Site Updates
Articles
In This section I have Placed all kinds of Articles , Transcripts , Chats and other reads. For both the show and it's cast. So take some time and catch up on all the Buffy and Cast Happenings.

Next Week On Buffy: Doomed
The gang returns to Sunnydale High and find a few old memories...and remains.
Next Week On Angel: Somnamublist
Somnambulist: Angel dreams of killing innocents, but when he wakes, the crimes have really happened, and he doesn't know if he's the killer.
Articles
  • Show
  • David Boreanaz
  • Nick Brendon
  • Charisma C.
  • Sarah Gellar
  • Alyson Hannigan
  • Anthony Head
  • Index
    Site Map
  • News
  • Articles
  • Images
  • Fan art
  • Sounds
  • Multimedia
  • Desk top Buffy
  • Clubs
  • Trivia Challenge
  • Episode Summarys
  • Spoilers
  • Interactive Buffy
  • Cast Bio's
  • Cast Appearances
  • Buffy Zines
  • Awards
  • Games
  • Webrings
  • Guestbook
  • Credit's & Thank you's
  • Contact
  • Search Site
  • Links
    • Buffy The Vampire Slayer Articles
    Read All About It!

  • Show Articles
  • David Boreanaz Articles
  • Nick Brendon Articles
  • Charisma Carpenter Articles
  • Sarah Michelle Gellar Articles
  • Seth Green Articles
  • Alyson Hannigan Articles
  • Anthony Stewart Head Articles
  • James Master's and Juliet Lanau Articles
  • Joss Whedon Articles
  • Other Articles






























































    • Show Articles
    Banned "Buffy" on the Internet
    by Bridget Byrne
    June 3, 1999, 4:25 p.m. PT
    Obsessive Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans have gone online--and north of the border--to get their fix.
    Last week, the Columbine-skittish WB postponed the second half of the hit show's season finale episode, "Graduation 2," because the network felt the fantasy violence at Sunnydale High was "inappropriate" in the wake of the reality violence at Littleton High.
    Though banned (at least until mid-summer) in the United States, the show went on as scheduled and without controversy in Canada.
    Almost immediately after the program aired in Canada last week, U.S. fans--outraged by what they considered lily-livered censorship--turned to that world with no borders (no, not that space beneath the Hellmouth), the Internet.
    And they found what they hungered for.
    Canadian Buffy worshipers had posted blurry digital copies of the episode, in which the title character and pals attack the town's mayor. (Understandably, as he's morphed into a evil, giant, heavily armed serpent during their graduation ceremony.)
    This week, the must-see-it-now crowd is able to receive higher-grade copies of the diploma-time mayhem through the mail, for little more than the cost of the tape and postage. They vow to continue doing so until the episode airs on American stations.
    "We are the people. We have the Internet. We have the power. Any questions?" was one fan's cyberspace statement on the alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer site, challenging the WB, as onliners with vampire and slayer code names are logging onto the Web to announce either possession of, or desire for, "Graduation 2" on tape.
    Although Buffy creator Joss Whedon had initially towed the company line by posting a message on the show's official Website saying, "one violent graduation incident...and the WB and I would feel like collective @$#%," he now seems to be on the side of the deprived fans.
    "Bootleg the puppy," Whedon told USA Today on Thursday, having what he called "a Grateful Dead moment."
    But the Frog is hopping mad about the fans' tactics. "We paid nearly a million dollars for that episode. We bought the rights to it," said WB spokesman Brad Turell, stressing that the network will "aggressively" try to stop this piracy.
    Fans insist its not any legality they care about, it's the show--which, they insist, doesn't promote violence. Teenager Rachel Schecter from New Jersey, who believes Buffy always acts responsibly, told USA Today that the WB is "showing their lack of faith in the message of the show."
    She would find some concurrence north of the border where station managers and media watchers felt the episode's content didn't merit any delay.
    Jesuit priest and teacher John J. Pungente, author of "More Than Meets the Eye: Watching Television Watching Us," watched the episode and said it was ridiculous to link the program with recent shootings in American high schools.
    "If television was the main reason for the violence in schools, and the massacres, it wouldn't happen once or twice a year. If TV had that kind of impact it would happen every five minutes," Pungente told the New York Daily News.

    'Buffy' Fans Get Their Due in July
    1.02 p.m. ET (1702 GMT) June 18, 1999 By Josef Adalian
    NEW YORK — The WB network has rescheduled the controversial season finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for July 13, seven weeks after it was shelved in the aftermath of the Columbine High School massacre. The Buffy segment originally was set to air May 25, but WB executives pulled it at the last minute due to sensitivity over scenes depicting violence surrounding a graduation ceremony.
    Officials at the fledgling network worried the episode (conclusion of a two-part story arc) would be in poor taste airing so soon after the April 20 high school shooting spree that claimed 15 lives in Littleton, Colo., and so close to graduation ceremonies for many high schools nationwide.
    In announcing the new air date for the segment, WB CEO Jamie Kellner issued a statement apologizing to fans upset by the delay, saying, "If we erred, it was on the side of caution."
    The WB plans to air both parts of the "Graduation Day" episode as a two-hour movie in September, just before the season premiere of Buffy.
    Separately, CBS continues to reshape its schedule in anticipation of the fall season, shifting King of Queens into its new 8 p.m. Monday timeslot on July 12 and moving Cosby from Mondays to Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on July 14.
    Various sitcom repeats will air at 8:30 p.m. both nights during the summer prior to the premiere of CBS' new fall comedies.

    Posted at 03:38 a.m. PDT; Tuesday, July 13, 1999
    School's finally out for 'Buffy'
    by Melanie McFarland
    Seattle Times staff reporter
    Everyone has personal demons. For Buffy Summers, fighting them takes more than therapy. She prefers to speak softly but carry a pointy stick.
    Watch "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," The WB's preternatural hit show tonight at 8 o'clock on KTWB-TV, and you'll finally get to see Buffy graduate after more than a month of waiting. Believe me, it won't be your typical boring ceremony.
    For those who have never watched, our heroine strolls Sunnydale, her little California town on a hell mouth, firing off bon mots as she buries her wooden stake in the chests of any vampires and hellspawn that cross her path.
    Each day Buffy battles surly classmates, who think she's weird, and Principal Snyder, who blames her for everything that goes wrong. Her only friends are geeks who help her fight evil, much like the "Scooby Doo" gang. Her role model is a librarian who practices sorcery.
    The show is loaded with metaphor, angst, soap-operatic melodrama and good writing.
    All of this makes the adventures of Buffy, her British watcher, Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), the sarcastic Xander (Nicholas Brendon), rocker wolf-boy Oz (Seth Green), Willow the witch (Alyson Hannigan) and Cordelia the rhymes-with-witch (Charisma Carpenter) sizzle.
    Scrap the heady analysis of what makes "Buffy" an intelligent show, and simply look at it the way a teenager would, as a well-executed demonstration of comic-book power fantasy. At some time or another, everyone has wished he could have special powers. You thought school was hell? Try being saddled with hall-monitor duty for the local graveyard where you chase down the dead and the restless.
    What keeps the fans coming back for more is the knock-down, drag-out butt-kicking. That also led to the decision of Jamie Kellner, The WB's network president, to pull the show's season finale, "Graduation Day, Part II," on the heels of the Littleton, Colo., tragedy. The episode was initially scheduled to air May 25. Whether The WB overreacted has been the subject of much debate.
    Though the climactic moment might evoke Littleton, consider this: Not a single gun is cocked or fired, not in this or any other episode of "Buffy." The only acts of violence are against classic fantasy-based manifestations of evil, and battling that evil unites the class of '99.
    In case you've missed the end of the season action, here's a quick recap: "Graduation Day, Part I" was a fist-flying showdown between Buffy and evil slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku), a bout "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon tantalizingly brought to a boil throughout the season. Faith poisons Buffy's vampire boyfriend, Angel (David Boreanaz, soon to star in a "Buffy" spinoff); the only cure is a slayer's blood. Buffy and Faith pound it out to see who will be dinner, and though Buffy wins, Faith snatches victory from her by taking a dive off an apartment building. To be continued . . .
    "Graduation Day, Part II" is highlighted by the insidious mayor (the deliciously devilish Harry Groener) transforming into a gigantic serpent mid-graduation speech, intending to munch on the teens.
    You'll probably wonder what all the fuss was about. Granted, some jaw-dropping things occur. A few of Buffy's classmates become vampire snacks, but that's no different from the rest of the season's episodes. The transformed mayor dines bloodlessly on a key character - nobody that fans didn't expect to come to a bad end anyway.
    As far as "Buffy" goes, this finale will probably leave you wanting more. It lacks the cliffhanging shock value of last season's ender, in which Buffy was forced to send her beloved to hell with a sword through his gut. The final moments tie up Buffy's high-school era with a bright, neat bow. We don't know what to expect from her college years, and this episode doesn't sufficiently whet your appetite to tune in this fall.
