Irish Eyes by Mike Stokes
This one is special in hindsight. Conducted after he left the series, this issue contains the only interview the Magazine ever did with Glenn Quinn. In it, he reflects on Doyle, his relationship with the cast and crew of Angel as well as his early departure from the series. It is reprinted here, in it’s entirety.

Glenn Quinn didn’t set out to be an actor when he moved with his mother and sisters to the United States from Dublin, Ireland, 11 years ago. He was actually spotted by casting director Johanna Ray (Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart) who saw something special in him. She helped Quinn find an agent, and before long he was auditioning for a guest spot on Roseanne in 1990, which spanned into an eight season run.
    Talking to Quinn, it’s not hard to see why success found him early. He’s got the piercing eyes and rugged good looks of a leading man, with the devilish grin of the neighbourhood 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 from Sesame Street loveable Grover to intense character actor Christopher Walken, and you 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 Gorandon and Sarah Chalke throughout the years) ne’er do well boyfriend and eventual husband on Roseanne. His list of credits also includes an on-screen kiss with Gwyneth Paltrow in 1991’s Shout, the short-lived but critically acclaimed television series Covington Cross, and horror fare including 1997’s Campfire Tales and 1992’s Dr. Giggles.
    With his starring role in Angel, Quinn journeyed to the dark side of acting once again as the good-hearted demon Doyle, until the character’s sudden departure in ‘Hero’. The role seemed 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, also became friends. Quinn hung out a bit with Boreanaz during a vacation over in Ireland the summer before Angel‘s first season.
    While Quinn is immersed in the Hollywood spotlight and Doyle attempted to remain one of Los Angeles’ underground secrets, both are down-to-earth characters who use 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 Guinness while they tell stories of supernatural acquaintances or what it’s like to work with John Travolta. While Goldfinger’s, the LA nightclub Quinn co-owns with friend and fellow Irishman Mark Leddy, isn’t nearly as big enough to seat the millions of fans who regularly tune into Angel, we humbly offer this interview instead. Read and enjoy with the beverage of your choice. Cheers!

U2 or Iron Maiden?
U2, of course. The boys! They’re my boys. They’re good guys.

Did you know Doyle was Irish before you auditioned?
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 try to do that when I go in to read for things, so the Irish thing just clicked.

Many people were probably wondering if you’d be convincing as Irishman Doyle. Since you were born and raised in Ireland and naturally speak with an Irish brogue in real life, how did you like your chances?
What do you think? [laughs] I was just back in Ireland, and the accent’s not really thick, but it’s definitely audible. I hope he’s an interesting and memorable character. I think he definitely appeals to people.

Was it tough to pick up the American accent?
Not at all. I’ve done a couple of TV movies, and had 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 successful. I have no problems doing the accent, because I’ve been mimicking people my whole life.

What was it like walking into a top rated show and suddenly being famous?
At that 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 that show.

How did doing an hour long series compare to working on a sitcom?
Well, you got to figure what we did in one and half days on Angel was my whole week on Roseanne. Angel was like making a nine month movie. It was definitely a lot harder. You say goodbye to your normal life as you know it. It was a challenge, it kept me out of trouble, and it kept me on the go.

Did you know much about Buffy the Vampire Slayer when you were called about doing Angel?
Not a thing.

In Angel’s past there was another demon named Whistler who helped him out. Was Doyle an update on that character or was it the same type of role?
They actually sent me those tapes, and it turns out that the guy who played Whistler, Max Perlich, is a friend. I don’t know if there’s a little bit of Whistler in Doyle, but I don’t think he’s Whistler at all.

Doyle had these visions from time to time. Have you ever had any psychic experiences?
No, but quite a number of women have told me that I am psychic. [Nonchalantly] Mmmm-hmmm. I know where the buttons are [laughs]. Or where they’re not, depending on who you’re talking to.

Did you think Doyle would become a bigtime TV Hero and a popular teen heartthrob?
Everybody said that to me. I’ve kind of gone through that, but I never did any publicity for Roseanne. Everybody used to go, “We like that guy, but why isn’t he doing anything?” Angel was more of a featured role. It was a great showcase for me.

Have you had any previous experience with vampires?
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.

So you probably didn’t mind the many Angel night shoots?
Actually, it really screws you up. You don’t know what day it is. The weeks flew by. It was very odd.

Did you every get stuck with a late night shoot followed-up by an early morning call?
They have to give you a 12-hour turn around – that’s the union law.

Much like yourself, Doyle seemed to like the nightlife, he had an eye for the ladies and worked odd hours with Angel. Where did Glenn Quinn stop and the Doyle character begin?
Glenn and Doyle were all one. I took over where he left. I suppose it was a vicious circle.

Except for the part about Doyle being a demon?
I’ve always been a devil.

What was your impression of the character when you first learned about who and what he was?
I had a lot to bring to him, and when they gave me a character description, I was all over it. Every day, I’d get another little pinch of what he’s all about. Every day, I’d try another shoe on, and it would fit. It was really groovy, man. It was a lot of fun to screw around with.

Of all Doyle’s quirks and personality traits, which was your favourite?
His sense of humour, I think. He didn’t want anything to do with all the fighting and all that. Although he had to, he didn’t want anything to do with it. He’d rather be on a plane to Vegas.

For a pacifist, your character was in a pretty dangerous line of work and in a pretty seedy part of Los Angeles. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
Which one? There are so many of them. I was working on power plants when I first came here and that really sucked. A lot of insulation removal and all that crap. It was a pain in the ass.

