Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy (19 page)

What are you going to do? Have a baby running around? I don’t think so.

—Joss

Joss is [in] love with the ballet and I guess he felt the show wasn’t quite gay enough yet.

—David Greenwalt

Angel site visit

 

During January 2000, I had the opportunity, along with several other television critics, to visit the set of
Angel
. While we were there, we had a chance to talk to Joss and the cast as a group, and then we had private chats with each of them.

The thing that struck me when we first walked in was how big the soundstage was, but how tiny the actual set containing Angel’s living quarters. His bedroom and kitchen were so small that I can’t imagine how they were able to film in there.

Now remember, this was the first season, before they blew everything up and moved to the big beautiful hotel.

Think a small New York apartment, maybe in Hell’s Kitchen. Everything on the set was grimy and made to look dirty and old. The kitchen looked like any you might find in a small apartment. But there was one big difference. The refrigerator didn’t work, but there was a nice supply of blood inside. The blood wasn’t real, we were later told. But the fridge had one funky smell.

Those early episodes of
Angel
had a dark and gritty look, and the sets were exactly as you see them on screen. “You get used to it after a while,” Carpenter told me during a private chat. “I’m one who likes things neat and tidy. There’s a bit of Martha Stewart in me, but even I got used to it eventually. But it may have made me even a little more obsessive about keeping my home clean,” she laughs.

While we chatted, I watched Boreanaz as he showed off his digs. He didn’t see them as small and dirty at all. It was as if he was at home, showing off a castle. He was so proud and happy to have us there. It was kind of sweet, actually.

Joss was the same way. When someone made a derogatory remark about Angel’s digs, the creator had a quick comeback. “Well, he is a vampire,” Joss laughed. “What do you expect? He needs some place to sleep during the day and he has a fridge full of blood. What more does a vampire need?”

“Isn’t he cute?” Carpenter said as we moved away from the group for our chat. “He’s like a proud father,” she said of Joss. “That’s the great thing about being on this show; he and David are so into every detail. The sets and the characters, they care about everything. Now if I could just get them interested in my wardrobe,” she laughed.

Joss concedes that Cordelia’s wardrobe has not been a high priority. “She’s the only girl around, and I guess we weren’t paying much attention to the clothes she wears,” he said. “We heard from a lot of women who watched her on
Buffy
and liked that she had all these cool clothes. Now she’s on
Angel
and she wears jeans all the time. The truth is the character sort of hit rock bottom and doesn’t have a lot of money for clothes. She’s also been out in the field a lot more, fighting the bad guys, and she can’t do that in high heels and dresses. I can’t believe I’m the one talking to you about wardrobe,” he laughs. “Look at me, I’m the last one to talk to anyone about the right clothes to wear.”

One thing he did take offense at was the criticism that, when she wasn’t wearing jeans, Cordelia’s clothing was skimpy at best. When she was an actress trying to make it in Hollywood, there were a few low-cut dresses and bikinis on the show.

“If it involved the story for some reason, then we might have to do something like that, but it doesn’t happen often,” says Whedon. “We are more likely to make the guys dress in something ludicrous than we are Charisma.”

“I don’t mind getting to wear something sexy now and then,” laughs the actress. “It reminds people that I’m not just one of the guys. Well, I am, but you know what I mean.”

For the record, Joss himself was wearing his trademark T-shirt with a checkered shirt, jeans, and sneakers.