Angel

If anything, J August Richards is busier than ever for Season Five of Angel. But will the evil within Wolfram & Hart corrupt Charles Gunn ?

In the season final of Angel, the Fang Gang was made an offer they couldn’t refuse : take over Wolfram & Hart and use the company’s vast resources to help them fight the good fight. Understandably, they needed some enticing. For Fred (Amy Acker), that meant appealing to her inner science geek, while Angel (David Boreanaz) was given the whereabouts of the comatose Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and his renegade son Connor (Vincent kartheiser). But for Charles Gunn, his incentive was an unexpected trip to the mysterious White Room and what appeared to be a telepathic connection with a black panther. Since nothing on Angel is ever easy, how did that little tour affect him ?

"In ways that cannot be described with words," replies J August Richards, who’s played Gunn since War Zone way back in Season One. "There’s one very tangible thing I’m given, and not even from that experience, and another tangible thing I take away. But everything else is mental."

In actuality, Gunn has been corrupted by the dark side and transformed into something insidiously evil ... a lawyer. "I’m told if I join Wolfram & Hart, I will be given the complete knowledge of the laws of this universe and every other universe that exists," explains Richards. "Basically I become an über-lawyer, which is funny, because in college I took Law 101 as an elective and the professor was a renowned lawyer. We were constantly going back and forth about everything and finally at the end of the term he said, ’Richards, when you’re done with this acting crap, give me a call’ because he wanted me to be a lawyer. He thought I messed my calling. Ironically, now I get to play one. I’m so artsy I just can’t stand it."

Looking back, Gunn’s brainy evolution seems to make sense. Originally, the street-tough rebel led a group of demon slayers who protected the neighbourhood. Ultimately, his world shattered when he was forced to stake his little sister Michelle after she had been turned into a vampire. Shortly after, Gunn joined Angel Investigations, but dealing with his grief and handling his prejudices against vampires were only two of the hurdles he had to overcome.

"I think the biggest change in Gunn was that he had to become a team player as opposed to the leader of his own squad," offers Richards. "He was such an outsider, not quite fitting in. Also, I think when you’re fighting for your life all the time it tends to make you very intense, and he’s learned to chill a little bit, let things happen, and not feel he has to save everybody. He does have a huge saviour complex, which I really like about Gunn."

That attitude and Gunn’s newfound prowess are quickly put to the test in Season Five’s opener, Conviction, which finds our new legal eagle representing a shady client in court. "I end up saving the day by getting someone off, by getting the case thrown out on a technicality," reveals Richards. "Without giving too much away, it’s a situation where someone is holding LA hostage, and if they don’t get off, they will destroy the city."

Conviction was written and directed by creator Joss Whedon, and Richards says it’s always a treat when the head honcho comes home. "All of it comes from Joss’s vision, so when you work with him, he’s very specific about what he sees happening. When you work on an episodes with Joss, you feel lie, ’God, I missed so much stuff in other episodes’ because he’s so hands-on that it forces you to go to deeper places."

War Zone, This Old Gang of Mine, and Double or Nothing may have fleshed out the character, but Richards admits his own crowning episodes aren’t always about Gunn.

"I really enjoyed Players because I got to do a lot and work alongside Alexa Davalos (Gwen)," he says. "I did some cool fight scenes and it was very James Bondish and y fantasy is to play James Bond. I liked Spin the Bottle where we played 17-year-olds, and Waiting in the Wings where we go to the ballet. That was one of the happiest times on the set because we were all together and Joss was directing it. It was so much fun and we would go in the trailers and play Boggle at lunch."

Waiting in the Wings also kindled Gunn’s affair with Fred. The two seemed an unlikely hook-up, especially since Fred originally had eyes for Angel, and Wesley was smitten with Fred, a situation which caused tension between the former Watcher and Gunn. "We’re partners, we’re buddies, we’re back in arms," says Richards when asked if the buds are five-by-five now.

Too bad the same can’t be said for Fred and Gunn. The couple lost that loving feeling in Supersymmetry when Gunn dished out some lethal payback on Fred’s behalf.

