David Boreanaz

Several people took to the forums after my recent article about David Boreanaz and took issue with several points that were made. After re-reading my original piece and finding that what I had meant to convey may not have been absolutely clear, I have decided to revisit the topic and offer some responses.

First of all, some people appear to have been gravely offended by the flippant tone I adopted. To those people, all I can do is quote Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein who said, “I was joking! Don’t you know a joke when you hear one? HA-HA-HA-HA!”

Secondly, some people took issue with my assessment of David Boreanaz’s acting ability at the beginning of his stint on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I certainly didn’t mean to say that he was a BAD actor, or the worst actor I had ever seen on network TV; heaven knows there have been many, many actors with far more experience than he had at the time who are worse actors than David Boreanaz was when he started out. And if there had been a problem with his performance, he wouldn’t have lasted very long in a Joss Whedon production (‘Doyle,’ anyone?). My opinion is that during the first season of Buffy, David Boreanaz relied more on looks than acting chops to get by.

Thirdly, I don’t care how much you love David Boreanaz, you have to admit that his Irish accent was abysmal. I have a British episode guide for Buffy that calls it “woefully naff.” Couldn’t have said it better myself. The brightest decision they ever made on Angel was to have Boreanaz skip the accent when Angel got amnesia and “reverted” to his teenage self in the episode “Spin the Bottle.” Doing accents is a tricky thing, and has no correlation with acting ability. James Marsters’ accent as Spike is bloody brilliant (I was shocked when I discovered he was from Modesto, California). David Boreanaz’s Irish accent . . . isn’t.

Lastly, I really do admire the progress David Boreanaz made as an actor during his time on Buffy and Angel. Lots of male actors prettier than him have not developed one iota as an actor no matter how much work their looks got them. I don’t know if it was just working with good actors and with good scripts on Buffy and Angel, or if he consciously worked at developing his craft, but by the time Angel ended, David Boreanaz was much more an actor than a “mimbo.”

The old saw is, “Dying is easy; comedy is hard.” Angel relied a great deal on humor to leaven the mood of the show. On Buffy, most of the comedic weight was carried by the characters of Xander and Willow (and, in a dry way, Oz). On Angel, David Boreanaz had to step up and provide the funny in many scenes, and he never missed a beat. His work with James Marsters in season five of Angel was truly inspired; those two played off each other like a veteran vaudeville team. He even managed to be funny in the “Smile Time” episode, when he was technically off screen for most of the show and had to rely solely on vocal work.

David Boreanaz didn’t have to improve as an actor, but he did. One of the hardest things in life is doing something you don’t have to do. His new series, Bones would not be getting a second season if he hadn’t developed as an actor. Hollywood is littered with pretty guys and girls whose careers died when middle-aged spread set in (not that I’m saying that’s happened to Mr. Boreanaz, although if you compare photos of him in the first season of Buffy to this season on Bones, he does look somewhat ...fuller).

And I even think David Boreanaz could make the jump to film if he found the right vehicle. Hollywood is always looking for new action stars as well as new romantic comedy leads (now that Hugh Grant is - what, 75?). When he started out, David Boreanaz seemed lost on the small screen; now I think he could fill a big screen. That’s a tough jump to make (ask Shelly Long or David Caruso), but I think David Boreanaz is a good enough actor to do it.