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Talking to Quinn,
it's not hard to see why success found him early. he's got he piercing
eyes an rugged good looks of a
leading man,
with the devilish grin of a neighborhood pal who used to get you in trouble
by making you laugh in church.
Factor in a little
luck o' the Irish and a repertoire of dead-on impersonations ranging from
Sesame Street's loveable
Grover to intense
character actor Christopher Walken, and you've got the makings of a natural
showman.
He is best known
for his role as the convincingly-American-accented Mark Healy, Becky Conner's
(played by both
Lecy Goranson and
Srah Chalke thoughout the years) ne'er do well boyfriend and eventual husband
on Roseanne. His
list of credentials
aslso includes an on-screen kiss with Oscar winner Gwynneth Paltrow in
1991's Shout , the critically
acclaimed television
series Covington Cross, and horror fare including 1997's Campfire Tales
and 1992's Dr.
Giggles.
Now with a starring
role in Angel, Quinn journey's to the darker side of acting once again
as the good-hearted demon
Doyle. the role
seems tailor-made for Quinn; Doyle's a fun-loving Irishman with a serious
side when it comes to the
business at hand—usually
saving lives and acting as a streetwise guardian angel to his brooding
vampire friend.
He and Angel himself,
David Boreanaz, have also become friends. Quinn hung out a bit with Boreanaz
and his wife
(who shares the
same last name as Quinn, but is no relation) during a vacation over the
summer in Ireland.
While Quinn is immersed
in the Hollywood spotlight and Doyle attempts to remain one of Los Angeles'
underground
secrets, both are
down-to-earth characters using their gifts for good. Both the character
Doyle and the actor Quinn
seem like the kind
of guys you'd like to sit down with and share a couple of pints of Guiness
while they tell strories of
supernatural
acquintances or what it's like to work with John Travolta. While Goldfingers,
the L.A. night-club Quinn
co-owns with
friend and fellow Irishman Mark Leddy, isn't nearly big enough to seat
the millions of fans who will be
tuning-in to see
the October 5th debut of Angel, we humbly offer this interview instead.
read and enjoy with the
beverage of
your choice. Cheers!
BUFFY THE MAGAZINE: U2 OR IRON MAIDEN?
GLENN QUINN: U2, of course. The boys! They're my boys. they're good boys.
BTM: DID YOU KNOW DOYLE WAS IRISH BEFORE YOU AUDITIONED?
GQ: It was an interesting thing. I went and I read it American and [Joss
Whedon} said, "hey let's do this Irish and see
where it takes us." Sometimes I tried to do that when I went in to read
for things, so the Irish thing just really clicked.
BTM: MANY PEOPLE ARE PROBABLY WONDERING IF YOU'LL BE CONVINCING AS IRISHMAN
DOYLE. SINCE YOU WERE RAISED AND BORN IN IRELAND AND NATURALLY SPEAK WITH
AN
IRISH BROGUE IN REAL LIFE, HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR CHANCES?
GQ: What do you think? [laughs] I was just back in Ireland, and the accent's
not real think, but it's definatly audible. it
should be an interesting and memorable character. It'll definatly appeal
to a lot of people.
BTM: WAS IT TOUGH TO PICK UP THE AMERICAN ACCENT?
GQ: Not at all. I've done a couple of T.V. movies, and I have done a film
with John Travolta [1991's Shout], and all of
a sudden I went in on a guest-starring role for Roseanne, much like David
[Boreanaz] did on Buffy, and they kept me
on. It was really sucessful. I have no problems doing the accent because
I've been mimicking people my whole life.
BTM: WHAT WAS IT LIKE WALKING INTO A TOP RATED SHOW AND SUDDENLY BEING
FAMOUS?
GQ: At the time, Roseanne was number one, and I don't even think I knew
what I was getting into. It was so huge, it
was amazing to get on that show.
BTM: HOW DOES DOING AN HOUR-LONG SERIES COMPARE TO WORKING ON A SITCOM?
