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Anthony Head - "Merlin" Tv Series - Tmadonia.com Interview

Webmaster — 2009-06-24T11:28:12Z

It's tough to squeeze fresh life out of a legend as overtilled as Camelot, but Merlin, a 13-part summer series on NBC, debuting tonight, finds a workable approach : Dial the traditional tale back a few decades and twist the premise.merlin nbc

Forget the Round Table ; say hello to the Kiddie Table.

This BBC import, exceedingly handsome but poky, takes King Arthur and his wizard Merlin back to their days as shavers.

Trivia note : NBC broadcast a TV movie with the same title and covering the same hallowed ground back in 1998. What a cast that film had : Sam Neill, Helena Bonham Carter, John Gielgud, James Earl Jones, Miranda Richardson, and many more.

This new series is built around a pair of young newcomers.

Merlin (Colin Morgan) is a wide-eyed youth, newly arrived at the castle. He enters like a student traipsing across Europe on summer break, with his bedroll on his back. Val-der-i, Val-der-a.

Arthur (Bradley James) is the arrogant prince. His father, Uther Pendragon, sits on the throne. (And sounds like a great '70s soul singer - a hybrid of Luther Vandross and Teddy Pendergrass.)

Pendragon, the ruler of Camelot (Anthony Head, best known as Giles on TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is a tyrant who has stamped out sorcery in the kingdom. Use of enchantments is punishable by death.

That draconian edict poses a significant problem for Merlin, because the new kid at court comes equipped with abundant magical abilities that he must keep tightly under wraps. He's like Samantha Stephens at one of Darrin's office parties.

The two lads, Merlin and Arthur, become instant antagonists. It takes the great dragon (voiced by John Hurt), held captive in the vaulted catacombs beneath the castle, to explain how their fates are intertwined.

Merlin is sumptuous in a way American TV series rarely are - richly atmospheric, with lush production values, and laced with good special effects. merlin nbc OK, its occasional stabs at humor are lame, but the 6th century, by all accounts, wasn't exactly a barrel of laughs.

When it comes to the Arthurian lore, it's always tough to separate history from legend. But it's obvious some liberties have been taken with castle life.

The king's physician, Gaius (Richard Wilson), for instance, pops on a pair of reading glasses. Seven centuries too early for that amenity. And one knight in a battle tournament employs acrobatic kung-fu skills. Why you would want to sweep-kick someone wearing armor is a mystery to me.

The two young leads, Morgan and James, lend this series most of its appeal. But the cast is uniformly good.

Can someone please explain why British actors are able to bring so much more conviction and gravitas to these costume epics ? American actors only seem to grow sillier the further they are plunged into the mists of time.

Despite the good performances and the detailed medieval window dressing, Merlin still has the impact of a warm glass of milk. You are getting sleepy . . . sleepy.

The series is heavy on ambience, light on forward momentum. The syndicated series Legend of the Seeker has a similar sword-and-sorcery setting. It may look almost laughably chintzy next to Merlin. But at least Seeker keeps its narrative top spinning.

Merlin did big numbers in Britain when it ran there a couple of years ago. Its patient, stately approach may earn it a frostier reception on this side of the pond.

Anthony Head - "Merlin" Tv Series - Ifmagazine.com Interview

Webmaster — 2009-06-21T22:36:17Z

Exclusive Interview : ANTHONY STEWART IS CAMELOT'S KING (BUT UTHER NOT ARTHUR) IN NBC'S NEW SERIES 'MERLIN' - PART 1

The former BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER actor talks about his role as the evil Pendragon in the new revisionist take on the classic King Arthur tale

It's been a busy year for BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER actor Anthony Stewart Head. Not only did he make a splash last fall as the creepy Repo Man in the cult horror musical REPO ! A GENETIC OPERA he's also had roles in the recent BBC series' THE INVISIBLES and FREE AGENTS.

Currently front and center though for the versatile performer is playing the deliciously villainous Uther Pendragon in the new BBC produced series MERLIN (which begins its 13-episode U.S. run on NBC this Sunday at 8:00 p.m).

In this two-part exclusive interview, Head spoke about his latest role and what he's been up to in the past couple of years.

iF MAGAZINE : So have you been ?

