Angel

Five By Five

As Angel prepares for its Season Five premierè with some new cast members and the keys to Wolfram & Hart, Grant Kempster hears from David Boreanaz about what’s in store for Team Angel...

As Scottish inventor extraordinaire, Alexander Graham Bell once said, ’When one door closes another door opens’, and while in Buffy and Angel’s case these doors are more likely to be portals to fiery Hell dimensions as opposed to theoretic metaphors, the same analogy can undoubtedly be used. While Buffy has seen its final days on television, its blood relative, Angel, is about to begin not only its fifth year on The WB, but a rebirth of sorts that will absorb traces of its paternal predecessor and breathe new life into the show.

In the final few episodes of Joss Whedon’s uber-succesful series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the Sunnydale champion once again found herself teamed with her former beau leading to a final climatic battle that saw the demon-saturated Californian town sucked into the Hellmouth, blocking it for all time. The reunion was brief but it was enough to sate the veracious appetites of fans of their ongoing ’true love’ romance while helping to bring a sense of closure to the show.

For Buffy and Angel actor David Boreanaz, however, the return to Buffy’s lot was a somewhat strange experience. "It was a bit weird," Boreanaz confides, fresh from his Hollywood hiatus of playing the lead bad guy in the latest Crow movie. "We shoot at Paramount and the stages and the ceilings are so high, and then we got back to the lot and the ceilings are pretty low, that was trippy."

In fact, while Angel’s return to Sunnydale not only gave fans the chance to see their favourite Slayer and vampire with a soul embrace in a passionate kiss, it also allowed Boreanaz to work with his old pal Sarah Michelle Gellar again for the first time since Buffy’s season five episode Forever. "You know, it was interesting," David recalls of the reunion. "Once we got in to it we more or less just got back into it, Sarah and I. We enjoyed it and we left off where we started."

But while the coming together of both of Whedon’s main talents may have brought closure to Buffy, Boreanaz is adamant that Angel’s and Miss Summer’s story is far from over.

"I don’t think there will ever be a closure between these two characters," he says with a smile. "Mythologicaly speaking, I think that they are two types of characters that live on in the universe and I think that’s what’s so beautiful and special about the two of them. I think that lore and that interest will keep the two alive, so I don’t think there’s really any kind of end to it."

"I think the shows are going to be more standalone shows. More so than last year, where it was really heavy, thick plots."

There are few who would disagree with such a comment. Since 1992 when Buffy The Vampire Slayer first trod the boards in Whedon’s ill-fated movie (starring Kristy Swanson and directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui - who later went on to be an executive producer on both Buffy and Angel) the character’s longevity has been evident. However, as a downturn in the popularity of genre TV accompanied Buffy’s graceful exit, the shadow of cancellation was suddenly cast over The WB’s Angel. After four years of killing demons on prime-time TV it seemed like Angel was about to be cast into the abyss... except of course it wasn’t. With the help of a few of Buffy’s regulars past and present transferring their talents to the Los Angeles-based series, along with the added attentions of the previously stretched creator Joss Whedon, the relevant networks were convinced to keep the story going.

"It’s always touch and go every season," Boreanaz concurs, although the seasoned star has a very philosophical outlook. "I mean, if the show would have ended it would have ended. I look at it as we get 22 episodes ordered, we do those 22 episodes and then I consider my job done until I get the re-order so I don’t set myself up for disappointment, I set myself up for work and what could come next. For me I was just kind of riding the wave and seeing what was happening. I was fortunate to be starting another project so I was kind of focusing on that at the moment, it kind of just happened and we were fortunate to be picked up and I’m really happy about it."

The other project Boreanaz speaks of is the fourth chapter of the eclectic Crow franchise. The Crow : Wicked Prayer follows in the crow’s feet of the previous instalments, whereby a wronged man returns from the dead with the help of his black feathered friend to exact their own kind of justice on those that killed him.

In Wicked Prayer’s case it is T2’s Edward Furlong that is smearing on the grease-paint while Boreanaz is fulfilling the bad guy quota.

"I was the leader of the Fours Horsemen of the Apocalypse." David grins. "(I played) an ex-con with Tara Reid and Dennis Hopper so it was really excellent, it tuned out really fun."

Based loosely on the novel of the same name, the movie has the Angel star portray Luc Crash, the leader of a biker gang who have designs on becoming immortal demons. To this end he and his flunkies murder Jimmy (Furlong and his girlfriend Lily on the road to fulfilling their satanic quest.

’I’m really excited about it," Boreanaz exclaims. "It was fun playing the bad guy and Dennis Hopper was a thrill."

With Wicked Prayer in the can and the promise of another 22 episodes of Angel to come fro th ehead honchos at Fox and The WB, the time came once more for Boreanaz to don the long swishy coat and copious amounts of hair gel to reprise his most famous role. But thing over at Angel Inc are a little different to how they were when last we visited. A the close of Season Four, the crew had lost two of their clan and found themselves seduced by the dubiously sponsored law firm Wolfram & Hart, which they now run. It’s a turn of events which is leading to what some deem a rethink of the show’s main direction, stemming from the fact that the show is now the last vestige of Joss Whedon’s Buffyverse and will no doubt become a sanctuary for all of those previous Buffy fans wishing to get their weekly fix.

