Young Frankenstein by Matt Springer
A mid-season four interview with actor George Hertzberg, who played the Initiative construct Adam.

When Dr. Frankenstein flipped the switch that jolted life into his monster, he became the idol of mad scientist everywhere. Sure, it scared the bejeezus out of the townsfolk at the time, but after seeing the invention of the nuclear bomb, boy-bands and sheep-cloning, it takes a lot more than a lumbering oaf with bolts in his neck and the vocabulary of a drunken frat boy to frighten us 21st Century villagers. Today, it seems lab-coated nutjobs playing god are a dime a dozen. Frankly, we’ve become a little jaded. Enter Adam…
   Pieced together by pieces of demon, man and machine, he’s a technological marvel that gives new meaning to the term ‘killing machine’. Nimble, quick and smart, Adam is not your grandfather’s nightmare. In fact, that’s what made the part appealing enough for George Hertzberg to willingly endure several hours of make-up, a hellish schedule, and people staring at him all day long to play it. We recently sat down with the USC theatre alumnus to talk about what it’s been like to spend the past few months terrorising Sunnydale, how he went from being the Initiative’s pawn to its bane, and to discover what makes Adam tick.

When you auditioned to play Adam, had you seen many episodes of Buffy?
I was very aware of the show and that it had a pretty strong following. I didn’t realise how big. I knew the show had been on for a few seasons, and I have friends who actually follow the show, but I was never a regular watcher of it. I had seen probably six or eight episodes before I auditioned. Having watched the show, you can really get a sense of the writing. They’re not afraid to go into elaborate detail on certain things, and use big words, as it were, which is evident with my character.

Do you think Adam is evil or just misunderstood?
[Laughs] I think there is a boyish innocence to Adam that, coupled with his programming – which is basically to kill – and being a evil demon being-man-machine-person. Is he evil or misunderstood? Can he be reprogrammed? I think it’s possible, but if he was, I don’t know how exciting that would be.

Are the people in the make-up department now your sworn enemies or closest friends?
[Make-up supervisor] Todd McIntosh is my best friend. Todd is incredible. Todd went out of his way from day one, everybody did, but Todd especially  went above and beyond to make sure I felt comfortable and to make sure everything was right and that I had no concerns. He explained everything in detail, and he was always there. Todd is a gem. He’s really a great person, and he’s winning awards for his work. It’s great that he’s being recognised, because he really deserves it.

How long did it take to complete the transformation into Adam?
It takes about five to six hours to get me into make-up. I think the earliest I was called was 3:45am. There were other days when there was a night shoot when they didn’t call me until nine or ten in the morning, which sounds kind of normal to most people, but that was late for me.

So you didn’t know anything about the character when you auditioned?
Funnily enough, when I auditioned, I only knew that it was a possibly recurring role. And that somehow, he might be a bad guy. That was it. That’s all I knew.

So you go through all this and when you get your first script, you only have one word of dialogue: “Mommy.”
That’s right! “You say ‘Mommy’ and you kill someone. Oh, and P.S., you have to go out to this special effects house in the Valley for five hours for a life cast and teeth mouldings and contact lens fittings.” [laughs] Actually, I loved the whole process – everyone was so friendly.

Was your voice altered for the show, or did you also have a stunt voice?
They ran it through a computer to alter it. It’s funny, because I didn’t realise they were going to do that, and watching the show, I was a little bummed at first. I kind of like my voice. Then there were certain scenes where they do a little less computer digitising, and I was like “Oh, that’s almost my voice!” But yes, I guess they wanted to give it a mechanical sound, and I have a pretty melodic voice.

Okay, who do you think is the best villain in television history?
Can I throw in film?

Sure. It’s your choice.
Predator jumps out as something really evil. You couldn’t track it, you couldn’t see it, you didn’t know where it was, and it’s gonna kill you. Then you throw in some one like Freddy Krueger who moves in and out of your dreams. I can’t say that there is one that really jumps out at me in television. My tendency is to say something like Sherlock Holmes’ Moriarty, which is his word for all evil, and evil exists everywhere – not to get really philosophical.

So lets say Adam meets the Master in a dark alley. Who wins that scuffle?
[Without hesitation] Adam. [laughs]. No question!