ANTHONY STEWART HEAD : The summer before last, it had been very odd. My agent said, “I don't know what's going on. This should be your time. Everything is in alignment. I don't know what's going on.” Movies were about to go and money would drop out. Things like SWEENEY TODD, suddenly the part would be written out. Then all of a sudden I did a pilot for a show called FREE AGENTS and I did a movie called REPO ! and then I went straight from that to do a show for the BBC called THE INVISIBLES. The last week of that, I get a call from [Producer] Julie Gardner saying “I want you to be in my show called MERLIN, playing Uther Pendragon.” I did eight months of that, then FREE AGENTS got picked up and I did a really quick version of MACBETH and now we're in the second season of MERLIN, so it's been really great.

iF : How is MERLIN different from other tellings of the King Arthur ?

HEAD : The story of Arthur has been told so many different ways. Everybody is trying to dress it up from Sean Connery [in FIRST KNIGHT] to Clive Owen dressed up as a Roman Centurian (in 2004's KING ARTHUR). The producers spent five years in preparation on this, trying to work out how they would do this. They thought it would be more interesting to do a “pre” story like SMALLVILLE — whatever happened or whatever might have happened before the tale we all know began. So Arthur [Bradley James] and Merlin [Colin Morgan] met as young men in Camelot. Camelot will exist and it's ruled over by this fairly fascist, tyrannical king Uther Pendragon. Not to blow my own trumpet — he is the force that is a catalyst and conflict within the tale. Merlin turns up hoping to use his magic and in the first scene Uther condemning a man to death for using magic. He has his reasons, it's very thought through. He feels that people who are drawn to magic, may say magic can be used for good as well as ill, but unfortunately they tend to be drawn to the darkside and it ends up fairly categorically being used for ill. It is kind of like ethnic cleansing. Occasionally, there's one episode eight, where he's absolutely right, and it's appalling and ultimately the person he is talking about, if you know the tale, will have a very dodgy influence.

iF : So is he the nemesis ?

HEAD : There's not a lot of good about him — he's a bad guy, but he has his reasons. Everybody likes magic and loves the idea of magic. There's something wonderful about magic. It's the J.M. Barrie “clap if you believe in fairies' moment in PETER PAN. We all do. Everybody would love to believe in fairies. Uther is the anti-thesis of that. He's the Grinch and he's not having it and as I said, he has his reasons. And without him, we wouldn't have conflict – we wouldn't have a story.

iF : What's the tone of the series ?

HEAD : It's got a modern humor to it. And it's taken awhile to get the tone of the dialogue right. Initially there were a few anachronisms thrown in there. There's great banter between Arthur and Merlin. Merlin becomes his assistant. Merlin is constantly saying to his mentor, this court physician Gaius played by Richard Wilson, he says “no one sees my talent. No one sees who I am.” He has to hide under a bush, because if anyone knew what he could do, he would be dead. And he's been told very early on by this mythical dragon [voiced by John Hurt] that's chained up in the bowels of the castle, that it is his destiny to protect Arthur. So as his servant, he is constantly finding him in a position to constantly protect him. There's a lot of banter between the two boys — off set and on. They have a great relationship. Bradley is doomed forever to play a Prince. He's perfect for it. He's got a bearing about him. I interestingly don't have very much comedy to do. I have one scene with Richard and Colin and Bradley – I got one gag. But I am the straight guy. Since I did LITTLE BRITAIN, I get a lot of comic roles, so it's nice to play something straight.

iF : Is there a beginning, middle and end to the thirteen episodes ?

HEAD : There are certain parts of the story arc that they were going to introduce in the second or third season and went “no, let's not go there yet.” We do introduce Lancelot, we introduce Mordred. We introduce all sorts of characters we all know are going to be very important down the line in the tale. The overall telling of it is going to be five seasons. That's the aim. It's been so popular in England, and I hope it's going to be popular in America, but definitely in England it's gone down extremely well.

iF : How does Uther feel about Merlin – even though he still doesn't know he's secretly performing magic ?

HEAD : As far as I'm concerned, he is Arthur's rather annoying [tagalong]. He does pitch up and says “such and such is going on.” There has to be a point where I say, “everything was fine until this geezer turned up, because it's not going so well.” Uther is beginning to lose his grip. At the moment, that's not necessary. There is a lot of stuff to come between Uther and Morgana. There's a lot of father and son stuff. Arthur doesn't see eye to eye with how he does things. Uther is more about getting things done.

iF : So MERLIN was made for the BBC and NBC acquired it ?

