David Boreanaz catapulted to fame with his quietly intense and tortured vampire, Angel, and now he is taking on the world of film
 

Not straying too far from what he is best known for, David Boreanaz chose the horror thriller VALENTINE for his first leading film role, in which four best friends from junior high school convene just before Valentine's Day for another friend's funeral, after which they all start receiving strange, menacing Valentine messages. At first, the women dismiss the twisted greetings, which are all signed "JM", as a sick joke.

After receiving a visit from a detective investigating their friend's death, they learn there could be a link to someone they all tormented years ago at a Valentine's dance in junior high – a boy named Jeremy Melton. When the leads turn up nothing, the detective realizes that if Jeremy Melton still exists, he could be anyone, anywhere.

As the threats of violence intensify and the body count rises, each of the women are forced to come to terms with the fact that any man she knows, or ever knew, could be a vicious killer…

"My co-stars [Marley Shelton, Denise Richards, Jessica Capshaw, Jessica Cauffiel and Katherine Heigl] were very beautiful women and it was quite an enjoyable process", recalls Boreanaz of making the leap to the big screen. "Looking back at it and how it was all started, it turned into an exploration of taking a character and saying, 'Okay, here's a one-sided character. What can we try and make with him? What can we do with him? Where can we take him? How can we make him different?' It was something that evolved and it was a fun thing to do. The end product is fast, furious, passionate, romantic and tempestuous, and it guides you into a direction where you don't really know that it is going to take you."

Did Boreanaz have any trepidations about making a genre movie, since he is already known as a genre actor on television? "I looked at it as a character and as a piece of work. It's a film that has taken on a certain kind of thriller aspect with a sense of humour to it and a lot of passion and a great director. I involve myself with people that I enjoy working with and situations that I find to be very comfortable and fulfilling. If you want to call it being a part of a genre piece, go ahead."

Boreanaz is not too concerned with getting typecast, either. "I don't really think about that," he discloses. "If I decided to think about that, then I think I would be so obsessed with it that it would destroy me as a person. I look at it as me being able to explore a personality and character, and I transfer that to any other roles that I will be doing down the line."

Unsure if VALENTINE was the right vehicle for his cinematic debut, Boreanaz admits that it took a bit of convincing before he agreed to do the film. "When I first read the script, I didn't like it and I didn't like the character they offered me. I read it and I said, 'Oh, I like this Adam character.' I sat with Jamie Blanks [the director] and he brought something to the table. He said that, 'This is something more for you than a slasher film. It's a film about young adults trying to find themselves in San Francisco and exploring their interests and it envolves into this sexy ride.' I really embraced the opportunity to take this character somewhere."

In VALENTINE, Boreanaz got to explore both strength and vulnerability in the character of Adam, the sports writer with whom one of the girls finds herself in an on-again-off-again relationship with. 

Which did Boreanaz find easier to portray? "They're both very difficult, to be truthful and honest. I enjoy a lot of those type of personalities and being able to re-tap back into those emotions. It's definitely hard to achieve that level of honesty, and that's what you want to try to do every day."

Did Boreanaz have trouble adjusting to the schedule of film making as opposed to the more fast-paced turnaround of television? "In the long run, it's the same thing," he responds. "You hit your mark, you know your lines, you don't bump the furniture, and then you go home. That's the Spencer Tracy attitude and that's what I do, whether it's in TV, film or theatre. In film, you get to work on two pages a day whereas in TV you have eight pages, so the only difference is the time process. You've got eight days for an episode with an hour drama. With film, you have two-and-a-half, maybe three months, to prepare for something, and that's great. I got bit by that bug on this and that's nice, but I would never sacrifice myself and say 'Hey, I'm going to leave my show because of this experience.' I would never do anything like that because I enjoy both processes."