    We can only guess that getting used to college will be especially difficult for our girl. Buffy rarely revels in her work; even so, she wouldn't trade her slaying skills to be normal for anything in the world.
    For that, her legion of fans is thankful.

    David Boreanaz Articles
    USAToday June 26
    Spinoff for 'Buffy' boyfriend
    Angel lives!
    On the season finale of WB's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy thrust a sword into her on-again, off-again boyfriend Angel's stomach. He evaporated.
    "People should remember," says David Boreanaz, who plays Angel, "that only a wooden stake can kill a vampire."
    And so Angel will return in September. For the 1999-2000 season, he'll get his own spinoff on WB.
    "When Angel's evil, he has no sense of anything," Boreanaz says. "His soul is really torn up."
    The character has wavered between good Angel and bad Angel, but he'll be more good than bad in his new show.
    "Angel won't be very far from Sunnydale, and he'll visit Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its characters will visit the new show," Boreanaz promises. "It's like a tree, and Joss (Whedon, Buffy's creator) has created a new branch."
    Boreanaz, 27, grew up in Philadelphia and moved to California several years ago to pursue acting. He snagged a guest spot on Married . . . With Children and small parts in films such as Aspen Extreme and Best of the Best 2 before signing with Buffy.
    He's currently on summer vacation and unlike many young TV stars of the day, he's not out shooting a movie.
    "I don't want to rush into anything," he says. "You have to balance your life and keep everything in sync. If you don't, you'll get eaten alive by Hollywood."
    ©COPYRIGHT 1998 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

    By Allan Johnson
    Everybody knows there are no such things as vampires. So David Boreanaz must be a great actor.
    What other reason accounts for feeling unnerved when seeing Boreanaz in the sunshine?
    Boreanaz plays Angel, the lovesick neckbiter on the WB's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Since vampires have an aversion to sunlight, all of Angel's scenes take place at night. So meeting Boreanaz in a sun-drenched room recently took a little getting used to.
    Talking with the actor was interesting just because the differences between Boreanaz and Angel are as different as, well, night and day.
    While Angel is brooding and intense, Boreanaz is open and friendly, happily offering a drink or leftover potatoes and bacon from a plate. While Angel is powerfully built and dangerous, Boreanaz, though noticeably fit, doesn't seem as brawny, and is too cool to be threatening. Angel is beardless; Boreanaz has a little chin hair.
    Angel's dress motif is basic black; this day Boreanaz was casual in a blue shirt, dark slacks and unvampire-like gym shoes. He hid behind a pair of blue sunglasses that didn't look like the popular brand of shades that protects a brood of daylight-tripping vampires in a certain television commercial.
    Thank goodness Boreanaz didn't behave the way his alter ego has lately. He didn't display any bloodthirsty tendencies or snap any necks the way Angel did Buffy confidant Jenny Calender's (Robia La Morte) earlier this season.
    Former good guy Angel was pure evil after he lost his soul during a night of passion with Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar). Most fans of the series (7 p.m. Tuesdays on WGN-Ch. 9) were shocked.
    Boreanaz found it a blast.
    "It was a lot of fun," said Boreanaz, 27. "It was easy for me, in a sense, because the writing was so pure and simple, it gave me an opportunity to expand personality traits and get into his head.
    "And with each episode I learned more, whether it be twisting a flower in a kind of weird way while I was talking to a girl or something that was way out there."
    Boreanaz will get a chance to explore more of Angel's facets now that the vampire is back from the dark side, thanks to events in "Buffy's" season finale. The Bufferino "put me in my place," Boreanaz grinned.
    "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon and co-executive producer David Greenwalt say they will spin off a series for Angel for the 1999 season. The process to split Angel away from Buffy's home of Sunnydale will slowly take place during the coming season.
    "Angel" is still in the planning stages, but Boreanaz said the premise will have Angel moving to Los Angeles to "fight the inner demons of everybody," he said. "I want to take (them) off everybody else's shoulders. It's almost like a cure for humanity."
    Boreanaz said there will be some of the same conflicts facing Angel that troubled vampire cop Nick Knight in the syndicated series "Forever Knight." Angel will confront being a member of the undead.
    The series will have the same "thematic' tone as "Buffy," but it will be darker and more adult, Boreanaz said. However, "it won't be like this mysterious guy brooding intensely and walking the shadows. He's going to be a character that's going to be fun and balanced between good and evil."
    Since Angel will relocate close to Sunnydale, he'll pop up on "Buffy" from time to time, and certain "Buffy" characters will visit him. Boreanaz added that one character may even join Angel permanently-- selfish, self-centered Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter).
    The new series is a sweet deal for a guy who first came on "Buffy" as a recurring character when the show premiered in March 1997. The son of a popular weathercaster in Philadelphia, Boreanaz hadn't done much acting beyond theater and appearances on "Married . . . With Children" and the TV movie "Men Don't Lie."
    He initially took the "Buffy" job because "I just wanted to feed my dog," he laughed. And now Boreanaz is poised to join Gellar, "Party of Five's" Neve Campbell, the young stars of "Dawson's Creek" and other TV actors his age who seem to be the favorites of Hollywood to star in movies.
    Boreanaz said he turned down one big-screen role because he was vacationing in South Africa during his hiatus, an "unbelievable experience." He was offered another movie part but it would have run into "Buffy's" shooting schedule.
    "Everything needs to be right in order for it to work," he said, "and for me, if it's not right you feel uncomfortable--your work will reflect that.
    "That all comes in time," Boreanaz said of possible movie roles.
    Because his character is around 240 years old, he sounds like someone who can afford to be patient.

    Nicholas Brendon Articles
    "My name's Nicholas Brendon. I'm an Aries. I wear Old Spice. And I have a twin brother. The story of my life, in a nutshell."
    Such is the introduction to the world of Nicholas Brendon.
    "I just like saying 'nutshell'," he confesses, without a moment's pause. In Brendon's presence, pauses are few and far between.
    The 28-year-old actor, well-known to genre fans as Xander of the WB's wildly successful Buffy the Vampire Slayer, shares his character's off-the-wall sense of humor and more often than not wears a wide, charming grin. Heading into his fourth year on the series, Brendon is happy to discuss the show, sex, and talking monkeys.
    Buffy's season three finale left the Slayer and her Slayerettes as high school graduates. With Buffy and Willow headed for college, and Angel for his own spin-off (airing directly after Buffy Tuesdays on the WB), what will become of Xander?
    "Xander is... the high plains drifter," Brendon says, revealing plans for season four. "He's got odd jobs."
    But while the rest of Buffy's characters seem to be moving up in the world, Xander's life is taking a decidedly lower path. Literally.
    "This year I am living in my [parents] basement," he says. Unfortunately the move from bedroom to basement won't reveal much more about Xander's elusive home life. "There's a couple that we're doing on Wednesday -- episode seven already -- that you hear my mom's voice. Joss is making a big joke out if it, that you never see Xander's parents. I've pitched him Steven Seagal and George Hamilton for a father. Somebody full of machismo."
    Well, even if Xander doesn't have much of a family, Brendon's found a second one, and he's got nothing but good to say -- in his own way -- about what is by all accounts a tight-knit cast.
    "I wake up every day with a smile on my face. It makes me want to wake up the next day." He says it with an exaggerated expression and affected tears of joy, then shifts quickly back into seriousness -- or as close as he can come to it. "It's awesome. Everyone's awesome. It's a great group of people."
    And if it wasn't, as he points out... does anybody honestly think that he'd say so?
    "It's our fourth year now, and now they're talking about doing a few more years of the show. So even if you hate the person, you have to love them, because you're going to be there for awhile. No, we all hang out after work, during breaks and stuff like that. [We] visit each other on sets that we're doing away from Buffy." When pressed, he'll even provide examples of the cast's closeness. "Late-night walks on the beach. Maybe sharing a motel room for a couple hours. In my case, fifteen minutes."
    It just stands to reason that a show with a name like Buffy the Vampire Slayer wouldn't have a terribly serious set. And with cast members like Nicholas Brendon, "serious" seems to be a completely foreign concept. Every set has its prankster, and Brendon is happy to step up to the challenge.
    "Would you call putting sugar in someone's gas tank, or burning the left wing of someone's house down a prankster? Well if that's a prankster, then I am." Brendon proclaims it proudly, as if he's got a Boy Scout merit badge for arson. "It goes back and forth: me and Seth [Green, who plays Oz], me and Seth, me and Seth, me, me, me, me, me, Seth. Sometimes Tony [Head, who plays Giles] gets in on the action, but they pretty much sit back and watch me and Seth make fools of ourselves."
    Of course, an actor's job isn't all fun and games. It's also nudity. When asked to choose a favorite, of all the girls Xander's been involved with in the series' run, he's swayed by his favorite episode, "The Zeppo," arguably one of season three's finest.
    "I'm just going to have to go with a little bit of Nick and a little bit of Xander. Faith. Because, uh... we were having sex, right? 'Cause I was there. And they just put little pasties on her because her top kept falling down. So I'm saying Nick and Xander 'cause I saw pretty much the whole kit 'n' caboodle."