HEAD : NBC acquired a show sight unseen without anything on film at all, which is a first as far as I know.

iF : Any challenges in making the show ?

HEAD : They nearly cancelled it because they couldn't find a castle [to shoot in], but at the last minute [they found one] and it's just staggering. It's in France. It's staggering. It's like the seventh member of the cast. It so informs everything we do. You do a corridor scene you do. It doesn't matter what time of day, what the light is, it's just beautiful. It has that depth.

iF : If the series continues, your character will be around for awhile, correct ?

HEAD : As long as my character is useful and there's enough in there for me to be able to exercise myself. If it becomes “oh, it's Uther again” at any point, I think I would say “come on guys, let's not go down this route.” There was a point in BUFFY about Season Four, where I went to Joss and said “what am I doing here ? I'm miles away from my home and my children and I don't feel like I fit in anymore.” And in true Joss Whedon fashion, he turned it into a mid-life crisis rant about [Giles] feeling he didn't belong anymore.” It was great, it worked and gave me a direction to play. I don't think Uther will last for five seasons, because I don't think it will help the story. He has to be there up to a point, because Arthur can't become King for awhile, so there has to be a reason for him not to be King. Him becoming King doesn't necessarily mean the end of the tale, but somewhere down the line, there is an end of this tale.

Anthony Head - "Ripper" Tv Series - Televisionaryblog.com Interview

Webmaster — 2009-06-09T20:23:08Z

Wonder just what ever happened to Joss Whedon's Buffy prequel Ripper ?

Speaking on a press call last week to promote his new series Merlin (which launches later this month on NBC), former Buffy star Anthony Head addressed some questions about that long-stalled Ripper project, plans which Head says were "sideswiped by Dollhouse."

Head, who plays Uther Pendragon on the NBC/BBC series, was candid about the likelihood of donning Rupert Giles' specs for another go-around as the much-beloved Watcher, created by Joss Whedon.

"Ripper is a kind of a - it's a funny old thing," said Head. "Whether it ever gets made or not... if it does ever get made, I'll probably be an octogenarian by the time it does. But it is something I actually introduced Joss to [Doctor Who producer] Julie Gardner, who was a producer with the BBC. She has long wanted to do something with the project. There are obviously complications with Ripper because there are lots of tie ins. There's FOX, there's the Kazuis. There's all sorts of stuff that, basically it isn't just a simple question of Joss making a series that he wants to make as far as anything concerned with Buffy. There are a lot of people down the line that would have a say. And that's part of the equation."

"We've had conversations about working together again," said Head about future collaboration with Whedon. "It's, I don't know, something that may happen again in the future. I hope so. [...] He came up with an idea, pitched it at lunch with Eliza and from that moment on it was a done deal. I don't think, I may be wrong, but I don't think any of the Buffy crew could really, well not crew because there's a lot of Buffy crew working on Dollhouse, but actors would really fit comfortably in Dollhouse because you'd automatically be, you know, you'd be taken to Faith."

"And Eliza is not Faith in Dollhouse," he continued. "She's a fascinating character that, you know, lives a totally different life from Faith and it came out through the life of Faith that, you know, she'd like to - she'd like to play something different than what Eliza is usually asked to play. And he came up with the idea that she could play something different every week. And from there Dollhouse was born. But I would love to work with him again. I think he's a fascinating writer, fascinating director. He's a lovely, lovely guy. I'm very, very fond of him and I would - I'd, you know, I don't use the word genius lightly but I think he is one."

"I think [Joss] really is a great writer," said Head. "I would like to see him make more movies. I think, you know, I thought Serenity was a funny film and actually it was hugely well received by critics and at the same time was not possibly marketed as well as it might have been. It was a great film. He makes writing really count. It's not just writing for writing sake. He gives everything a life and a reason. With Dollhouse, I think he had problems initially with Fox because they wanted one show and he was sticking readily with his guns. And I think they've gone with it now because they realized that ultimately it's wonderfully complex and i all the characters have got all sorts of neuroses and problems. I mean it's a fascinating world that he's created with Dollhouse."

"And it's what they've done with Merlin ; by creating a world in which magic is forbidden on pain of death, they've created a very, very interesting world for a young Merlin to exist or not to, you know, basically fight for his life," said Head. "A good drama is about conflict. And if like Joss Whedon you can allow comedy to come through to support your drama, it makes the thrills and spills that much more pertinent and that much more poignant when you do get it. When you get the shop horror it gives you a bed to feed it in. You know, and then ultimately that's what makes its appeal so wide."

