Angel

(...)

iF: Did you have any nods to ANGEL since you were working with Chris Kane again?

ANDERSON: Chris suggested in one scene he was just going to look at me and wink and the ANGEL fans would laugh their heads off, because he was my protégé on that show.

iF: Did you do the wink?

ANDERSON: Yes. I’ve seen the cut, but I can’t remember if they kept it in. I’m not sure it is. I think we did a little trimming at the end, when I’m getting my comeuppance, but Chris and I know it’s there.

(...)

iF: Holland Manners on ANGEL was such a delicious role to play – did you ever think the show would have gone on to have such a devoted and rapid following?

ANDERSON: I didn’t think it at the time, I don’t think anyone was thinking about that. We were just doing the best work you could do. The writing was so spectacular. When I first got the role, here’s a guy who runs a major corporation and lines up his employees on a carpet, has two shaved head psychics to show him who in the group might be lying or cheating or doing something against the company and he calmly has a guard shoot them in the head. And he is sort of upset, but he’s upset there’s a stain on his carpet. You gotta love playing that. When I came home from work, I used to say to my wife, “how fun is this, where else do you hear an A.D. say ‘flaming vampires to the stage.’” It was just a hoot.

iF: Who is more ruthless – Holland or your character on LEVERAGE?

ANDERSON: I would say, they both may be ruthless. Holland is incredibly smart and always a step ahead of everyone and easy in his manipulation — until he died. My character in “The Snow Job” is much more of a big, old good guy who has lot of energy. He loves deals and loves listening to money stories. He might not be the sharpest tack in the shed, but he’s shrewd. He’s certainly not honest, but much less lethal.

iF: Since ANGEL was one of Chris Kane’s first big gigs, did he ask you for advice when you were on that show together?

ANDERSON: He asked me something one day, I mostly said, “the thing about actors, we always sometimes get way too focused on ourselves and there’s a whole big world out there you can draw on, and you never know you.” I always wish I listened more in my science classes in school, because I’ve played so many doctors and I’ve had to bone up. For ER, I feel like I practically went to medical school.

(...)