"I think the shows are going to be more standalone shows." Boreanaz explains of the upcoming fifth Season. "More so than last year, where it was really heavy, thick plots."

"Working with Charisma was great, I haven’t really had a chance to talk with her about what the situation was."

One of the biggest changes this year is that missing contingent from the show’s cast list. While short-lived regular Connor (Angel’s son played by Vincent Kartheiser) has had his story resolved, former Higher Power and wannabe actress Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) is still in a coma with a huge question mark hanging over her future.

"Well she’s in a coma so that’s pretty much resolved right there," David quips. "That kind of answers everything for you. All you can do is day, ’When’s she going to wake up ?’ That’s a pretty easy resolve right there I guess. You know, working with Charisma was great, I haven’t really had a chance to talk with her about what the situation was."

Charisma’s departure, steeped in mystery and apparent confusion from the actress herself, leaves a void which the producers took no time at all to fill. In her place this season are two of Sunnydale’s most famous and much loved vampires, Cordelia’s old rich-bitch pal Harmony and Buffy’s second vampire-with-soul lover, Spike.

"I think that with the addition of Spike and some other female characters it’s going to spice things up really nicely," Boreanaz elaborates. "(Joss and I) talked about it on the telephone briefly and I said, ’James would be a great addition to the show.’ First of all his fan base is really large. How they’re going to mix him in character-wise is going to be interesting to see how that unfold. I hope he’s on my side, I think that would be fun and I think that would make things really interesting."

There’s no doubt that as Angel rises again to see in another year, there are more factors being thrown into the mix that will ensure the show gets the love and attention that it both needs and deserves. While creator Joss Whedon is attached to write and direct the season opener as well as the show’s 100th episode midway through the season, Boreanaz is also stepping behind the camera.

With a cast that is both growing in size and popularity, Boreanaz agrees that there is plenty of life left in the show and the characters that inhabit it.

"With Angel I get to play the good guy, the bad guy, the hero, the vulnerable guy, the action guy," David explains. "I think he’s every role that I will play in the future and that’s what’s exciting about the character for me because I can tap into all of those things."

Side bits Starburst Issue 303

Directing Angel Over the years many shows have allowed their more seasoned stars to step behind the lens and put their own particular spin on their series.

From David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson on The X-Files to various crew members of Star Trek’s plethora of starships and space stations, there’s no escaping the fact that actors like to give directing a shot at least once, and luckily for Angel fans, David Boreanaz is no exception.

"I’m going to be directing a show this year, which is going to be fun," the actor says. "I wanted to do it, being around the show for so long, seeing how it works and the dynamics, it’ll be fun to step into that role and do that, so I’m looking forward to that."

Having starred in the show in one respect of another for almost eight years, The Angel star feels that his experience in front of the camera has allowed him, over time, to study those behind it.

"You learn from every director and you kind of let the pace unfold and see what happens," Boreanaz explains, although he is aware that following in creator Joss Whedon’s footsteps could be a little daunting. " He knows exactly what he wants, he steps in and he sets the shot pretty cleanly."

But as the show’s tenth episode looms, the signs are good that David’s tenure in the director’s chair will work out just fine, not least because of the star’s grounded attitude towards his role on the show.

"The way I work is basically, I hit my mark, say my lines and go home and that’s it." Boreanaz discloses. " I take on the role of the producer in the sense that I’m the only one there late at night at three in the morning when all the producers are sleeping. But we work together as a group and the responsibility is to be part of the whole, and not just to say. ’It’s called Angel and I feed off of the cast and the crew’. It’s a unified show, it’s a unified production and that’s the way I’ve always gone into any kind of production. It’s good to have that kind of feel with a show."

Fatherhood One of the biggest storylines of the last two seasons of Angel was that of the vampire with a soul becoming, against all odds, a father.

It was a revelation which would have more resonance throughout the production than many would have realized as not only did Angel become a daddy on screen, but David also welcomed fatherhood off it.

Jaden Rayne Boreanaz was born in May 2002 to proud parents David and his wife Jamie Berman, and it was, by David’s own admission, a life-changing experience.

"It’s given me a perspective on what’s important in life and what’s not," the actor says with pride. "I’ve kind of become a Jedi in a way so I know what it feels to feel the light and walk the path of a true sense of reality. It’s beautiful, it’s the best thing in the world. He’s walking and he’s saying tons of things."

Buffy Returns !

If you thought that the final episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s seventh season was going to be the last time you ever saw Miss Summers, it turns out you were wrong.

Yes, the Slayer is coming back to our screens but this time she’ll only be staying a short while as Angel plays host to a two-part storyline which reunites Buffy with not only Angel but her old flame (literally) Spike.

Buffy’s return (planned to coincide with the February or May sweeps next year) is part of The WB’s plan to keep the fans watching and also is aid to have played a part in ensuring Angel got its fifth season, in the same vain, plans are afoot to provide a number of familiar faces over the coming months in addition to the already growing ensemble.

"There’s a very good chance that everybody I’ve ever met in my life might guest star," Joss Whedon told us recently.

"Alyson, Sarah ? Nick, you know, they’re all out there somewhere, they’re all expensive but they bring a lot to the party so it’s just a question of what we can get and when. I’d love to see them all