So, given how much time has passed since Whedon first approached Head about Ripper, have their plans changed significantly ?

"Originally when he pitched [Ripper] to me, he didn't have to pitch it very fast, I was like yes," remembered Head. "It was a series. And it was Giles as this sad lonely man in England without a real reason to be. And it was pretty much ghost stories. Week-by-week, some ghost story would somehow affect him."

"And then he said that he didn't [feel]—I mean he by that time I think he had been affected by Angel—the need to write a weekly story," he went on. "I think he found at that point the drive was different. And so he suggested this one film he was going to make. And he told me the story that he'd written and it's absolutely beautiful. And I hope that one day it gets made whether it's the guise of Ripper or whether we just sell it as a story, a one-off TV movie. It's a lovely, lovely story. It's kind of a ghost story. It's also about a man investigating his own soul and it's fascinating and lovely and sad and it's classic ghost reading. I hope we get to make it one day. And from there on in he was going to, you know, if it was successful maybe he could have been convinced to do a series. And as I say he's back in the seat of doing a weekly series with Dollhouse. Maybe he can be convinced otherwise. But never say never but at the same time, I think it's on the shelf for a while."

"I don't think we'll every really know [what Ripper means]," said Head. "I think Ripper just means it's the darker side of someone that suddenly see that you never every knew existed. And it's a very dark side. And we got to see some of it in Buffy. You know, he's the only guy who killed an innocent man in Buffy. Well Faith did. But Faith is bad. But he smothered somebody who ultimately was a innocent bystander. And so [had] some darkness. That's Ripper."

So is Head still surprised by all the attention he gets from Buffy fans years after its cancellation ?

"It wasn't cancelled. It was never cancelled," said Head, chidingly. "Just we took a bow and decided to basically that he had said enough. Although having said that and I haven't seen it all, but Season Eight is alive and kicking in comic book form."

"No, I'm not surprised [by the continued support of Buffy fans] inasmuch as ultimately Buffy was an extraordinary piece of writing," he continued. "And because of that, the fact that it was used by universities as an example of modern writing. I'm amazed when I got to LA and I go and meet producers who came up as writers and Buffy was almost their bible and they almost genuflect. So it's always very flattering but it's nothing to do with me. It's because I worked with Joss Whedon. What does amaze me, and the fact that I love, is that I'm constantly met by young people and I think that they've seen something else I'm in, Little Britain or Merlin and Buffy goes - I don't know what it does in the States but it goes round and round. It's cyclical here and it keeps garnering young audiences. And long may that be so because it is great TV."

"But one of the things that appeals about Buffy was the fact that it was so multi generational," Head reflected. "It was - even though FOX didn't market it this way, FOX marketed it for 15-year-olds to 25-year-olds. [...] It is truly universal appeal and that is the secret of Merlin as well. It has this extraordinary general, multi-generational appeal that people come up to me in the street and say thank you. I go it's nothing to do with me. I didn't write it. But they say this is truly a show that we can sit down with our kids and everybody loves it. Everybody - it's a truly family show. And there's not that many shows that parents and grandparents and brothers and sisters, teens, 25-year-olds down to the age of six can actually enjoy a show together. There's something in it for everybody. And it's once every few years a show like it comes along... It's kind of very simple, very basic premise but it's a very clever premise. And as I say, it somehow appeals to everyone."

Has Head been typecast then since he first played Rupert Giles on Buffy ?

"Actors generally, you get a recurring role in this and a recurring role in that," said Head. "I mean I've been very, very fortunate to play leads in a number of series ; and very different types of things. And to a certain extent I've worked quite hard not to be typecast. You know, when initially when I came back from Buffy there were quite of offers of professors and the occasional librarian but they were largely professors. There was an episode of Doctor Who that I did. And initially I balked at it because it was headmaster and then I read that it was a headmaster who ate children and ultimately was actually a demon who flew. I kind of - I went one round and it was a great episode and it was great fun to do."