    Sex turns out to be a subject near and dear to Brendon's heart. As pointed out in "The Zeppo", Xander is surrounded by supernatural beings: vampires, slayers, werewolves and witches. As the single run of the mill human left among Buffy's circle of friends, what kind of supernatural creature would Brendon want to play Xander as?
    "Invisible," is his first idea -- a surefire way to cut down on the 16-hour work days by phoning in lines. But he changes his answer in mere moments to "sex demon," which is a thought that brings a smile to his face.
    "I'm supposed to be going on Angel in episode 16, and we make love." The possibility of Xander crossing over to the new Angel series also touches on the subject of sex. While it's doubtful that Xander and Angel -- characters at odds since day one -- will ever get along, Brendon's got secrets to reveal there, too.
    "I'm supposed to be going on Angel in episode 16, and we make love." His delivery is completely deadpan, and for a moment you almost believe him, but the gig is up when that completely irrepressible grin emerges again.
    Television -- even with both series in the mix -- probably won't be the extent of Brendon's involvement with Buffy, either. There's the rumor of a Buffy feature film... not to be confused with the original Kristy Swanson flick that spawned the series.
    "We do five years and do a movie, or we do seven years and possibly do a movie. I know Joss wants to do another one [Whedon also wrote the original movie], we all pretty much want to, and it's just our schedules and Joss' schedule and eighteen million dollars to do it. That's how much it costs to make a movie, to do it proper."
    He's even got his own ideas for future Buffy episodes... though they could be considered rather unorthodox. "It would be me. There'd be some girls. An anteater. A family of possums. And a Mug root beer. Now, how it all works together I'm not really sure. But those are the key components."
    With Buffy heading into its fourth season, the time has come for reflection on the past. Season three put Xander through a lot: a steamy love affair with Cordelia, a fling with Willow, and fifteen minutes of passion with Faith. Brendon truly had his chance to shine in "The Zeppo", an episode focused almost entirely upon Xander and the character's growth. But the actor's real trial came with "The Wish", which threw Cordelia into an alternate universe where Sunnydale was overrun with vampires -- and Xander was one of them.
    "It was cool," the actor says, of his turn to the dark side. "Except for the fact that, when you become a vampire, you have to get a full face cast. It's like having an arm cast all over your noggin. And they give you two holes for your nose. It's on for like forty-five minutes, and it's hardening, so they can get the cast. And I was crying. And then I was in the chair for like two and a half hours to become a vampire. So it was fun playing that guy, but that process of it, of being in make-up for two hours, [I] couldn't stand. I'd do it again, but I wouldn't do it every week."
    As it turns out, Brendon nearly did have to do it again... or planned on subjecting his identical twin brother, Kelly, to the make-up chair.
    "They were gonna do a doppelganger episode, but they did it with Alyson," he says, referring to the third-season episode "Doppelgangland," where Vampire-Willow was pulled into our dimension through magic gone wrong. "So once I got that script last year, it was pretty much them saying, 'No, he [Kelly] won't be in the show.' So no, Kelly will not be on the show. Though actually we're going to do a photo shoot for that People Magazine 'Sexiest Men Alive' thing. [And] it looks like we're going to be doing three or four more years, so... I'll get him on there."
    But perhaps the most-discussed aspect of season three wasn't the show itself -- it was the WB's handling of it. The episode "Earshot" was postponed, as it was set to air mere days after the Columbine shooting, and the episode dealt with weapons in school. Then the series finale, "Graduation Day, Part 2", was postponed as well.
    "They didn't tell us until the day before," Brendon explains of the "Graduation Day" postponement. "They'd already aired the first part, [and] it was a two-parter. We were pissed. I understand, it's sensitive, but it's kind of like... get your heads out of your asses. If some kid watches Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then blows the high school up, then goddamnit... start parenting better."
    While the Buffy cast disbanded at hiatus to pursue their own projects and aspirations for slackerdom, Brendon spent his summer on the beach... but he wasn't lounging around. He landed some work outside of Buffydom, in a film called Psycho Beach Party, and spent the summer hiatus filming.
    "It was like a Gidget meets Scream kind of thing, and I played this character of Starcat. It was awesome. It was a lot of fun. I'm really nervous about it because it's a period piece. It should come out next year. And Lauren Ambrose is in it, she's amazing at playing the Chicklet character. I need to see it, before I can talk about it. It was a lot of fun, and I got a free surfboard out of it."
    And Buffy fans who acutely felt a lack of Xander in the October 5th Buffy premiere can blame their disgruntlement onto this foray into film.
    "I was actually shooting Psycho [Beach Party], when they did the first episode [of Buffy]," Brendon says, excusing his absence. "So I have two scenes, but I've got one monologue that is my most favorite ever."
    Psycho Beach Party isn't the actor's only film in the makings, either; his name is attached to another horror flick (most likely of a campy nature) called Piñata, in which a group of teens accidentally release an evil spirit from -- you guessed it -- a possessed piñata during a Cinco de Mayo party.
    He's also considered a likely candidate -- by hopeful fans, anyway -- to play the lead in a big-screen, live-action version of the comic book we all know and love, Spiderman. Whether he'll get the role remains to be seen, though many of us -- The 11th Hour staff included -- feel he's the only man for the job. Brendon's life pre-Buffy actually centered not on acting, but rather sports. A native of Los Angeles, he played baseball in both high school and college, though he ended up not making a career of it.
    "I wasn't having fun anymore," he explains. "So I decided to hang up my spikes, if you will. And I actually was on the baseball field in college, and I was playing right field -- [the position] where I played -- in practice, and I walked off the field, dropped out of college, and started acting. But after a few years, I quit for three years, and then I got fired off a PA [Production Assistant] job, and then I thought, 'Well, what the hell, I'll act again,' and I got the part on Buffy."
    He wouldn't recommend trying that at home, though. While others may advise perseverance and study to hopeful actors, Brendon offers advice of a more practical nature.
    "I would go out there [to Los Angeles] before you make the move. I would go there for like ten days, and check it out. It's different. And if you want to do it, then all the advice I can give you is: have fun, and don't be that self-conscious. Just do what you want to do."
    But despite his realistic view of the industry, Brendon doesn't find it too difficult to suddenly be a star who's recognized on the street.
    "Kelly [Brendon's identical twin] feels that more than me," Brendon admits. "And he actually gets a lot more requests for autographs and stuff."
    But there is life outside of Buffy (believe it or not), and Brendon's got aspirations of his own that extend outside his thespian leanings.
    "I want to develop things, I think," Brendon reveals. "I'm probably [going to be] opening up a production company and doing stuff like developing scripts, and writers."
    Of course, that doesn't mean a complete end to acting, though there are some roles that Brendon refuses to touch.
    "I wouldn't be [in a film] with a soccer-playing dog. Or a basketball-playing dog. Or any type of talking monkeys. Things like that. It varies; it depends on the script. I won't do porno." But that statement comes with additional commentary, and that grin surfaces again: "And I just came to that decision like two days ago!"
    We welcome your opinions on this article. Please send questions or comments to letters@the11thhour.com
    Charisma Charpenter Articles
    Big-Screen Charisma?
    Charisma Carpenter weighs her movie future. Cordelia reunites with Buffy on ''Angel,'' but Carpenter won't play her TV character on film.
    It was like an old-home week for bitchiness when Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) lit into Buffy during Sarah Michelle Gellar's guest appearance on Tuesday's Angel. Although Carpenter says it was bloody great to reunite with her slayer pal, she confesses she hasn't been mooning over her former Buffy costars now that she's working 14-hour days in her expanded role on the spin-off. "I don't have a lot of time to do much except to eat, sleep, and go to work," Carpenter tells EW Online. "I absolutely do miss my old cast mates, but I don't have much time to ponder it. I'm just so freaking busy."
    Carpenter hopes to stay as busy during her hiatus from Angel: She's angling for the right movie project. While studios have been raiding the WB for talent (Gellar, Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, James Van Der Beek, and Alyson Hannigan have all made the leap to the big screen), Carpenter hasn't joined her peers yet, but that's likely to change when this season's shooting ends. "I don't think I have a choice in the matter," she says. "My agent is pretty much ordering me to do a movie this summer."
    So far, however, all Carpenter has been offered are the usual teen comedies (and at age 29, she wants to graduate already) or horror flicks that demand a variation of Cordelia. "What I'll end up doing, I don't know," says Carpenter, "but it's something that's not what I've already been doing for the last three years and (hopefully) will be doing for the next seven. I've got a while to live out Cordelia." Wake up Hollywood: Couldn't Sandra Bullock use a spunky kid sister?
    Article by: Josh Wolk
    Source: Entertainment Weekly (11-24-99)
    All rights reserved, ©1999 Entertainment Weekly


    Charisma Carpenter goes to work on Angel
    NEW YORK (AP) -- Hers is not a household name -- yet. But fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will recognize her as Cordelia Chase, the snobby rich girl who left Sunnydale, California, and moved to Los Angeles, where she works for a 244-year-old vampire.
