Life after Angel has been busy for David Boreanaz, so donТt expect him to turn up in a reunion show, he tells Dave Golder.
As David Boreanaz enters the room, I feel a slight pang of guilt. Minutes earlier I had been talking to our photographerТs assistant, a girl who claimed never to have seen Angel. УWhatТs he like, then? Is he lush?Ф
УHeТs alright, but he used to be much more of a heartthrob..Ф I lowered my voice. УHeТs been at the pies a bit recently, thoughЕФ

Well, thatТs what it looked like on TV in the latter years of Angel. The chat rooms were full of УBeefy BoТФ references. But when the Boreanaz arrives, itТs clear that either heТs renewed his membership to the gym recently or that old adage about TV piling on the pounds isnТt exaggerating. He look fit, trim and sickeningly good looking. DonТt take my word for it. Take the photographerТs assistantТs (if it counts as a word) : УMmmmmmmmЕФ

Over the next hour I discover thatТs not the only myth about Boreanaz thatТs doesnТt seem to ring true.
УHeТs a dull, monosyllabic interviewee,Ф says perceived wisdom. УAngel was just a job for him,Ф the internet would have you believe. УheТs been sitting on his arse doing nothing since Angel because heТs-has-been,Ф the pub chat goes. УHe hated Spike coming onto the show and stealing his timelight ,Ф the conspiracy theorists formulate. None of these tally with the guy sitting in front of me for this interview. Certainly he comes across as a very private man who keeps his work and home life apart, but maybe fans read too much into the fact that, unlike many of his cast mates he didnТt go round show creator Joss WhedonТs house for tea and Shakespeare readings. Undeniably, he also takes a while to warm up, mumbling uninterestedly for the first few minutes through a hand, until suddenly springing into life at the mention of two year-old son Jaden Rayne (УAwww, IТm missing himЕФ he admits with a cheesy smile). From there on in he becomes more and more animated, displaying a deep passion and commitment to the show that is at odds with the internet scuttlebutt proclaiming his arrogance for stating a few months back that he would only ever play Angel again in a movie.

УThe fans Ц my first instinct was these guys are gonna go crazy,Ф he says when I ask him how he felt when the first learnt that Angel was to be cancelled. УI think it wasnТt fair on them.Ф

He mentions the fans a lot. One of his favourite words during the interview is УresponsibilityЕФ. At times he seems in danger of using it glibly, a word he feels a УresponsibilityФ to use. So I tackle him on it. What does he actually mean by responsibility.

He pauses. УResponsibilityЕ I think of the fans, I think of the crew, I think of the character, staying true to the character as best as you possibly can. Because some days you catch yourself checking out and you donТt want to do that. I was the centre of this show. It was called Angel. If I didnТt keep developing hi, growing him, the show would have been dead.Ф
It is dead. I point out.

УBut I didnТt want that to be cause I wasnТt doing the best I possibly could. It was a hard show to shoot. A lot of people put a lot of effort into it. I knew it had to end one day, but I owed it to the crew and to the fans to do my bit.Ф

He would have been happy to carry on and on and on Е?

УNo, I donТt thinkЕФ He pauses for a moment again. УI thought there was going to be a season six, and I was happy to do that, but I think that the show would have taken its course by the end of a seventh seasonЕI have a responsibility to myself as well. For me itТs workЕthe show got me into doors I would not normally have gotten into.Ф

It certainly has. УIТve been busy,Ф he grins mischievously, almost as if heТs aware of the УBoreanaz has been kicking his heels since AngelФ accusations. УThree movies and a show on ABC. Cool.Ф

To be fair, the films have hardly been blockbusters; Mr Fixit, These Girls and The Hard Easy are all small, independent movies (УI love the freedom independent movies give you,Ф he offers gamely) but Boreanaz can certainly hit back at his critics with his new TV role Ц the lead in a major new as yet unnamed series for one of the StatesТ biggest Channels, ABC.

УThe show we just sold is based on a true guy,Ф he tells me eagerly. УHe was a cop in Phoenix, an undercover cop and heТs a hitman for hire, and heТs also a family guy. Pat Kelly is the writer. HeТs just f**king great. A great Irish writer. ThatТs one of the reasons IТm doing the show. If the show takes off, thatТs great, because itТs a major network, in a ten oТclock slot on ABC. I could be elevated. ItТs a really great gig.Ф

ThatТs ABC. Back on the Warner Bros network, once the home of Angel, ratings havenТt been good this season. The replacement for the shows for Angel have not been matching the success of the vampire series. You have to wonder if the network now regrets canceling Angel. Boreanaz, though refuses to reflect on what might have been.

