A hotly anticipated spin-off doesn’t scare Angel’s David Boreanaz – but poultry is another story

Ever since his character, Angel, skulked onto the screen in the very first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, David Boreanaz has been spicing up the WB’s cult favorite with his own brand of blood, sex and tears. But after Angel’s tough breakup with Buffy last season because of irreconcilable differences (he’s an immortal vampire, she’s a mortal vampire slayer – you know the score), the teen heartthrob has rebounded with an aptly-titled spinoff, Angel. This time, the big adorable bloodsucker opens a detective agency. With a partner named Doyle (Roseanne’s Glenn Quinn, back from the dead, himself), a mysterious character who can locate souls in need of aid, Angel does some saving. And all this do-gooding takes place, appropriately enough, in the City of Angels. Recently, Time Out New York caught up with Boreanaz between shoots. The star gave us a little phone time while tooling around the Paramount lot in a golf cart:

TONY: Let’s get right down to business. Could Angel take the vampire Lestat?

David: It would definitely be a battle of intelligence, an ongoing fight: He’d get the better of me, I’d get the better of him. I don’t think we could really conquer each other; there would just be a respect for each other’s powers.

TONY: Sounds like you’re getting soft.

David: [In a tough “Goodfella’s” voice ] I ain’t getting soft – forget it. If I’m evil, he’s done.

TONY: Is your character on Angel different he was on Buffy?

David: When we see him in the first episode, he’s still a bit removed and lost. He’s pretty depressed and distraught. But his character takes on more challenges and mixes it up with the world and with humans. Since he has to do that, he’s finding himself to be a little more adventurous, a bit more rambunctious, lighthearted.

TONY: So you have more room to grow as an actor?

David: Definitely. That’s one of the blessings of the show. I’m sure I’ll have remorse and I’ll be upset about the past and Buffy, but at the same time, I’ll be riding my own train. I won’t be caught in that relationship anymore; it won’t melt me down every time I see her.

TONY: Some fans are going to be upset when and if Angel finds a new love interest. Any advice?

David: There are going to be crossovers, so Angel and Buffy will get back together in some respects. But hey, you never know – there are other women out there. Angel’s mixin’ it up!

TONY: Any pressure because this is a spin-off?

David: Not really. You look at it as an extension of the work that’s already been done, and you take it as an opportunity to expand and grow. I don’t really look at it as pressure. If I did, I would be a mess right now.

TONY: Any movie plans in the works? Most of the WB teens are starting to appear in films.

David: I was offered 2 films this year that I had to turn down because of scheduling. But that stuff will all come. I’ve decided not to run that gamut of doing all those teen movies. I find it more appealing to do something with substance.

TONY: A lot of actors are trained in singing and dancing. Are you?

David: No. I used to break dance on the streets when I was in Philadelphia.

TONY: Do you think you’ll be able to incorporate that into an episode of “Angel?”

David: [Deadpans] Yeah, I’ll just start popping on a corner in downtown Los Angeles. I’ll throw down my cardboard box and start spinning. [Finally laughs] No, I’m not trained in the experience of life. You just take your experiences, and you put ‘em up there. You hit your mark and you go home. [Laughing] You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to do what we do.

TONY: - Do you have any fear? Spiders? Heights?

David: - I have a fear of chickens.

TONY: - Why?

David: - They freak me out, man. They have that whole clucking thing going on that just trips me out.