    She is Charisma (her real name) Carpenter, one of the stars of Angel, which follows the cult hit Buffy on the WB network on Tuesday nights. The show -- more adult and a bit darker than Buffy -- was recently picked up for a full season.
    On a sunny November day, the lovely, dark-haired Carpenter, 29, is doing a round of media interviews, fashionably attired in a white coat over blue jeans and a green turtleneck.
    She is thrilled with audience reaction to the series ("we're doing so darned good"), which also stars David Boreanaz, 29, as the vampire Angel; and Glenn Quinn as Doyle, a disreputable demon.
    "I think that David makes such a great leading man and such a great superhero-type character," she said. "There's nobody really his age doing this type of show, where he's like the hero, you know, he fights, like Batman, he's fighting evil, and even his own evil, his own evil side. A vampire with a conscience."
    In the spinoff, Carpenter works as Angel's Girl Friday while pursuing her acting career. She answers the phone with a cheery, "Angel Investigations. We help the helpless."
    But Cordelia hasn't lost any of her snap. In a recent episode, she confronts a nasty ghost who wants her dead.
    Humbler, but still determined "Cordelia hates her digs," Carpenter explained. "She's lost her fortune; she's much humbler now. So basically she lives in a dump. She's broke. And it comes about that she can live in this apartment, this phenomenal apartment, and it's exactly the image that she wants to project. She has to have this apartment at any cost. And it turns out, it's haunted, which she doesn't want Angel to know, she doesn't want Doyle to know, she doesn't want anybody to know that it's haunted."
    Why doesn't Cordelia just ask Angel and Doyle to cleanse the apartment and put the ghost to rest? "Because she's certain she can deal with it, because 'it's OK, I just have to live here, and you know what, I'm not afraid, I grew up in Sunnydale, I've dealt with demons, been there, done that,'" Carpenter said.
    When push comes to shove, Cordelia refuses to give up her furnished, rent-controlled, one-bedroom apartment (New Yorkers can relate), where she can put her Queen of the Winter Ball trophy on the mantel. She tells the menacing poltergeist:
    "I'm not a sniveling, whiny little cry-Buffy. I'm the nastiest girl in Sunnydale history. I take crap from nobody. You think you're bad? All mean and haunt-y, picking on poor, pathetic Cordie? Well, get ready to haul your wrinkly, translucent (butt) out of this place."
    'I found my niche' Carpenter, minus the nasty attitude, displays the same determination.
    While sipping hot tea and dining on an egg white omelet at a midtown restaurant, she recalled the "a-ha!" moment when she realized that acting was her life.
    She was auditioning for a part in a film that starred Jeff Goldblum.
    "It was a thriller film, the name I don't recall, but I read for it like years ago, and when I read for it, I had the most amazing moment of clarity and realization that that's definitely what I want to do with my life. I found my niche. And I'll be good at this. I loved it. It was very fulfilling," she said. Her first big acting break was the role of Ashley on the short-lived 1996 TV series Malibu Shores, a Spelling Entertainment production.
    When the series folded, Carpenter was signed to play Cordelia.
    Carpenter, who recently purchased a home in Los Angeles, is engaged to be married next summer. Meanwhile, she is busy filming future episodes of Angel.
    Carpenter: Richer Angel role
    Q: How would you describe your character on Buffy?
    Carpenter: On Buffy? Cordelia? Uhmm. Resourceful. Uhmm. Self-involved. You have to name these things in threes, don't you? And the third one, fashion-conscious. A fashionista.
    Q: You describe Angel as a "dram-edy," a combination of drama and comedy. Does the comedy emerge mostly in your relationship with Angel?
    I'm kind of like the ray of sunshine in a very dark show. You have this dark, brooding character who's not a man of many words, Angel; he's a minimalist, keeps it simple. I'm the yapping Chihuahua nipping at his heels, and he's just constantly trying to stay out of harm's way. Overwhelmed. He doesn't know what to make of me. And that's where the comedy comes in, that dynamic creates the situation.
    Q: How has Cordelia changed in Angel?
    I think I've met my challenge now. They're fleshing out her character more, making her more three-dimensional, having all these personal moments, making her more of a human being, with real issues, someone that the audience can relate to a little bit more. But she's still sassy. Which makes her so much fun to watch.
    Q: Is there any of Charisma in Cordelia?
    I think now with Angel, there's a lot of me. And I think that I realized how truthful I am and how honest I can be because I saw it in her. I'm a no-nonsense kind of person; I tell it like it is. I'm the type of person that you want to go shopping with because I'm going to tell the truth. Like what do you think? "Well, you know what? We can do better." But then on the other hand, nobody really likes to hear the truth (laughs).
    Q: What kind of roles would you like to do in the future?
    The offers have been along Cordelia's lines, like playing the same thing, but I kind of would like to do more independent departures from my character, otherwise it's not fun.
    I've been doing Cordelia for three years, I'm about to do it for another year, it would be four years of doing the same person. I'd like to spread my wings a little bit, which I think when the powers that be in Hollywood see what's asked of me and I'm not so one-dimensional, then I think those other goals will become more readily available.
    Q: What roles would you like to play?
    You know, a nice girl. The girl that gets the guy. A romantic comedy would be great. I think I have a knack for that.

    Sarah Michelle Geller Articles
    6/99
    SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR
    SPECIAL WEB-EXCLUSIVE
    INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
    Cosmo: So what about fellas?
    Sarah Michelle Gellar: What about them?
    C: Is it a good time now in your life that way?
    SMG: Yeah.
    C: I mean, I know you don't like to talk about your private life...
    SMG: You know, it's very hard for me to meet people.
    C: Has it gotten harder or easier with your success?
    SMG: Oh, it's definitely gotten harder, yeah. I can't meet some guy at a bar and give him my phone number.
    C: Do you find that you meet people that you normally wouldn't meet, like actors, because you have some sort of exciting job?
    SMG: Well, I still haven't been able to meet Joseph Fiennes, so it's not working for me.
    C: So you're single at the moment?
    SMG: Yeah. I'm dating. I mean, it's hard. It's very funny, and I finally realized this. It's like [people ask], 'Why aren't you in a serious relationship?' Hey, I'm 22 years old. This is my time to have fun. I'm not ready to settle down, I know that.
    C: Do you like actors, or do you have any rules about dating other actors?
    SMG: You can never say never. I am not the greatest fan of it, and it's hard, because I have a tendency to gravitate towards people who aren't in the business, and it's very hard, because I don't really meet that many people who aren't in the business. So, I try not to date actors. I think it's a very difficult relationship, and sometimes it works fabulously. It just depends if you're the two right actors. Have I dated actors? Uh huh.
    C: It seems there [should be] so many people you can rule out [to date] just by the fact that you're serious. Does that make sense?
    SMG: I'm not a partier. I like to stay at home and cook and hang out with my friends. I read constantly - nine out of ten times I buy the book and I haven't seen the movie. So yes, you can rule out people, because if someone is a big, you know, partying actor, it's just - there's no point, because there is no compatibility there.
    C: What kind of guys are you attracted to?
    SMG: I'm a talent whore.
    C: Really?
    SMG: Yeah. I can fall in love with people's talents.
    C: Do you like musicians? Have you ever fallen for somebody without knowing what they look like based on a song or a book?
    SMG: I wouldn't say 'fell in love.'
    C: I guess 'got curious' about it.
    SMG: Oh sure.
    C: Felt like a kindred thing.
    SMG: Absolutely.
    C: Now if you like somebody are you a go-getter?
    SMG: I'm bad. I always have something to say, but I can wind up having nothing to say.
    C: Really.
    SMG: I know, isn't that embarrassing?
    C: Has there ever been something kind of crafty that you did in order to get somebody's attention?
    SMG: I'm not good at that. I don't call attention to myself. I mean, look at me, I'm not exactly - when I walk into a room I don't need everyone to turn around and look at me. I'd rather not. Once, someone sent me flowers, an agent or a manager or somebody, and then I told this guy they were from somebody else. I said, 'Oh, they're from a friend.'
    C: And did it work?
    SMG: Yeah. I use that line a lot. 'Oh, it's from a friend,' or 'I was with a friend.' That line works very well.
    C: Are you a good flirt?
    SMG: I'm a good flirt if I'm not interested.
    C: If you're interested you get all freaked out?
    SMG: And I can flirt with someone once I'm with him. Then I can flirt. It's just that initial, like if I see someone and think he's cute, I'm not the greatest flirter. Although my best friend says I am.
    C: What did you learn about romance or love from the movies?
    SMG: John Hughes killed high school for me. When I was 16, I was waiting for Jake Ryan (from Sixteen Candles) to come in a car with my cake. Jake Ryan didn't come. John Hughes killed me. And that was high school. I was going to be Amanda Jones (from Some Kind of Wonderful), and Eric Stoltz was going to bring me my diamond earrings and Jake Ryan was going to come.
    C: Were they going to fight over you?
    SMG: I don't know. I didn't get that far. John Hughes ruined me.
    C: Are you romantic or more realistic about things like that?