УNo, because I think these things happen for a reason, Уhe says. УWhen Joss told me the show wasnТt coming back, I knew that was going to come some day. It was inevitable. IТm very open to change. When he told me I was going to have my own show, and leave Buffy, I thought, СOkay, great.Т I could have stayed on Buffy. If I had stayed on Buffy things may have been a lot differentЕФ

So he was given a choice?

УOf course I had a choice. I didnТt demand it. They didnТt demand it. They said, СIf you want to stay on Buffy you can stay on Buffy. And if the show goes bad, you can come back to Buffy.Т Jos was very open to that. So I took it and ran with it. I didnТt look back. I never really look back. I make a decision and I go with it. When Angel came to an end I knew that was going to come one day. But with the ratings we were getting for that network, I think the network is now realizing it was a mistake to cancel the show.

УBut it all works in your favour somehow. IТve been liberated, itТs another chapter in my life, I can move on and do other things and itТs helped me expand my horizons, which has been great for me and IТve done some really great work on these three pictures, which IТm really proud of it. IТm excited, you know.Ф

So was it a kick that he needed ?

УYeah, maybe it was a little kick. Maybe it was just like somebody making the choice, rather than me making the choice. Letting the show run its course rather than me saying thatТs it, I donТt want to do it any more. УCause I always said loved doing it. I would never have put my foot down on it. Because weТre fortunate for what weТve done. We should be proud of every episode.Ф

If Warner Brow do want to develop some Angel TV Movies thought , donТt expect to see Boreanaz in them.

УI would never do an Angel reunion,Ф he tells me emphatically. УIf it were a film, yeah, I always thought it would be great on the big screen. That would be the way to go. But reunion? Nah. ThereТs no purpose to it. I donТt feel like going back to something unless itТs bigger and challenging. A reunion. ItТs embarrassing.Ф

What, I wonder, was the final ever scene he shot as Angel for the small screen?

УIt was a rain sequence, where we come running in just before the dragon swoops. It was five in the morning. Yeah, it was late. We ended it the way we started it. It was a very hard show to shoot. I went over to the producer and gave him a big hug Ц Kelly Manners, who made the show run for five seasons wholehearted. He gave it everything he had. Then I walked off the set with my dad Ц he was there, fortunately. It was great to have my dad there. He carried my chair and we walked away.Ф

Asked when he thought Angel at its height, Boreanaz gives an answer that dispels any rumour that he had any resentment about Spike being brought into the show.

УSeason five. The whole season was great, I thought season one was good just because it was the unknown. Four was dark, a little too weird. It was just in a weird place. Two was fun. But we went out on top, because I think five was a great season.Ф

It was also the season that gave him a chance to direct, with the episode, УSoul PurposeФ.

Уyeah, that was fun. It was good experience. It was a challenge, sure. But all those episodes are challenging you know? I donТt think that you can take an episode written by Joss and not call it challenging. Directing every episode is a challenge. ThereТs always an element of dealing with transition and keeping the pace of the character, and choosing the correct camera angles, and how youТre going to effectively pull off special effects. It really was an experiment.Ф

He goes on to talk about camera angles and edits, handheld shots, and slow-mo, using jargon like a kid with a new toy. But as with most episodic US TV, as a director, he wasnТt given a final cut. УMy cut would have been much different,Ф he promises. УA lot more f**king badassЕФ

AngelТs excruciating singing voice is legendary. Boreanaz admits that it wasnТt a hard act to pull off. УWell, being a bad singer is always pretty easy, but playing it is always difficult because you have to be pretty hysterically bad. ThereТs a fin line there,Ф he deadpans.

So what does he think that Simon Cowell would have to say about his singing ?

УOh God!Ф he rolls his eyes. УMy wife ran into Simon the other night! He never said anythingЕФ

As heТs brought up the family, I wonder when he thinks his son Jaden will be ready to watch Angel.