"But it's more than that," he continued. "You know, trying to find something, which will develop your career, will take you on to something new and will open people's minds up. I mean Giles for me was a huge, huge turning point because it was the first character role that I had played. And up to that point in England I was playing romantic leads. You know, that to a certain extent was not limiting but it basically it was just going in one direction. And the thing that Buffy gave me was an opportunity to show people that I did other stuff and it was the first time I'd really been - even though Giles wasn't necessarily a comic role, there was a lot of comedy in it."

"And so it gave the producers of Little Britain the idea that I could play a straight man in a comedy and he plays it absolutely straight down the line. But there has to be some comedy. Do you know what I mean ? So Matt and David, I think, basically saw something in me that they thought would work in a comedy. So since then I've done quite a lot of comedy, per se. And it's great fun to be allowed to go from one genre to another. And go, you know, to do musicals the same as well. I'm very, very fortunate."

Merlin premieres Sunday, June 21st at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.

Anthony Head - "The Invisibles" Tv Series - Usaweekend.com Interview

Webmaster — 2009-05-31T09:42:02Z

Anthony Head on 'Invisibles,' 'Merlin' and a possible 'Buffy' movie

The Invisibles Anthony Head door Ever since I became a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer some 10 years ago, I've wanted to talk to Anthony Head, who played the tweed-clad librarian Rupert Giles in the cult TV show. I finally got a chance to interview him this morning, and it couldn't have come at a better time. This week, his English crime comedy The Invisibles debuted on DVD in the U.S., and the first season of the BBC series Merlin — a reimagining of the King Arthur legend in which Head plays, in Buffy terms, the “big bad” — premieres on NBC June 21. We talked about The Invisibles, Merlin and that possible Buffy movie that's been creating an Internet uproar all week so click read more for his thoughts on those subjects, and check out a Merlin sneak preview below.

Head is currently shooting the second season of Merlin, that will air on BBC One this fall, in Compiegne, a French city to the north of Paris. But American TV viewers will get to see the 13-episode first season on Sundays starting next month. The actor says Merlin tackles the Arthurian legend much like the CW's Smallville deals with the Superman mythos, creating a medieval land where a young Arthur meets a young Merlin. Head plays Arthur's dad, Uther Pendragon, a ruler who has outlawed any and all sorcery. Of course, Merlin (Colin Morgan) being a magic man himself, he keeps his enchanting ways a secret so he doesn't get his head lopped off by the king. “I have a whale of a time, I must admit,” Head says about his role, adding that the French castle where Merlin films is as much a character as all the dragons and other creatures running about. “People actually think that it must be CGI because it can't possibly exist.”

British audiences also got to see Head last year in The Invisibles, which debuted on DVD here Tuesday. In it, he plays a member of a legendary burgler team who comes out of “retirement” when his partner needs to scrounge up some cash, and they join up with the son of another old colleague. “I'm a safecracker who just happens to be a really grumpy old man, and I'm glad to say I had to age up for it,” Head says. “My family would say I was annoying to have at home because a little bit of every character spills over, and I was a grumpy old man, apparently.” Actually, his home life spilled into his professional one, too — his oldest daughter, Emily, guest-starred on two of the six Invisibles episodes as his character's little girl. In one of Head's favorite scenes, the daughter — who has no idea her father is a master criminal — finally learns about his past. “You don't have to act the relationship,” Head says. “The relationship is there, all the love I feel for her is there. And you're playing a heartbreaking scene where you have to admit to your daughter something that you've held back all your life, and all the emotion that comes into play is very real.”

With his appearances on Doctor Who and Little Britain, Head says he's been lucky enough to have four or five iconic English shows under his belt — “What I always find fascinating is I am all things to all men” — but in America, where he has a home in Los Angeles, he'll always be famous for playing Sarah Michelle Gellar's sage mentor on Buffy. “Every time I think, ‘Well, everybody must have forgotten it by now,' there's a whole new audience. Young kids coming up to me and saying, ‘I love Buffy !' ” And being so close to the series, which lasted for seven seasons (1997-2003), he understands why there's been so much fan outrage this week when it was announced that Fran Rubel Kuzui, the director of the original 1992 Buffy movie starring Kristy Swanson, and her husband Kaz were working on a new film without the involvement of series creator Joss Whedon (who also wrote the original movie's first script).