    SMG: A little bit of both. And it's funny, because the romantic part doesn't really fit my personality, when you think about it. The simple gestures can mean so much to me. I am very into sentiment. I used to have this running joke, I don't care about the birthday present, just send me a card. Write me a card. I keep all the cards.

    5/99
    Statement From Sarah Michelle Gellar
    On the Season Finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
    In light of the recent decision by the WB network to not air the season finale of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," series star Sarah Michelle Gellar has the following comment:
    "I share the WB network's concern and compassion for the recent tragic events at Columbine High School and at academic campuses across the country. I am, however, disappointed that the year-long culmination of our efforts will not be seen by our audience.
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer has always been extremely responsible in its depiction of action sequences, fantasy and mythological situations. Our diverse and positive role models 'battle the horror of adolescence' through intelligence and integrity, and we endeavor to offer a moral lesson with each new episode.
    There is probably no greater societal question we face then how to stop violence among our youth. By canceling intelligent programming like 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' corporate entertainment is not addressing the problem."

    3/99
    Sarah Michelle Gellar (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER) knows about knocking out nocturnal monsters and making movies. The question is: How much longer will she do both?
    Sarah Michelle Gellar is kicking as much booty as her show BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER is in the ratings! The star is definitely livin' large and takin' immediate charge! It's turning out that The WB show is an even bigger mega-hit the second time around! Yes, Gellar takes Girl Power to a higher level than even those extra sassy Spice Girls. But is the star's gruesome vampire fighting days over now that she has become a big-time movie star?
    Remember that "I Know What You Did Last summer" and "Scream 2" were the must-see movies of last year. Not to mention that this past summer, Gellar was super-busy filming her new flick "Vanilla Fog." The actress says no, she's not leaving, but the tabloids scream yes! Considering BUFFY is what put Miss Gellar at the top of the popularity poll in the first place. It seems likely that she will remain loyal to the show. In the meantime, Gellar is going to be one busy actress! She's working on a number of different features, all expected to be released in the upcoming year. The most interesting flick so far is the aforementioned "Vanilla Fog." It's a romantic comedy about an offbeat SoHo (New York City) restaurant owner, who has the power to create magical concoctions in her kitchen. Gellar's co-star is the very cute and very talented Sean Patrick Flannery (THE YOUNG INDIANA JONES and the feature film "Powder").

    Seth Green Articles
    Seth Green Bailing on Buffy?
    The new season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which premieres next Tuesday, finds Buffy & Co. contemplating life after high school, but rumor has it that one cast member is dropping out.
    Is the white-hot Seth Green, who plays hipster Oz, leaving the show for good? So say the rumors, fueled by Green's temporary absence from the Buffster's life while he's off in Canada, filming Knockaround Guys.
    Julie Kingsdale of the WB's publicity department was happy to squelch the rumor that Green's never coming back.
    "You can be the one to set the record straight," Kingsdale tells Mr. Showbiz. "He's not leaving. He's going to recurring status. He's just gone to do the movie."
    How will the show deal with Oz's absence? "You'll have to watch and see," says Kingsdale. "It's not, oh, goodbye. They've dealt with it in a quite wonderful way."
    Green's already wrapped six episodes for next season, which consists of 22 episodes. His film shoot will likely result in six missed episodes, says Kingsdale.
    Green, who didn't join the show until the second season, started off as a recurring character, and gradually became a regular part of Buffy's Scooby gang. Werewolf Oz, who plays guitar in the band Dingoes Ate My Baby, hooked up with budding witch Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and helps keep the lid on Sunnydale's Hellmouth.
    Meanwhile, Green could be a bigger breakout star than Sarah Michelle Gellar herself, due to his role as Scott Evil, son of Dr. Evil, in the Austin Powers franchise; his voice work on Family Guy; and an increasing film presence in movies such as Can't Hardly Wait and Enemy of the State.
    David Boreanaz may have gotten his own spin-off show, Angel, but we're keeping an eye on Green's extra-Buffy career.

    GREEN'S DAY Will Seth leave ''Buffy'' for the big screen? Or will he continue to juggle his small- and big-screen roles? by Josh Wolk
    Any Werewolf but Here
    Seth Green is leaving ''Buffy''. He's taking a mid-season break for a movie role, but he may not be back
    The fourth season of ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' begins Tuesday night (WB, 8 p.m.), but don't get too accustomed to Seth Green's face. After shooting the first six episodes, the actor has left the series to take a film role, and it's undecided whether he'll return. An inside source tells EW Online that the show's producers will wait to see where the storylines are headed without Green before committing to bringing back his character, Oz.
    However, the WB and Green's spokesperson both say the actor will return to Sunnydale once he's back from Canada, where he's currently shooting ''Knockaround Guys,'' a dark comedy about mobsters' sons costarring John Malkovich, Dennis Hopper, and ''Saving Private Ryan'''s Vin Diesel and Barry Pepper. Oz's absence from the show will be explained, promises the WB, although no plot twists are being revealed. Since this season finds the Sunnydale High grads at college, maybe Oz will just go out on a very long beer run....
    Alyson Hannigan Articles
    Witchy Ways- YM
    ALYSON HANNIGAN - Willow on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
    Power: Although Buffy does the hand-to-claw combat, Willow's spells often help fight evil forces from behind the Sunnydale scenes.
    Sorcery source: Self-taught from the witch-lore books in the library.
    Q: What's the best thing that you've done as a TV witch?
    Aly: "When a spell gone wrong ended with Willow having to pretend she was her evil underworld twin. I loved playing Good Willow in Bad Willow's clothing."
    Q: Which ability would you most want in real life?
    Aly: "To stop time, because it'd be cool not to have to worry about laundry and stuff. My boyfriend and I could just hang out and have fun."
    Q: If you could cast any spell on yourself, what would it be?
    Aly: "I'd be a fabulous singer. I don't sing in public -- there are certain laws against it."
    Q: Name one time you wanted to cast a spell on someone.
    Aly: "My first love. When I was 15, I totally pined for this guy, but he just wanted to be friends."
    Q: If you could create a law with your powers, what would it be?
    Aly: "I'd have Musical Day, where you'd say everything in song. You could never kill or rob on Musical Day because 'Please give me your money' just isn't a hit tune."
    Q: If you could cast a love spell on any Hollywood stud, who would it be?
    Aly: "My boyfriend. He's a musician, and I'd just cast a spell to keep us together."
    Q: "Who fascinated you more in The Wizard of Oz -- Glinda or the Wicked Witch?
    Aly: "I've never been one for fashion, so the Wicked Witch's shoes just didn't interest me. But Glinda had the love of the Munchkins -- she rocks!"
    Q: Have you ever felt you were developing a witch sense in real life?
    Aly: "Oh, I can make my couch float, but levitating furniture's no big deal. I've been doing *that* since I was three."
    ALYSON HANNIGAN: The Brainiac from 'Buffy' Sinks her Chops into this Month's 'American Pie'.
    - by Alisa Weinstein
    Not every girl wants to be prom queen. Alyson Hannigan, who plays Willow Rosenberg, the brainy sidekick to Sarah Michelle Gellar on "Buffy The Vampire Slayer," could have auditioned for the role of a cool choirgirl in this month's high school sex romp "American Pie." But Hannigan instead set her sights on Michelle, a band-camp-obsessed nerd with a sexy secret. "I fell in love with the band geek, because everything she says is in question form, like, 'This one time, in band camp...?'" says Hannigan. She hints, "In the end, you find out that she's not exactly what everyone thinks she is."
    Hannigan, on the other hand, is the real deal. Raised in Atlanta, the 25-year-old began working in commercials at age 4 and got her big break at 13 playing Dan Ackroyd's daughter in "My Stepmother Is An Alien." In 1996, she landed the role on "Buffy." "I always play the girl who the guy asks what he has to do to get the *other* girl," she says. "I don't know why, but I don't mind. It's fun getting into the mood of being a goofball." Plus, these teen roles seem to suit Hannigan's playful attitude. She and her current beau (whom she won't name), a drummer for an L.A.-based indie rock band, spent their first date in Las Vegas, where they "raced go-carts and played video games." And her favorite place in the Hollywood Hills home that she shares with a roommate is the game room. "I love it," says Hannigan. "The foosball table is just mass fun."
    Buffy's resident teen witch has a whole new high school experience in American Pie.
    By Kevin Maynard
    Though she is currently best known as Willow Rosenberg on Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Alyson Hannigan proves with American Pie she's ready for far more than primetime — and that she's more than just another geek. Thanks to Hannigan's winning delivery, her flute-playin', band-camp-lovin' Pie character, Michelle, will soon be enshrined alongside Jeff Spicoli and Farmer Ted as one of the most memorable characters in the pantheon of high school movies.
    So, has everyone been telling you that you steal the movie?
    Yeah, no. I don't know. [Laughs.] They've been very complimentary.
    You've played a lot of dorky girls in movies and on Buffy, so it was nice to see this character buck against that stereotype a little bit. Is that what drew you to the role?