Angel and Doyle may have been friends, but they had very different personalities. For example, Angel tends to brood a lot, whereas Doyle liked to party. Eventually, even the best of friends get on each other’s nerves. So if the two characters clashed, who would have won the fight?
I think that, of course, him being around longer, he might have. But who knows who has the upper hand? Hypothetically, he’d probably beat the crap out of me, and I’d just drink the pain away.

All right, let’s say Boreanaz ticked you off and the two of you threw down. Who would win that celebrity death-match?
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.

It seemed like you, David Boreanaz and Charisma Carpenter got along really well and had a good time together? Is that accurate?
Everybody had their feet firmly on the ground. There was only the three of us, you’ve got to remember that, whereas Buffy was a bigger ensemble, but there were no egos flying around. David’s great, Charisma’s a doll, and I didn’t bring any crap from the other show over. I was just grateful to be working.

How about the guys running the show? Being the new guy, what were your impressions of David Greenwalt and Joss Whedon?
David’s a really terrific guy. You’ve got to figure, they created these characters from the success of Buffy. I mean, they’re very smart, intelligent people. They’re doing it for a reason.

Did you already know Joss Whedon from your previous work when you auditioned for the part of Doyle?
I didn’t, no, but I heard he used to write on Roseanne the first season. But I didn’t know him.

Would you describe Doyle more as a Robin to Angel’s Batman or were the two of them more like the Wonder Twins?
He wasn’t really a side kick. He was more of a mentor and kind of lectured Angel on what to do and what not to do, but wouldn’t really get involved himself, because he’d much rather have been out having a drink or playing the track or in Vegas having fun. But he was definitely a pal.

So you weren’t concerned with changing the show’s name to Doyle?
David’s a good actor. It’s his name leading the show in, and I didn’t mind playing the second to him at all. He’s a great guy, and a good actor, and the two of us together, I think, were really good. And it’s not cheesy, because I didn’t want to do anything cheesy, obviously – who would?

Did you know when you started how long you’d be around for?
On the record, you have to stick to the story. I was only contracted for ten episodes. Not to sound egomaniac or anything, but just to get under people’s skin like that, and for them to believe in you enough to write for – it’s flattering. I was not at all depressed about it, I can tell you that, because I knew what I’d done. My idea is, kill them with kindness. Kill them with good work.

Big Man On Campus by Matt Springer
Conducted during the hiatus between Seasons 3 and 4, Danny Strong reveals why he’s delighted that Jonathan is appearing more frequently…

Buffy fans will have probably noticed Jonathan in the halls, in class and at the cafeteria of Sunnydale High since early in the second season. Whether a suspect in some potentially evil plot, or the seductee of an Incan mummy girl, he’s only been visible in the background. Seasons Three and Four have provided Jonathan with moments to shine, though it didn’t start that way. Halfway through season three, he was still an unwitting victim of abuse, offered as a mock potential boyfriend to Cordelia. But by graduation, he was showing off his action hero side by helping to stop the Mayor’s dastardly plans and Cordelia turned to him for consolation in the wake of the evil Mayor’s destruction.
    “She jumped into my arms,” says Danny Strong, the actor behind the strong, silent Jonathan. “She knows. She knows who’s gonna protect her. None of this Buffy crap. Jonathan’s the man!”
    Few fans realise that Strong’s Buffy acting career actually began long before the show hit television airwaves. He initially auditioned for Xander, and after waiting a few months for a callback, finally received it. It obviously wasn’t for Xander, but for a bit part in the show’s pilot. Though we first saw him in ‘Inca Mummy Girl’, his humble beginnings are actually in the pilot episode as a nameless ‘Student’ with a single line. His clever way with a few words must have captivated the show’s writers, because he was brought back for another cameo and has been roaming through Sunnydale ever since.
    “I think that they’ve been very clever about Jonathan,” says Strong. “I know there have been certain episodes where it wasn’t even Jonathan. It was just some random student doing something, and they’ll have Jonathan do it, to keep the continuity of the world. For them to have turned it into this ongoing thing was really clever.”

His appearances have been as unexpected as they are numerous. Whenever you least expect to see him, he’s been there, the ultimate clever inside joke for regular viewers and a witty distraction from the business of slaying and saving the world. But by the show’s third and fourth seasons, Strong was ready for Jonathan to take a more active role on Buffy, becoming a central part of the show’s plotlines instead of merely a witty footnote.
    In ‘Earshot,’ four years worth of pent-up anxiety over his place in the shadows unleashed itself in an attempted suicide narrowly prevented by Buffy.
    “That episode was fun, because I had so much to do,” says Strong. “It was a matter of me needing to be a part of the storyline and not just a gimmick. For me as an actor, I just felt that way. I just approach things to however they’re written. Whatever the writing is, that’s what the character becomes, as opposed to me trying to force something into it. After ‘Earshot,’ it kinda changes things. It was neat that it just started to happen.”
    Maybe Jonathan is such a captivating figure because he’s so mysterious, “a riddle wrapped inside a mystery inside an enigma,” as Strong quips. Then again, fans might just enjoy seeing Jonathan at Sunnydale High because, deep down, they understand the heart of his character all too well.
    “I think everyone is sort of like Jonathan,” theorises Strong. “Either they’re like Jonathan, or they’re just trying to cover up their Jonathan qualities. Either they’re awkward and shy or they’re doing everything they can do to not appear awkward and shy. I’m not really very shy, but I can certainly be awkward at times.”
    Strong is philosophical about the nature of his role on Buffy. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for them as writers and the world they’ve created, so if it doesn’t fit in with what they’re doing, then it’s too bad for me, but I respect that.”