GQ: Well you've got to figure what we do in one and a half days on Angel
was my whole week on Roseanne. This is
like making a nine month movie. It's definatly a lot harder. You say goodbye
to your normal life as you know it. It's a
challenge, it keeps you out of trouble, and it keeps you on the go.
BTM: DID YOU KNOW MUCH ABOUT BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER WHEN YOU WERE CALLED
ABOUT DOING ANGEL?
GQ: Not anything.
BTM: IN ANGEL'S PAST THERE WAS ANOTHER DEMON NAMES WHISTLER THAT HELPED
HIM
OUT. IS DOYLE AN UPDATE ON THAT CHARACTER OR IS THE SAME TYPE OF ROLE?
GQ: They actually sent me those tapes, and it turns out that the guy who
plays Whistler, Maz Perlich, is a friend. I don't
know if there's a little bit of Whistler in Doyle, but I don't think he
is Whistler at all.
BTM: DOYLE HAS THESE VISIONS FROM TIME TO TIME. HAVE YOU EVER HAD ANY PSYCHIC
EXPERIENCES?
GQ: No, but a number of women have told me that I am psychic, [Nonchalantly]
Mmm-hmm. I know where the
buttons are [laughs]. Or where they're not, depending on who you're talking
to.
BTM: HAVE YOU FORESEEN BECOMING A BIG-TIME T.V. HERO AND A POPULAR TEEN
HEARTTHROB?
GQ: Everyone's saying that to me. I've kind of gone through that, but I
never did any publicity on Roseanne.
everybody used to go, "We like that guy, but why isn't he doing anything?"
This is more of a featured role. It's a great
showcase for me, and whatever comes is really part of the whole package.
You've got to do that and keep a level head
on you.
BTM: HAVE YOU HAD ANY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH VAMPIRES?
GQ: No, but I come alive at night. I'm definitely a night person, and I've
been into the whole vampire thing for years.
Ever since I was a kid, I've always imagined being one. I hate the sun.
BTM: SO YOU PROBABLY DON'T MIND THE MANY ANGEL NIGHT SHOTOS?
GQ: Actually, it really screws you up. You don't know what day it is. The
weeks are flying by here. This is Thursday
already, but I feel like it's still Monday, yet the weekend is right around
the corner. It's very odd.
BTM: DO YOU EVER GET STUCK WITH A LATE NIGHT SHOOT FOLLOWED-UP BY AN EARLY
MORNING CALL?
GQ: They have to give you a 12-hour turnaround--that's the union law.
BTM: MUCH LIKE YOURSELF, DOYLE SEEMS TO LIKE THE NIGHTLIFE, HE HAS AN EYE
FOR THE
LADIES AND WORKS ODD HOURS WITH DAVID BOREANAZ. WHERE DOES GLENN QUINN
STOP
AND THE DOYLE CHARACTER BEGIN?
GQ: Glenn and Doyle are all one. I take over where he leaves off. I suppose
it's a vicious cycle.
BTM: EXCEPT FOR THE PART ABOUT DOYLE BEING A DEMON?
GQ: I've always been a devil.
BTM: WHAT WAS YOUR IMPRESSION OF THE CHARACTER WHEN YOU FIRST LEARNED ABOUT
WHO AND WHAT HE IS?
GQ: I had a lot to bring to him, and when they gave me a character description,
I was all over it. Every day, you get
another little pich of what he's all about. Every day you try another shoe
on, and it fits. It's really groovy, man. It's a lot
of fun to screw around with.
BTM: OF ALL DOYLE'S QUIRKS AND PERSONALITY TRAITS, WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE?
GQ: His sense of humor, I think. He doesn't really want anything to do
with all the fighting and all that. Although he has
to, he doesn't want anything to do with it. He'd rather be on a plane to
Vegas.
BTM: FOR A PACIFIST, YOUR CHARACTER IS IN A PRETTY DANGEROUS LINE OF WORK
AND IN A
PRETTY SEEDY PART OF LOS ANGELES. WHAT WAS THE WOST JOB YOU'VE EVER HAD.