And according to Richards, there doesn’t seem to be any sign of reconciliation.

"No, we broke up last season," he confirms. "Killing someone can really ruin a relationship. I’m happy the way the writers handled it because it will give Amy and I the opportunity to explore other avenues on the show. "

Could those avenues be of the curvy kind ? In Players, Gunn went solo with the shocking beauty Gwen and the two ended up all hot and heavy. Does that mean Gunn is becoming the suave ladies’ man ?

"Okayyy... it seems like it," chuckles Richards. "Whenever there’s a new woman around, I’m commenting on her somehow. I’m like, ’Wow, the writers are making me such a man-whore’." He laughs. "Somebody has to state the obvious, and there are some beautiful women on our show."

Angel’s female quota certainly fluctuates this year, with the return of the dim-witted vamp Harmony (Mercedes McNab) and the addition of Wolfram & Hart liaison Eve (Sarah Thompson). On the other hand, Carpenter will not be reprising her role as Cordelia and Richards for one has not quite adjusted to her absence. "Now that David is the sole original cast member, it feels extremely strange, because Charisma has been here the entire time I have been and she was such a support system and ally on the job. We all really miss her."

The other familiar face not returning is Connor, who was dropped into his own It’s A Wonderful Life. His departure caused some interesting rumblings on the Internet, since despite numerous attempts on Angel’s life and sacrificing an innocent to awaken the goddess Jasmine, Connor didn’t even get a slap on the wrist. However, Richards defends Connor’s fate, believing severe punishment wasn’t the answer. "So many people, in their youth, do things they regret, so should they really have to pay for that ?" reasons Richards. "Yeah, the scope is a little bit bigger and he did kill a virgin, but he was so confused and in a whole new world. I don’t think he got off scot-free."

When Angel starts airing this season, there are bound to be plenty of twists, beginning with a soulful Spike joining the series. Mind you, given Gunn’s history with the undead at least one of the gang won’t be rolling out the red carpet for Sunnydale’s surviving champion.

"Well, my character is very vampire phobic," explains Richards. "Gunn doesn’t like Spike ’cause he’s heard so much about him and is very leery."

Richards was reluctant to give away any more bombshells, but did mention Connor would be back, a female werewolf was going to cause the fur to fly, and with Wolfram & Hart short on two-faced lawyers, Lindsey (Christian Kane) may once again rear his head. All this means that while Gunn is trading in his street fashions for suits, and ties, don’t expect him to give up butt kicking. "I love to do the fight scenes and do as much of them as I can," he says. "For example, in Players, the scene I did with the bo sticks was about 95 per cent me. My sister was a majorette when I was in elementary school and taught me how to twirl a baton."

Sometimes those scenes can get out of hand, especially when you are egged on.

"I love stunt guys because of their intensity and they want to make everything real," explains Richards. "They are there for you and are very giving. But this one stunt guy kept saying, ’When you give me the boot to the stomach, really give it to me. You’re not going to hurt me, man.’

So I did it once and he was like, ’No man, really give it to me’. I did it one more time and he wanted it harder still. We had to do it about six more takes after that and by the end of the last take, he comes over and says, ’Hey man, can you lay off a bit ?’

He lifted his shirt and you could see a red boot print and could practically read the word Timberland on his stomach."

Angel may be a spin-off success story, but Gunn’s glory days may be numbered. The show as barely given the green light for a fifth season, and while Richards didn’t want to weigh in on the show’s future, if it does bow out, he already has a plan. "The first thing I’d like to do is a play with a nice long run," he concludes. "It would just sharpen up some of the tools I haven’t used lately. I used to have this policy where I’d do a play every year and I did that for 10 years. The first year I didn’t do one was my first year on Angel, and I haven’t done one since."

Perhaps Angel the musical ? It seems Whedon has a knack for song and dance....

Cult Times #97 October 2003 ships from Sep 25 2003 News-stand Price UK £3.50 / US $6.99