your address so I can send your daughter something!

HW: [laugh] okay, I will. She’d love it, and I won’t tell her either. [note - my 11 year old daughter loves Lindsey and Christian Kane in general and it came up a few times in edited chitchat. He was just thrilled about it and is going to surprise her with something - how’s that for sweet?]

Christian: Excellent. Alrighty sweetheart, it was damned good talking to you.

HW: You too, now you go get some coffee in you [laugh]

Christian: Alrighty - bye bye.