GQ: Which one? There were so many of them. I was working on power plants
when I first came here and thatreally
sucked. A lot of insulation removal and all that crap. It was a pain in
the ass.
BTM: ANGEL AND DOYLE MAY BE FRIENDS, BUT THEY HAVE VERY DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES.
FOR EXAMPLE, ANGEL TENS TO BROOD A LOT, WHEREAS DOYLE LIKES TO PARTY.
EVENTUALLY EVEN THE BEST OF FRIENDS GET ON EACH OTHER'S NERVES, SO IF THE
TWO
CHARACTERS CLASH, WHO WINS THE FIGHT?
GQ: I think that, of course, him being around longer, he might. But who
knows who has the upper hand? We're gonna
have to wait, I supposem until it lands on paper, but I think [the producers]
are talking about it. We don't know what
Doyle's all about yet. Slowly but surely, they're revealing more and more
to me and to everybody else. Hypothetically,
he'd probaby beat the crap out of me, and I'd just drink the pain away.
BTM: ALL RIGHT, NOT TO START TROUBLE, BUT LET'S SAY BOREANAZ TICKS YOU
OFF AND THE
TWO OF YOU THROW DOWN. WHO GOING TO WIN THAT CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH?
GQ: Oh easy. I'd take him. [laughs] I think it'd be an even fight and we'd
sit around after and laugh about it.
BTM: IT SEEMS LIKE YOU, DAVID BOREANAZ, AND CHARISMA CARPENTER GET ALONG
WELL
AND ARE HAVING A REALLY GOOD TIME TOGETHER. IS THAT ACCURATE?
GQ: Everybody's got their feet firmly on the ground. There's only three
of us now, when you've gotto remember that,
whereas Buffy was a bigger ensemble, but there's no egos flying around
here. David's great, Charisma's a doll, and I
didn't bring any crap over from the other show over. I'm just grateful
to be working, because there are a lot of people
who aren't.
BTM: HOW ABOUT THE GUYS RUNNING THE SHOW? BEING THE NEW GUY, WHAT'S BEEN
YOUR
IMPRESSION OF DAVID GREENWALT AND JOSS WHEDON?
GQ: David's a real terrific guy. You got to figure, they created these
characters from the sucess of Buffy. I mean,
they're very smart, intelligent people. They're doing it for a reason.
BTM: DID YOU ALREADY KNOW JOSS WHEDON FROM YOUR PREVIOUS WORK WHEN YOU
AUDITIONED FOR THE PART OF DOYLE?
GQ: I didn't, no, but I heard that he used to write on Roseanne the first
season. But I didn't know him.
BTM: WOULD YOU DESCRIBE DOYLE MORE AS ROBIN TO ANGEL'S BATMAN OR ARE THE
TWO
OF THEM MORE LIKE WONDER TWINS?
GQ: He's not really a sidekick. he's more of a mentor and kind of lectures
Angel and what to do and what not to do,
but won't really get involved himself, because he'd much rather be out
havign a drink or playing the track or in Vegas having fun. But he's definitely
a pal.
BTM: SO YOU'RE NOT CONCERNED WITH CHANGING THE SHOW'S NAME TO DOYLE?
GQ: David's a good actor. It's his name leading the show in, and I didn't
mind playing second to him at all. he's
a great guy and a good actor, and the two of us together, I think, are
really good. And it's not cheesey, because
I didn't want to do anything cheesey, obviously--who would? I think it's
going to turn out really well.
BTM: ONE OF YOUR PAST PROJECTS, CAMPFIRE TALES, WHICH HAS SOME SCENES DIRECTED
BY
FREQUENT BUFFY DIRECTOR DAVID SEMEL, HAS BEEN MAKING THE ROUNDS ON CABLE
LATELY.
GQ: That was the worst thing I've ever done. I did that in a two-week gap
of Roseanne, and I looked really
bad. David Semel's a great guy--I hear he's going to come in and do an
episode of Angel. It would be fun to
work with him again.
BTM: WE LIKED CAMPFIRE TALES AND WERE KIND OF HOPING FOR NEWS OF A SEQUAL.
BUMMER.