Doing a Buffy movie without Whedon ? “I wouldn't want to see it, no,” Head admits. “The Kuzuis didn't do a great job on the movie the first time around. It was Joss' script at the age of 19, but they changed a lot of it. They said, ‘Look, we know best and we know how to make this movie,' and it became quite schlocky and high camp.” Head recalls the time when he went to audition for the Buffy series because he loved Whedon's pilot script so much, and his agent advised him to watch the movie to get the tone of the show before his screen test. “So I did and I went, ‘Oh, that's not it at all.' I went in and saw Joss and said, ‘I watched the movie last night !' And he went, ‘Oh. Did ya ?' I just put it out of my mind. The bottom line is if a movie was ever to be made, it should be made with Joss Whedon, whether it's a retrospective or not. But it would be madness to do it without him. [The Kazuis] have the rights to because they have the rights to the original movie, but it should be interesting to see. It may be a bit like watching a car wreck.”

Anthony Head - "The Invisibles" Tv Series - Npr.org Audio Interview

Webmaster — 2009-05-30T19:56:57Z

British actor Anthony Head is probably best known for his roles wielding coffee cups and crucifixes : He played the smooth-talking neighbor with the mysterious smile in the soap opera-style Taster's Choice commercials, as well as Buffy the Vampire Slayer's fatherly "Watcher," Giles.

Head has since added safe-cracking criminal to his resume with the BBC TV series The Invisibles, which has just been released on DVD in the United States. In it, he plays Maurice, a criminal who comes out of retirement only to discover that his knees — if not his nerves — are not always up to the job.

The Invisibles was also a family affair : One of Head's co-stars was his daughter, Emily.

But Head says his grumpy character, Maurice, was difficult for his family to live with.

"You do, as an actor, you do bring the characters home with you, and they've had to put up with some fairly annoying people in their lives," he says.

Click on the link :

http://public.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/wesat/2009/05/20090530_wesat_16.mp3 ?dl=1

Anthony Head - "Merlin" Tv Series - Iesb.net Interview

Webmaster — 2009-05-27T19:37:06Z

Merlin is a new drama series that updates the story of the infamous sorcerer of Arthurian legend for a new audience.

It unveils the mythical city of Camelot, in a time before history began, when there was a fantastical realm of legendary beasts and mysterious people as well as a dangerous world in which magic has been banned by the ruthless tyrant, Uther Pendragon (Anthony Stewart Head).

When Merlin (Colin Morgan), a young man gifted with extraordinary magical powers, arrives in the kingdom, he quickly makes enemies which include the heir to Uther's crown, the headstrong Prince Arthur (Bradley James). But, Merlin is soon using his talents not just to survive, but also to unlock Camelot's mystical secrets. As he does so, he discovers that his destiny and that of the kingdom's young leader-in-waiting, Arthur, are inextricably linked.

Best known for his role as Giles on the popular television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Anthony Stewart Head spoke in this exclusive interview about this imaginative new twist on a familiar legend, as well as the status of the Buffy spin-off series.

IESB : What was it about this project that interested you ?

Anthony : I wasn't sure, at first. I was very attracted by the lump of money they offered me. In England, that's a very good thing. It was a guaranteed 13-part series, which again is very, very rare. And, it was being put together by Julie Gardner, who is the driving force behind BBC Wales, and who I adore. I think she's an extraordinarily creative woman, but she also has the strength of her convictions. Once she gets behind something, she sees it through. She doesn't wait to see what the rest of the committee says. She's got balls, which is something that you can't say for an awful lot of executives. They all usually wait for strength in numbers. Having said that, I wasn't altogether sure about doing it.

IESB : What was the appeal of playing this character, Uther Pendragon ?

Anthony : I sat down and talked to James Hawes, the director of the first block of episodes, and he put my mind at rest on everything. I said, “I don't just want to be Mr. Shouty,” and he said, “Don't worry about that. I'll steer you through that.” In fact, every now and again, he'd say, “It's a bit Queen of Hearts.” We very quickly established that this king has to make unpopular decisions because he's king and he's holding a very tenuous grip on what could, at any point, fall apart. They're living in difficult times. From early on, I kept saying, “Wherever we can, I'd like to add detail about him being a warrior king and a soldier.” He's old school. To rule, you have to be feared. Who needs to be a king that's understood ? He thought, “I don't care whether they understand me. As far as I'm concerned, I just need to rule, and I have to make decisions, whether unpopular or popular.” It's from that basis that Arthur becomes the king that he eventually does.

IESB : So then, what finally sold you on doing the project ?

