Angel

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Fans who’ve tuned in to the fifth season of The WB’s Wednesday-night drama "Angel" may have noticed a new look for star David Boreanaz, who plays the title character, a do-gooding vampire with a soul. After many years with a short, spiky, gelled ’do, Angel now sports a smooth, combed-back style. "Just a little slicker look for him," Boreanaz says.

Part of the makeover was inspired by the actor’s look when he came back from summer hiatus. Those who attended The WB’s summer press party in July saw a buff Boreanaz with swept-back long hair, fresh off the set of "The Crow : Wicked Prayer," the fourth film in the "Crow" franchise, due out in 2004.

"It was longer than that in the movie," he says. "It was really untamed." Boreanaz plays Luc Crash, the leader of a satanic biker gang who murders a young man named Jimmy Cuervo (Edward Furlong) and his girlfriend, Lily (Emmanuelle Chriqui), as part of a ritual to turn Crash into an immortal demon (honestly, wouldn’t it just have been easier for Angel to bite him ?).

In true "Crow" tradition, Cuervo rises from the dead to take revenge. Tara Reid, Dennis Hopper and Macy Gray also star.

"I was a bad guy," Boreanaz says. "He was the leader of [this gang called] The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, an ex-con. It was great. I had a lot of fun. It was a hard-paced film. We shot in 23 days. It was not an easy shoot.

"But from what I hear from the trailer, it looks great. I’ve seen a little bit of dailies, I’m happy. Dimension Films is happy. It could breathe some good life into a franchise that’s been dead for a while."

Although Angel is usually a good guy, every now and then he loses his soul for a while, and Boreanaz gets to let his bad boy out. In "Wicked Prayer," it was his full-time job.

"He was more than a villain," Boreanaz says. "I liked the dialogue ; I liked the setting ; I liked the script. I just really liked the role. It was juicy. I like being bad. He’s two different guys. He’s an ex-con that becomes the Antichrist, so you’ve got two different roles that you’re playing."

Besides, it meant that Boreanaz didn’t have to figure out what to do with himself between seasons of "Angel."

"I’m trying to fill in the gaps as best as I can," he says. "I enjoy it. Look, I love the work, and I love working. I can go on vacation for about a week, and that’s it. I’m bored. There’s only so much swimming you can do or recreational sport. You just gotta keep going."