    Yeah. Well, I love the fact that all of her dialogue was written in question form. I love that. Because I immediately heard the voice. I loved that. And then with the payoff, I was just immediately dedicated to trying to get this job. Ohhh! I wanted it so desperately.
    Were you put off at all by the film's raunchy humor?
    No, that's so my sense of humor. I'm all about shock value. I love that. This is right up my alley.
    Did you ever play a musical instrument in real life?
    I played the clarinet in junior high school, and I never practiced. My friends and I would just goof off so we quit.
    What's your most embarrassing sexual moment?
    Wow. I don't know. My most embarrassing sexual moment — I don't know. I guess when you're first starting out … [Laughs.] It's pretty embarrassing. When I was younger, my first experience was embarrassing in general because I didn't know my body. I was very self-conscious, and you know, it's painful! But there isn't one actual incident that's still haunting me.
    Did you ever do anything to try and get a guy's attention and fail miserably?
    My first love. I was so infatuated with him. And we were just friends. So there were just years of me pining over him. Eventually we hooked up, but I don't know, it was just one of those growing things that you have to experience. But I look back at my beginning sex years, and I'm just like, "I was so awful! Oh my god! I had no idea what I was doing!" I had no idea what sex was about. If I knew then what I know now, imagine what I could know today.
    After you first had sex, what were you feeling?
    I was sort of like, "OK, well that hurt." [Laughs.] You know, it was all right. It wasn't great, by any means. But the more you learn, the better it gets.
    Do you like music while you're having sex?
    I love music. Actually, just recently, I was listening to the Jackson Five! And my boyfriend came home, and I was showering, and it was just like, Jackson Five is a little odd to have sex to. And I was just thinking, "I just don't know if I need to have little Michael Jackson in there," but it was fun. It's always fun. I have such an eclectic taste for music. It's great because sex should be fun. And it shouldn't be like, "Oh we have to play Enya, and it has to be perfect and romantic and yada, yada, yada." You should be able to have sex to the Jackson Five and appreciate that. It was the greatest hits, of course.
    Do you have a favorite teen movie?
    See, my favorite teen movie would be Say Anything. Uh! It's like, John Cusack, why didn't you go to my school? But bottom line, those films taint high school because there is no John Cusack in high school and he was probably in his mid-20s when he played that with such sensitivity. That's why older guys are hot.
    So your experience in high school was nothing like Say Anything?
    No! My experience in high school was just crap. I went to North Hollywood High, and it was awful, and I was miserable, and I just wanted to get out. I was completely depressed and listening to a lot of Cure.
    You were a little goth?
    Well, it wasn't really goth. It was called alternative before alternative [became] mainstream. Early '90s, late '80s. Dyed the hair black. Wore big baggy shirts with Nirvana on them. That kind of stuff.
    Do you know what's happening on Buffy next season?
    I have no clue. I know we're going to college. And I'm not a virgin anymore! Willow has gotten some. I'm just a slut now! A little actress slut! All my characters have gotten laid now. [Laughs.]
    Is it nice that you're finally growing up in movies and TV?
    Yes, it is. Because I still get carded for R-rated movies. I would imagine that if I go to see this movie, I'll probably get carded.
    What do you think about all this controversy about enforcing R ratings?
    Obviously, kids will sneak in. I went to see Prince of Egypt, and it was playing right next door to Varsity Blues, and there were kids who bought Egypt tickets who wanted to sneak into the other movie. But there was this hired a security guard at Varsity Blues. And they were like, "That sucks. I can't believe they hired security, and we can't sneak in, and now we have to watch this stupid cartoon!" And we were like, "Oh, you guys were gonna sneak in?" And they said, "Yeah, but we've already seen it three times." So, obviously they'll find a way.
    How do you feel about sex in movies and whether kids should see it?
    The fact that our movie is in the same [ratings category] as Natural Born Killers is a little dumb. That's the way things are. Sure, blame Buffy, the Vampire Slayer for the Littleton shootings. OK, thanks. It's ridiculous. People will look anywhere for a scapegoat. It's like, "Yeah I heard that song too. I must not have gotten the memo to go kill someone."
    What was it like doing the sex scenes with Jason Biggs?
    It was fun! In the script, we weren't supposed to be seen. It was just supposed to be body parts and the bed breaking and all that. And then we got there, and they were like, "OK, we really want to see what happens." So our stuff was improvised and so were the lines.
    So, you came up with the best line in the movie yourself?
    Thank you! Yeah, it was a collaboration. They were like, "I don't think we can use that." And then Universal let them use it. My friend went to one of those screenings, and he said he heard someone in the parking lot [repeat my line]. I was like, that's so cool!
    What was it like kissing Jason?
    When we were doing our sex scene, it was basically, "How can we have fun with this and make it look as frantic as it should and not lose teeth?" It wasn't like a romantic kiss, I wouldn't consider that I've kissed Jason Biggs. It was our characters. The only part of me that was in there was like, "Oh please don't cut his mouth open with my teeth! I don't want to break his nose or mine."
    What do you think happened to Michelle after the movie ends?
    She is gone! I just left; I was out of there. He's my bitch. And I'm off to band camp. After this movie, I think enrollment in band camps will skyrocket.
    Would you want there to be an American Pie 2?
    I really believe if we started to do a sequel, it wouldn't come out as good. And I'm just so glad that the experience has been so positive. I'm so glad to be a part of this movie. It's just such a simple, funny movie. I just can't wait for it to come out so my friends can see it and I'm trying desperately not to give away all the jokes. It's so surreal that I feel this way about a movie I'm in because usually I'm like, "No, you don't have to see it. No, no, no." I'd be stoked to see this movie even if I wasn't in it.
    Anthony Stewart Articles
    BBC Online
    We caught up with Anthony Stewart Head, and found out what Sarah Michelle Gellar is really like, how many more Buffy episodes are to be made and why his room is in such a mess...
    What do you enjoy most about your character's personality? (Daniel from Hereford)
    There is a warmth and generosity about Giles. If I met him in person I think that is what I would be attracted to. In terms of what I enjoy about playing him - the social ineptitude, and the intellect is great fun too as I don't have one!
    What is your favourite episode of Buffy? (Jenny Taylor from Norwich) I have to say 'Passion' (On BBC2 in the Autumn). Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy) accused me of saying that because I largely featured in it, but it was because it was a beautifully shot episode and a beautifully written one, but they are all great.
    What is Sarah-Michelle Gellar really like? And what is it like working with her? (Hannah Stanley from Staines)
    She is remarkably talented, her head is screwed on and she is very generous. There are very few actors who give the amount of emotion that she gives on camera. If there is an emotional scene between us, she will say "Would you like me to give it all" and I say "yes" - and she gives it all! This is very rare and she is extremely generous - there is a great mutual respect between us which I enjoy.
    How many series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are you thinking of doing? (Damon Young from Manchester)
    Five in all. Then we may make a movie or two at the end of the 5th series.
    Who do you get along with most on set? (Gem and Lou from New Malden) I guess I get on most with Nicky (Nicholas Brendon - Xander), Alyson (Hannigan - Willow) and Seth (Green - Oz). We have been out a few times. I have got to know David (Boreanaz - Angel) more this season. I am great friends with his wife Ingrid and they came up to San Francisco to celebrate my birthday this year. I would say also Joss (Whedon) and his wife.
    Did it feel weird being the only British person in the cast? (Laura mes from Cross Hands)
    No. The moment it felt weird was when I was going to an American High School Library and had a long chat with the librarian and learnt about card indexing etc, then went and sat up in the lunch area for about 1/2 hour and I felt so alien and out of place - it was the best research I could have done.
    How successful did you think Buffy would be? Did you ever think it would be as successful as it is? (Bekci from Catterick)
    I always thought it would be successful, but you never know how an audience will react and you never know what people will like. Joss seemed to be a lot more confident and he said specifically that this will not be an overnight success - it will take time and it will be a question of word of mouth, but it is going exactly where I would have hoped.
    There has been a lot of speculation on the Internet that Sarah Michelle Gellar hardly does any of her own fight sequences. Is this true? (Joe from Nottingham)
    Basically, there are sequences that she cannot do because if she breaks something we are totally up the creek without a paddle. She always does pieces of the fight and the close-ups, but the producers won't allow her to do some of the stuff and we have an extremely good stunt double called Sophie, but Sarah will always muck in!
    Do you believe in any of the pagan rites you use in the series? (ne Thomson Stobbs from Edinburgh)
    Most of it is out of Joss's head - there has to be some believability in the actor to make it work and at that moment I believe it.
    There is one part of the ceremony that got built into reality in the library which is "smudging", which is burning sage. That is what the American Natives used to do and it is very good at cleaning bad energy. Because we talk about so much stuff in the library, the library gets a bit gummed up sometimes and there are back-to-back and very long scenes and by the end of the second day we are champing at the bit. So I say, "let's do a smudge" to clean the air a bit.
    Do you enjoy any other Science-Fiction/Fantasy programmes? (Andrew Royall from Leek)
    Yes, I loved Hitchikers Guide. I liked the original series of Star Trek. I was working with Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard) the year before he worked on Star Trek. I used to love Doctor Who - that is really cool. The Matrix is fantastic, just brilliant, absolutely wonderful and a bunch of sequences that leave you breathless, not mind enlarging, but just wonderful.