Buffalo
Born in Buffalo and raised in Philadelphia, Boreanaz was exposed to the television business at an early age, his father being a longstanding weather forecaster. Graduating from Ithaca College with a degree in film, he moved to Los Angeles to embark on his acting career. Living the life of a typical struggling Hollywood actor, working odd jobs and scoring small roles, Boreanaz was immediately signed to an agency after being spotted by a talent manager while walking his dog, Bertha Blue, in the park. His first big break came when he was cast in MARRIED…WITH CHILDREN as Kelly Bundy's [Christina Applegate] leather-clad biker beau. Then, after only three auditions, he landed the role of Angel, a dark, sensitive and tortured vampire with a soul, which sent him down the road to stardom.

With his heartthrob status on the rise, it's only natural to assume that Boreanaz will want to focus more on his film career. "I'll maintain the two," he says to the contrary. "I look at VALENTINE as a piece of work, and that's it. I look at ANGEL as a piece of work. I look at theatre as a piece of work. As long as I'm happy in what I'm doing and there's a challenge to it and I learn from it, that's fine with me.

I was a bit elated from the turn that they took with him," continues Boreanaz about his current enthusiasm for ANGEL. "You're going to see that [Angel's] personality and where he is now is going to change, and then he's going to be a different person. There's a lot of different personalities in him, and I enjoy playing each one of them. It's giving me the opportunity to take something and grow with it and evolve with it rather than be stagnant with it, because there are so many different ways I can go with him now."

Was he hesitant to leave a show as successful as BUFFY to be that star of his own show?

"I kind of looked at it as an opportunity to explore a different part of me with this character," he responds. "I felt that it was time to move on like it will be time to move on when ANGEL is over. Being able to make an adjustment in putting it out there, whether it's successful or not, is great."
Boreanaz admits that the extent of the success of ANGEL was surprising to him. "We're only halfway through our second season," he says, "and I look back at BUFFY when that started and it was at the end of the second season and the beginning of the third before it really took off. We're still a young show and the characters are still growing."

Because the fans loved the relationship between Buffy and Angel so much, the two shows have had several cross-over storylines since the character of Angel left Sunnydale for Los Angeles. Now that ANGEL is a hit in its own right, that concept has become much rarer. "There are some cross-overs that are going to happen," reveals Boreanaz, "but I think it's difficult now to do those because of the time constraints, and because we are so evolved in each show. They're both so different and they're so differently dynamic. We're excited with the additions of new characters, new storylines and new directions we're going with the show. There will still be some cross-overs, but it's difficult to do time-wise."

Up to this point, Boreanaz has become known for taking on rather serious roles, so what makes the actor laugh? "[My VALENTINE co-star] Jessica Capshaw made me laugh," he smiles. "My father makes me laugh. My niece, she's six, makes me laugh. My nephew, Griffin, he's four, he makes me laugh. He's hilarious, man! Some things that kids say are just too funny. He calls me Uncle D and that makes me laugh."

Specific Goals
Since acting just kind of happened for Boreanaz, he hasn't taken the time to develop any specific goals for himself. "I'm not a real goal-oriented person," he says. "I've always been really tapped into my dreams, believing in something that's impossible to achieve and then being able to grow as a person with whatever project I'm doing. That's what I want to accomplish in my career. I want to look back and say, 'Well, I tried to do this and I learned from it.' That would be my ultimate fulfillment in life. My plan is just to be able to explore new avenues and enjoy myself. I look at it as a work in progress every day of my life. If I'm working on a character like Angel, I want to be able to bring something to him every day and learn from that.

It's the same situation with projects that are coming my way now. I'm looking at them for what they're worth and the people that are involved. My most important thing is the director and the writing and, if that's there and I feel comfortable sharing my ideas with someone, then it's going to work.

There are a lot of offers out there right now," Boreanaz continues, "and so we'll see what happens. There might be an action piece that I'm looking at or maybe a serious drama or maybe a small independent."

Just like in his film, Boreanaz can relate to the idea of having a nightmare Valentine's Day. "I don't think that anyone ever has ever had a good Valentine's," he admits, laughing. "It's a 'Hallmark Holiday'. I've never had a good one. Well, my father's birthday is on Valentine's Day, so that's the best thing about Valentine's Day for me!"

 

Source: Dreamwatch May 2001
von: Cordy