Actor David Boreanaz has come a long way from the days of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He insists upon it.
Actually, Boreanaz, 30, star of the Buffy spin-off Angel (now airing 9 p.m. EST Mondays on the WB), says his show is vying to remain drastically different from its predecessor-and succeeding. Boreanaz recently spoke about the evolution of his show, his upcoming new film project and how he could kick Jessica Alba‘s ass.
Where’ve you been hiding lately, David?
Boreanaz: I’ve just finished shooting a movie called I’m with Lucy in Miami. It was great. I dyed my hair blond and everything. Actually, I just cut all my hair off.
Serious?
Boreanaz: [Laughs] Just kidding. But yeah, I did dye my hair blonde for the movie. But to cut all my hair off–that would be too Keri Russell of me.
What’s the film about?
Boreanaz: It’s about a group of guys after one woman. Really funny. Anthony LaPaglia‘s in it. Harold Ramis. I play a really different sorta character for me–a cheesy orthopedic surgeon who drives a Porsche and remodels Victorian homes. He’s a bit of an ass.
You start shooting new episodes of Angel in a couple of weeks. Excited about coming back to the tube?
Boreanaz: Very excited. I’m just glad to be working!
And working on non-Buffy material this season, right?
Boreanaz: Exactly. We’re keeping it separate from Buffy this season. In our first season, we followed a lot of the same storylines as [Buffy], but we stopped doing that in the second season. I mean, in the first season, Angel was still this recovering alcoholic and everything, but we’ve evolved from that. So many new sorcerers and demons. Crazy stuff. We’re going in a new direction this season. There’s so much going on with this character next season–but I can’t tell ya what.
Will the show still interject the same humor into the storylines as in previous seasons? You guys used to get way out there.
Boreanaz: Yeah, absolutely. It’s something that’s helped shape Angel’s character. We’re definitely doing more of that. We like to find humor in situations. Nothing boring, ya know? We like to be spontaneous.
Any new characters in store for us?
Boreanaz: Yeah, we’ve got this new character this season that’s very different. Her name’s Fred, but that’s all I can tell ya.
The show itself, like Buffy, originally began as unique in terms of genre–action/fantasy shows with a heavy dose of darkness. Now, with Dark Angel, Charmed and Witchblade out there, do you think Angel and Buffy spawned a revolution in TV programming?
Boreanaz: Well, [series creator] Joss [Whedon] started it all. It’s his vision. Yeah, both shows have interesting characters–and we’ve enjoyed a certain type of followship or whatever you call it–but I don’t know if we stared a trend, though.
There are certainly a lot of shows like yours out there, but when it comes down to it, if you put Angel, Buffy and Dark Angel‘s Jessica Alba in the same room, who would emerge victorious?
Boreanaz: [Laughs] Dude, there’s no comparison. None. Angel would kick everyone’s ass. It would be as easy as shrugging dust off my shoulder.
Despite the dark nature of your character on Angel, one thing that’s often said about you is that you’re a sex symbol. Do you consider yourself one?
Boreanaz: Nah, I’m not concerned with that stuff. I just show up and do my work. I just stay truthful to my work.
You work quite a lot. We saw you earlier this year in the film Valentine–is the big screen going to lure you away from television eventually? Or is the tube your home?
Boreanaz: Nothing is home to me. It doesn’t matter where I happen to be working. Just being around talented people who have a love for what they’re doing, be it TV, films or whatever, is great.
Is Broadway an alluring option?
Boreanaz: Sure, absolutely. I really love the work of Sam Shepard. But I’m not into musicals, definitely. I mean, I’ll see what happens. I used to sing as a kid, but not anymore. That could be scary. But we’ll see, man.