Anthony : I must admit, I thought, “I wonder why nobody has done this before.” It's such an obvious thing to do for TV, if they could get the production values right, which they did. They searched all over Europe and around the U.K. and could not find a castle. They nearly gave it up because they couldn't find the castle, and then they found Pierrefonds and suddenly went, “Oh, my God, this is it !” And, it is. It's extraordinary. When you walk in, you're just thrown back into another time. The stones still shine and gleam. It's got plenty of history in it.

IESB : As an actor, is it easier for you to work with that stuff actually there, as opposed to having to imagine it all ?

Anthony : Oh, yeah ! Thankfully, I haven't done anything that's been largely green screen. It would be a challenge, and I'd do the best that I could. We had to do a joust recently, and the guys rode the horses up and down. Mechanically, since we all had to look at what was going on, it was good to actually have something physical happening. It's so much easier, watching two guys pelting at each other on horses, to get the excitement up and the adrenalin going. It's so much easier than having to pretend to see it. The first time I walked into my throne room, which is the length of a football field, my breath was taken away. It was like, “Okay, all right, I'm king.” Yes, you can imagine it. My job is to make whatever is on the page seem like it's real. But, the castle is the seventh member of the cast. It's the most extraordinary thing. You do a scene down a corridor and it's got depth, which isn't created by mirrors or a green screen. It literally goes on for 30 yards. You couldn't do that on a set.

IESB : Having had the experience with Buffy, what is it like to work in that kind of ensemble ?

Anthony : The fact that they are so brilliantly cast is a dream. Jill Trevellick, who is one of the leading casting directors in England now, has put together an extraordinarily well cast ensemble, to the degree that we're all almost playing our characters with each other. Bradley James (who plays Arthur) is a bit like a son to me, and I'm a bit like a father to him. And, Colin Morgan (who plays Merlin) and Bradley get along really well. They have the same relationship, off screen. He doesn't push Colin around like he does on screen, but the banter is there. And, they have this very strange humor that no one else gets, and they just crack up at each other's jokes. Every guest star that we've had, and we've had some really nice guests on it, have said what an enjoyable experience it was because it's a great crew and cast, and everybody is very welcoming. You don't get that unless people are comfortable. If they're comfortable and at ease, then they can enjoy it. But, it doesn't necessarily make it a great production, if people are enjoying it. You can have a great production where everybody hates each other, and it still works really well on screen. It just happens to be a bonus, on this gig. I guess no one is terribly insecure. We've all got a gig.

IESB : Does it make it easier to return for another season, when you know that everyone gets along and enjoys working together ?

Anthony : Yeah, it's certainly a bonus. I've been very fortunate, actually. I've done very, very few gigs that I can think of, where I've had that. I remember a job that I did a long time ago, where I was a guest, and the largely female ensemble cast had collectively decided that the director couldn't do it and that he wasn't good enough. They literally took me aside and said, “Don't worry about the director. Just ignore what he says. We'll set you right.” And, I was like, “But, he's in the control room.” We were shooting in a studio, and I said, “It's his gig. He's the one who's calling the shots.” They said, “Don't worry. We'll tell you if you're not very good.” I went along with it, but I still listened to the director. I thought it was bizarre. It was a terrible show. Thankfully, I haven't had too much of that.

IESB : Do you know if anything will ever come of the Buffy spin-off about Giles that's been talked about ?

Anthony : The last showing that the Buffy spin-off had was that I introduced Joss Whedon to Julie Gardner, who really wants to do something. She happened to be over here publicizing Torchwood, and I was doing Persuasion for PBS. I thought, “Wow, why not put them together ?” They got along very well, so it looked like something might happen, whether it be Buffy related or whether it just be me and Joss doing something. But then, he had dinner with Eliza Dushku, and Eliza said that she was sick of playing the same part, and he came up with the idea for Dollhouse, and that was that.

IESB : Is it hard to keep going back and forth on it, not knowing whether it's actually going to happen ?

Anthony : Everything happens for a reason, and everything doesn't happen for a reason. If it doesn't happen, it's because something else was meant to happen, or it wouldn't be what everybody had expectations of. Who knows ? It may yet happen, somewhere down the line, and it will be at a time when Joss and I are ready to work together again. I still see him, regularly. It will be what it will be. You can't get caught up in it. I was very bitter about Sweeney Todd for awhile because I had a really nice part in it and it got cut. I thought there was injustice in that. But, who knows ? If I hadn't been involved in the shooting of it, maybe I would have done something else, which would have made me unavailable for the pilot of Free Agents that I did, and Repo ! The Genetic Opera.