УHe already does! My wife Jaime was in Virgin with him recently, and he spotted me on an Angel DVD. He started going, СDaaaadddyyy!!!!Т He hadnТt seen me for a couple of weeks. СI wanna see daddy! I want daddy!Ф he was bawling.
Everybody was looking at himЕ
УI mean, thereТs stuff on there I wouldnТt want him to see yet.
There are undertones to the showЕ it seems so innocent, but man, itТs really wicked. ThereТs a lot of stuff going on there. If you read between the lines, itТs a very adult-oriented series in a lot of ways. There was a lot of horror stuff that wasnТt shown explicitly, but suggested. It was left to the viewersТ imagination, which is sometimes more powerful than actually seeing something. There was one scene we had to cut from the first season, I think it was from the second episode that we ended up shooting, I think, for season four. There was a body and blood all over the place, I went over to investigate the body, and IТm tempted to feast on it because of this rage inside of me. For some reason that as outlawed by the network. We eventually got away with it Ц in the episode with Angel in the С70s Ц but it took us four seasons.Ф

Another staple of Angel over the years was the series of bizarre wigs Boreanaz had to wear for such flashback episodes.

УThere were some ugly wigs,Ф he groans, before quickly adding,Т and some incredibly good ones! When I was on Buffy I had one that was f**king horrible, Really bad. I felt like a poodle.Ф

And speaking of hair, what was that Bob Geldof beard all about in the Dido video.

УI had a beard? Did I? It was dark, man.Ф

Porky, big-headed and difficult to interview? Either IТve just interviewed an impostor, or you really shouldnТt believe everything you read on the internet.

SFX

The Angel season five DVD box set is released on 21 February.

Spill The Beans

Who on the Angel setЕ.

Fluffed their lines the most ?

УAndy Hallet.Ф

Flirted the most ?

УMe definitelyФ

Brought in the most presents?

УEverybodyФ

Was most different from their character ?

УMe. Andy too - heТs a very smart guy. HeТs very fun and loving, but heТs interesting and very intense.

Made you laugh the most ?

УAndy.Ф

Had the most annoying habits?

УPeople, who forgot their lines, I guess.Ф

Ate the most.

УAndy.Ф

Was most into their sport?

УAndy. Hi Andy - IТm making you every one of these!Ф

Have you kept in touch with?

УNo-one. I always maintain that itТs work and thatТs it. I donТt go up to JossТs house and hang out with other cast members. The only one I did hang out with was Glenn Quinn (Doyle). He was by far the best person I worked with. He was great.Ф

“ранскрипт последней страницы *transcribed by Alina=)*:

What's the most illegal thing you've ever done?

"I stole something out of a hotel room. A Holiday Inn. It was when I was at college."

Where do you keep your porn?

"Pay per view."

What did you last dream about?

"I dreamed it last night, but I don't remember. Oh yeah, yes I do. I was wearing a dress, running around and I was imitating somebody. Singing some songs. You know, I wanted to do an episode that was like Some like it hot, with Angel and Spike in drag. I wanted to do that really bad. Not that I'm saying I like wearing women's clothes... But it would have been cool!"

What do you reckon is the best use for ice-cream?

"Round a woman's nipple."

What would you sing at karaoke?

"I wouldn't."

Who would you least like to meet in the afterlife?

"The list is far too long."

Have you ever said I love you and not meant it?

"I'm an actor, man. I say it all the time."

But when you're not acting?

"Oh yeah."

Shoe size?

"Eleven. That's US."

What do you like most about yourself?

"My energy."

What do you like least?

"My stubbornness and I'm a glutton for food. I over-indulge too much."

Who's your ideal woman?

"My wife, Jaime."

Did you have to say that?

"No."

Did you keep any of Angel's clothes when the show finished?

"Yeah, one of the coats."

Have you ever skinny-dipped?

"Yeah. I'm very free with my body."

Know any rude jokes?

"No. I don't do jokes."

What's the weirdest place you've ever had sex?

"I don't think any place is weird."

What was that goatee in the Dido video all about?

"I had a beard? Really? Hey it was dark, I didn't realise! A beard, eh?"

Are there any rooms in your house where you haven't made love?

"Nope."

Tell us something you've never revealed in an interview before...

"I threw up in the Roman Baths in Bath. It was when I was in senior high school. I was in England for the first time, visiting my sister. We'd been drinking, it was hot...next thing I knew it just kinda happened. Great place though."

Have you lied at all during this interview?

"No."