    Are you as misunderstood as Giles? (Nikki Lockyer from Bristol)
    No. I actually don't think Giles is misunderstood and I don't play him as somebody who is misunderstood. I play him as learning, and always ready to concede that he doesn't know something.
    If you could be any of the bad guys from Buffy who would you be and why? (Anneliese from Maidstone)
    Spike is pretty cool, but I don't think that I would be cast. Giles has had a very dark past and is not necessarily Mr Nice.
    Do you live in America or do you still live in England? (Kate O'Neill from Newcastle)
    England is my home. I spend an enormous amount of time in America but I get back here as much as I can.
    What do you miss about England?
    My children and my girlfriend - that's it really, and my dog, Christie.
    What made you choose acting instead of any other job? (mes Castrique from London)
    I liked it!
    Had you not made it as an actor, what would you be doing right now? (Laura Sutton from Cheam)
    Maybe writing. I always used to enjoy writing and I still do and it is probable that I would want to have some artistic outlet and I would have probably been a novel writer or a screenplay writer.
    What do you do for fun? (John Koh from Enfield)
    Write. I am not into sports, although I used to ride a lot. I do a bit of D.I.Y. odd jobs and take my kids out. I love going to the movies.
    Is your room a mess? (Rachel Bonnett from Doncaster)
    Yes. I have an unpleasant tendency to leave my clothes in a pile until it gets to the point to take them to the wash. If there is a chair in the room, I will always cover it. It's never going to be better!!! It's an area I am still working on.
    What are your plans for the future?
    (Suky Khakh from Willenhall) Whatever! Just see what comes, it is very difficult to plan for the future and I am very open to see what life hands me next.
    I would like to see the animated film, 'Dark Secrets' put into play, and there is a film project we are working on that I would like to see go into script shortly. I might direct an episode of Buffy next season - I would like to direct.
    What is the most recent movie you have seen?
    My Favourite Martian - the TV series was better.
    What would you like your epitaph to read?
    (Ray from Worthing) "Been there done that." And "What am I coming back as next time?"
    James Marsters and Juliet Landau Articles
    Eonline chat transcript 12/99
    From number28: How do you get your hair to look like that?
    My hair is dyed to within an inch of its life every nine days. I love it. I think it looks great, but getting it dyed stings a little bit. In fact, I'm rubbing scabs right now. My hair is naturally curly, and I've always wanted straight hair, so, finally, I've gotten my dream.
    From Raleigh: James, you have 155 Websites devoted to you. How does that feel?
    Overwhelming. Damn, 155 of them? I gotta get a computer. Man, that's going to make my head swell! That makes me feel great. I've gone on the Net a couple of times--once when I was filming a movie in Missouri, and the assistant director called me over and said, "James, you gotta take a look at this." I gotta check that out. It's incredible!
    From lis237: How was it kissing Sarah Michelle Gellar?
    It was very good. It was easy to go to work that day. Sarah is a great friend, and it was certainly more comfortable than kissing someone you meet two minutes before the scene. My girlfriend is sitting next to me right now, though, so I'm watching my words very carefully.
    From julie67: Are you happy with where the storyline is heading?
    Yes, now that I have filmed a couple more episodes that have been seen. I didn't know how Joss was going to fit me into the whole thing. I was afraid I was going to end up a bed wetter or something. But you haven't seen nothing yet--just wait and see.
    From hacker2093: Do you think we'll ever see Dru again?
    I hope so. They have tried to get Dru back on the show two times now, but she's been very busy doing movies. I hope they keep trying, though, because I miss her.
    From jcbuffyfan: If you didn't play Spike, who (on Buffy) would you want to play?
    Macbeth.
    From Danielle: Spike rules! I was wondering what your opinion is on the overwhelmingly positive response to your character, who is essentially (for lack of a better description) an evil, murderous demon?
    Makes me scared to go out at night. I love it. I was suppossed to be killed after five episodes. And I have to thank everyone who got on it and wrote to Joss. I have a very nice apartment now.
    From Tinkerbell: I wanted to know if there's going to be a Spike-and-Willow romance going on...
    I think they're cooking up someone else for Willow, but she just got burned by Wolf Boy, so I don't know. I've always thought that Spike should flirt with her to catch her off guard, but I haven't heard anything about us getting together. But, you never know.
    From lisa: Boxers or briefs?
    Neither.
    From bufaddicted: Hi! Is Spike going to start helping Buffy out with research and stuff?
    Can Spike read? Hmmm...You know, Spike is still evil, he's just forced into helping Buffy. I don't think he will ever help unless it is for his own selfish benefit.
    From mrtrick1: If you could fight anyone on Celebrity Deathmatch, who would it be?
    Trent Lott. I'd kick his ass. Because he's an evil man.
    From energyr: I think you are amazingly talented. Any plans for the future in moonlighting?
    I'm hoping for a good summer, but they haven't really started casting, and right now I'm busy with Buffy. But I guarantee there will be other projects ahead.
    From buffyisdabomb: Are you going to be able to fully function as a vampire again?
    If sucking blood out of demons is allowed, yes.
    From clover21: Hi, James! The comedy is wonderfully performed in the show--a great example is the ep "Something Blue." Have there been any scenes that were hard to get through because people started laughing?
    There was one scene that hasn't aired yet that everybody had to get their hair fried out for. Generally, there is a lot of joking on the set. But once they roll and it's action, we get down to business.
    From stephie: Will you be on Angel again this season?
    I think so. I'm contracted for at least one more, and I'm really hoping that Spike can hurt vampires, because I'd love to go hurt vampires. I still haven't forgiven him.
    From eyewatchtv: Do you think you'd make a good vampire in real life, or would you be more of a slaying kind of guy?
    I'd make a great vampire. I love the idea of being able to take whatever I want whenever I want.
    From goddessbeth: Since Spike is now a regular, are there any plans for you to write another comic book?
    No. I just got asked the other day, but I'm afraid I'm just too busy. I had a good time writing and learned a lot about what it is to write a comic book. If Spike gets killed, then maybe I'll have time, but...
    From eyewatchtv: If you had to be staked, how would you like to go?
    I don't want to get staked! Anything other than a pencil--I saw that last season, and I thought that is a humiliating way to go.
    From heymouse: What is your favorite ep so far? You've had some great lines this season!
    Anything with a good body count, but, saying that, Spike hasn't had a great body count lately. I would probably say the two crossover episodes. Before those, it was "School Hard."
    From pineapple_head: What type of music are you into?
    A lot. I like Belle & Sebastian, Beck, Catherine Wheel, the Charlatans, The Cure, Digable Planets, Miles Davis, Al Green, Benny Goodman, Arlo Guthrie...I'm rifling through my CD collection right now.
    From nicolemn: Do you know if Oz is coming back?
    I hope so. He went off to do a movie. The door is certainly open in terms of story. I hope so, because I think he's wonderful, and I have yet to be able to work with him.
    From heymouse: James, you have totally stolen the show. Anyone getting jealous on the set?
    No, I don't think we have time for jealousy. Everyone has a full plate. But I think Xander would like to punch a few more people. No, seriously, though, there really isn't any jealousy on the set.
    From vslayer414: Who is the weirdest fan who has ever come up to you?
    Well, there was one day...It was Halloween night, and I had just seen Bringing Out the Dead, which is all about a man dealing with freaks in Hell's Kitchen in New York, and I walked out of the theater, and it was even freakier. This guy walked up to me dressed as me, and he asked his friend to take a picture of me. The friend was dressed as Darth Maul, and he was getting a piece of pizza. So, I had to sit and wait for Darth Maul to get his pizza. It was very surreal, but mostly the fans are great.
    From kbuffy: Any upcoming public appearances we should watch for?
    No, I've cut back on public appearances, because I am trying to get more sleep on the weekends. I did a couple while I was filming and really got burned out. We film 24 hours a day, so I need to catch up on sleep. Maybe more this summer. It's too bad, because it's really a lot of fun.
    From trentlover44: James, do you know if Faith is coming back?
    I have heard rumblings and rumors, but I don't know for sure. They didn't kill her.
    From yokelcletus: I'd like to see an episode dedicated to Spike's past. I bet there's a great story to be told on how you became a vampire.
    I would love to do a story about Spike's past, as long as I don't have to put on the muttonchops David had to for his [past story]. I would love to learn about his past--I imagine he wasn't a very nice guy.
    From beequeen: How does it feel to know that, at any given moment, countless females are lusting after you?
    It feels really good. Makes me all warm and tingly.
    From pineapple_head: What movie do you consider to be a "must see"?
    Bringing Out the Dead, Apocalypse Now and Three Kings.
    From adrianna79: What do you like to do in your spare time?
    I have none. I mean, seriously, I have no spare time. But if I had some extra time, I would like to get back to writing. I would like to spend more time with friends and family...and fix my car--a '65 Ford Mustang, black chrome. It has a carburetor problem.
