-> Oakland SlayerCon 2004 Q&A Notes

Alexis Denisof
By Kirsten

- Really happy right now that he and Alyson aren’t working because it gives them both time to spend together. It was really tough when they were both working TV shows and then Aly went to London to do the play. Alexis missed Aly when she was in London.

- Alexis demonstrated part of the dance from “She.” Alexis took the move of kick-starting a motorcycle and used that in the dance.

- Loved working on “Smile Time” and absolutely loved the parody of the power walk in part because shooting the ‘power walk’ is nothing like it looks like on TV. Alexis said that the puppeteers would “stay in character” between takes and would harass the crew (like “Why is this taking so fucking long?” and “Are you people really that stupid?”) and complain that “he” (the puppet) wanted to go to his trailer.

- Alexis confirmed that he did in fact do several scenes of the 3rd season without pants. Alexis said he was getting bored doing so much of the acting from behind a desk and he wanted to ‘keep it fresh’ so he tried to see how far he could get his pants down and still do the scene. So Alexis gradually moved his trousers down his leg a couple inches at a time until they were puddled around his ankles.

- Alexis’s favorite color is blue.

- “Spin the Bottle” was a really hard episode for him to do. Every time David would mention the “bright shiny demons” Alexis would crack up and laugh hysterically. (And even retelling the story he started to laugh pretty hard.) At one point Joss ordered Alexis back to his trailer to calm down, but that didn’t work. Alexis and David had to stand next to each other and not look at each other and that didn’t work either. Eventually they had to deliver the lines one at a time (deliver the line, cut, deliver the line, cut. . . .) and knit the single lines into one scene in editing.

- In “Graduation Day, part 2” they had originally worked out a dramatic fight sequence for Wesley to fight at Angel’s side until “Joss had an idea” that Wes would fall after the first punch. But it was Alexis’s idea that Wes would wear the neck brace as he was being wheeled on to the ambulance.

- Alexis liked wearing the leather pants (“Parting Gifts”) and recommended lots of talcum powder to help with the chafing.

- Alexis was surprised to hear he’s on the ‘short list’ to play The Joker.

- Wish asked Alexis if he liked playing dark Wes or dork Wes better. Alexis replied that he liked playing both sides of Wes equally well.

- Alexis still hasn’t watched the last episode of Angel (“Not Fade Away”) because Wes’s death was so moving and so well written. As Alexis talked about the scene between Wes and Illyria, Alexis started to get a little choked up.

- Alexis did his imitation of Sean Connery and quoted him. According to Alexis, Sean Connery doesn’t hold back his opinion (like “Why is it so fucking hot in here?”).

- Wish, Fiat and Kirsten decided that Alexis is totally cute when he blushes (which he did a couple times).

- According to Alexis, Wes and Lilah did make a sort-of connection.

- Alexis tried to play Wes with Wes’s self-doubt still intact, but internalized, even as Wes grew and developed.

- Alexis was very appreciative of the fans at the Con as well as the Vulkon staff.

- Alexis was very aware of the efforts of fans for the “Save Angel” campaign and was touched by everyone’s efforts. Also, Alexis explicitly said that the fan efforts were responsible for changes in executives at The WB. (Note - he’s referring to the shift of Jordan Levin from President to a production company.)