    From tanaqui: Is the accent a pressure or a pleasure for you?
    Total pleasure. At first a pressure, because I didn't want to embarrass Tony Head and his English friends. But he's told me that I'm doing a good job.
    From cfayehill: Have you always wanted to be in show biz, or is it something you just fell into?
    I'm one of those guys who has wanted to do it since fourth grade, when I played Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh. To do well in school, my mother had to convince me that it somehow related to acting, like chemistry and higher math--that was hard to rationalize.
    From vslayer414: James, how did you get the part of Spike? How did Joss find you?
    They had been looking for a long time and hadn't found what they were looking for. They looked at big names and couldn't find anyone, then started scraping the bottom of the barrel and found me. Frankly, I just think I had the bad accent.
    From allieg: Any chance we'll see Spike playing a guitar and singing? Maybe the blues?
    I don't know. I would love it, as I've been playing the guitar for about 15 years. If they could make it cool, then that would be great. I would love it. But I don't know if they have any plans for that right now.
    From liz_lavelle: Are you one of the people who pulls pranks on the set, and, if so, what have you done?
    No, I don't pull pranks. I damage the set. I really do. I go for it a lot. I went through a wall the other day, and I destroyed some good shrubbery. I tend to really go all out, and sometimes I damage stuff. They are threatening to dock my pay.
    From titanicdiva1912: How's that competition for best bod working out between you and Marc?
    No competition at all--just a mutual-support society. In fact, I was the one who alerted him that he was going to have to take his shirt off. Nothing makes you do more sit-ups.
    From stryx: Oh, how irritating are those fangs to wear?
    Not at all. The first pair that I wore started to warp and cut into my gums, and I had a little bleeding problem, but they made a new set for me. You just have to make sure you don't sound like a sissy with a lisp.
    : I read you did, but I'd like to find out from you: Do you answer your fan mail? I sent a letter yesterday, so...
    I once went halfway through the process, but the postage alone was $7000. I'd like to brag that they pay me that well, but I'm still trying to pay off my student loan. The Buffy people know they don't have to pay much since the writing is so great.
    From sweet_tarot: Hi, I met you at a convention recently. I have to say that you are the nicest guy. My question is, do you think Spike will ever (sort of) accept being part of the Scooby Gang?
    Thank you, and, yes, but only if it gives him what he wants. He will never be a team player. But then I say that, and, of course, Joss will do something else.
    From bufandangel: How is the plot with Buffy and Riley going, chemistry-wise? I prefer her and Angel much more!
    What big shoes for Marc to have to step into. I think he's very fortunate, but he also has a big mountain to climb. I think he's doing very well. As Joss said, "You don't follow a banjo act with a banjo act." But I think the whole Clark Kent thing is working.
    From amyj1018: How much creative input do you--or anyone else on the show, for that matter-- have in terms of character development, story ideas, etc.?
    The only real creative input is what shows out of my eyes and what goes on between my own ears. Which can be substantial, when the camera goes close-up on you, that's all there is for that moment. I have no input as far as story or character development with respect to writing. For example, when Spike was in a wheelchair last season and Dru was climbing all over Angel--sticking her tongue in his ear and stuff--I could have played that a lot of ways, and I chose to play it angry. I could have been sad...
    From rainbow21_: Who would you love to star in a movie with--if you had the time?
    My girlfriend, Liz. We met doing a Shakespeare play--the first time I fell in love with her, she was performing Shakespeare. She's my Lady Macbeth--she's great.
    From forget_me_not: Spike's been on the business end of a lot of humiliation this season. What do you think has been his lowest point so far?
    The stuff you've seen pales in comparison to what he's about to go through, so just wait.
    From flowergirlx: How has your life changed since appearing on Buffy?
    I no longer have to borrow money from anyone. That sounds like a little thing, but it's the world for an actor.
    From hoydenish: Would you like to see Spike with Buffy again?
    Yes. I think that you know you're seriously in the mix when you're either kissing Buffy or hitting her.
    From spikegrrl1: Who is your favorite character in Macbeth? I've heard you love the play.
    Oh, Mac himself. He shows us that we are capable of horrendous evil--that evil is the human condition. And the body count is awesome.
    From willow0085: On a dare from my friend, I ask you: Do those leather pants ever cut off your circulation?
    I haven't gotten leather pants. I'm waiting for them. I was in the same jeans and T-shirt for two years. I got a new costume now. They bought me new jeans and a black shirt. I'd like to wear leather pants, though.
    From forget_me_not: What's your favorite TV show (that you're not in, that is)?
    In Search of History on the History Channel. Very interesting bits of history...body counts, cruelty.
    From jcbuffyfan: Does it feel any different to now have your name in the credits?
    Oh, yeah. People actually believe I'm in the show now. Joss didn't want to put me in the credits at the beginning because he wanted to keep it a secret. So, when I told people I was on the show, they literally called me a liar.
    : Your fans at the Bronze created a new club: the Horny Spike-Lovers' Association. You, of course, are an honorary member! Say a few words!
    Well, uh, as much as I would like to take action on being a member of that, I'll let my girlfriend take care of that. But, thank you!
    From cara21: Where are your ticklish spots?
    All over my body.
    From moomoo: Do you travel?
    For Christmas I'm going overseas for the first time in my life--and looking forward to it. I'm going to Spain.
    From forget_me_not: At what point did you feel you'd "made it" as an actor? Seeing your name on TV? Buying brand-name groceries instead of generic?
    It happened before I came to Los Angeles. That's more of a decision that you have to keep to yourself--and it can't be tied to if you're working or not, because as an actor, you're often not working. But it happened for me doing The Tempest in Chicago, which I was naked for.
    From taraljc: So, any shirtless make-out scenes in your future?
    Just filmed one last week--just shirtless!
    From kachu: How is the new guy Riley getting along with everyone? Really well. He doesn't want to get killed any more than I do.
    From jasmen666: Joss mentioned last night that when he was directing tomorrow's episode, it was very terrifying. What is your view on it?
    I think it was a profoundly brave thing to do. One of the strongest things about the show is the dialogue. He is one of the best writers of dialogue I have ever worked with, and to completely abandon that is the mark of an artist that will be around for a long time. I haven't seen it yet, but I've heard it is remarkable. I think artists who challenge themselves and go in different directions are the ones to watch.
    From runewolf: Do you have a favorite historical period?
    Oh, so many. I think the Renaissance would have been fabulous when they were unearthing all the Greek culture, and it was reinvigorating all of Europe, but I think I was born in the most exciting time imaginable. I wouldn't change places with anyone in history. The world is spinning fast right now.
    From hyper_angel: Do you agree with your "Love's a bitch" speech?
    Yeah, totally! To be in love is to be vulnerable in that way, and people who try to protect themselves shortchange their experience.
    From patshin1: James, what do you think of the WB promos with all the WB stars in them? Did you shoot one yet?
    I've shot one, but I haven't seen it yet. I think they're cool. They're shot really well, but I'm still waiting for mine. I'm paired with Marc Blucas.
    From monique1017: If you could travel in time, would you go to the past or to the future?
    Good question. I think I would go to the future to either allay or confirm my fears.
    From bad_hairday: James, what is your favorite line that you've said in the role of Spike?
    There are at least 10 every episode, but probably the speech to Buffy and Angel about love, or--in my first episode, killing one of the teachers--saying that I'm a "veal kind of guy and not gonna eat you."
    : Are you aware of a club called the Spike Girls, with 253 people who watch you religiously? This is Bratty Spike... God bless you, Bratty. Rock on.
    From scaleyg: Any more great scenes with Alyson (like "Initiative")? You two were great together.
    Thank you. She's a great actor. I haven't shot any more yet, but I'm sure there's more to come.
    From dru316: Hi, James, are you an animal type of person? I know that you have a cat, but do you like any other types of animals?
    I like all animals. I think they admit to themselves that they are animals, unlike humans. My cat, Zack, at 14 still kicks butt, but now I can hug him without getting slashed, because he's getting a little older.
    From buffy_jen: What's your favorite food?
    My favorite food? Steak, medium rare.
    From kachu: Who is a better kisser, Sarah Michelle or Juliet Landau?
    Sarah. Or Liz.
    From friedlchenail: If you were not an actor, what would your profession be?
    License-plate maker. They only thing that kept me out of trouble over the years is that, ultimately, I love acting more than any kind of self-destructive or mischievous behavior. I think acting has saved me from going too far.
    From geegee_24: What's up with you and Harmony? She kicked me out. I've been dumped by two girls now. She may be back, but, in general, Spike gets burned, and he's bitter, and he's breaking hearts.
    From kat_girly: Do you ever hope the writers decide to give Spike a soul?
    What do you think that would do to the show? Hmmm...that would be interesting, but, ultimately, not right for the show. I think that Spike would change, but he would have a lot less fun. I don't want to become brooding. I enjoy wreaking havoc and chaos.
    From tanaqui: How do you think our generation will go down in history?
    As the saviors of the country. As the ones who got up off the couch. Thanks for showing up online, and, once I get a computer, I promise to come visit.
    Joss Whedon Articles
    Other Articles