IESB : Do you have any other projects going on ?

Anthony : Free Agents is a series that I did, in between seasons of Merlin, which has been critically very successful in England, and I'm hoping that gets picked up again. There's a little horror movie that says they'll work around me. It's just a question of when they can get their money together. They're short the last couple hundred grand. It's with a young writer/director and it's very good. There's a movie that I was supposed to be doing two years ago, but the money fell out at the last minute, literally two days before we were supposed to start rehearsing. That came back last year, and it's come back again this year, and I know it's going to be made, but I can't do it because I'm doing Merlin. But, I would rather be doing Merlin. It's one of those things where there's obviously a good reason why I shouldn't do it.

Anthony Head - "Merlin" Tv Series - Ifmagazine.com Interview

Webmaster — 2009-04-25T16:13:30Z

Exclusive : ANTHONY STEWART HEAD CONFIRMS 'BUFFY' MOVIE IS ONLY RUMORS PLUS TALKS ABOUT NBC'S 'MERLIN'

The British actor thinks the new medieval series will have a broad family appeal

LOCATION : Pasadena, CA

THE SKINNY : It's taken a while for Anthony Stewart Head to graduate from Watcher to King, but he's doing just that with his new role as the villainous King Uther who doesn't believe in magic in NBC's forthcoming summer series MERLIN (which debuts in June).

Originally made for the BBC, NBC jumped on board the series, which uncovers the younger years of Arthur and Merlin), sight unseen according to Head and with the series already success in England, he's hoping American audiences are going to get a kick out of it too.

“The proof will be in the pudding,” Head says. “It's one of those gigs, you go ‘why the hell didn't somebody do this before.' It was so simple, it was so easy. And looking at this show, it's a spectacular, beautiful show. It's funny, witty, dark and sinister in its moments and light enough for five and six-year-old's to get off on it. We haven't had a good medieval romp since I can remember. We've had movies with knights riding around, but nothing like this on TV, usually because of the production values. But they've somehow managed to do it.”

Ironically, the series was almost called off because the producers couldn't find a proper castle.

“They nearly cancelled it because they couldn't find a castle, but at the last minute [they found one] and it's just staggering,” he adds. “It's in France. It's staggering. It's like the seventh member of the cast. It so informs everything we do. You do a corridor scene you do. It doesn't matter what time of day, what the light is, it's just beautiful. It has that depth.”

Recently, there's been rumblings again about a BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER feature film, but Head, who had recently talked with series creator Joss Whedon, says there's not truth to it.

“The last time I saw him, I said ‘so,' and he's ‘no,'” laughs Head. “Who knows. If all the stars were right, I'd certainly do it.”

Anthony Head - Significant others - Timesonline.co.uk Interview

Webmaster — 2009-04-18T09:26:18Z

The relationships that make a life : Anthony Head

Anthony Head, 55, is a fixture of British and American stage and television, starring in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Little Britain and Dr Who. He lives in Bath with his partner Sarah and two daughters.

My best friend's mum

When I was 6, my best friend was Tom Underhill. Every year his mother, Rosalie, would put on a play with her kids and their friends. The first time I did it, I played a herald, but the next year, I was an emperor. That moment, when I walked through the audience and everyone turned to look at me… I remember thinking very clearly, this is what I want to do for ever.

My partner

I was very, very fortunate to find my partner, Sarah Fisher, the most influential person in my life. When we met at the National Theatre, I was gobsmacked. I can't remember what I said… it was the worst pick-up line ever. When securing work was hard after a [famous Nescafé] coffee ad, it was Sarah who said I should test the water in America and change people's perceptions of me, and that she would stay with the girls. An extraordinary sacrifice.

My acting coach

Milton Katselas ran the Beverly Hills Playhouse. He had this amazing ability to touch on whatever it was that was holding you back from your full potential. His whole ethos was that life is filled with choices, and it led to a change of direction for me as an actor. It paid off, and has meant all the choices I've made since have been more, shall we say, lively.

My daughters

I have a lovely relationship with Emily and Daisy, amazingly, given that for eight years I was away from them for months on end. We took every opportunity to be together… they would come to LA, the crew and cast of Buffy were their friends and Sarah Michelle [Gellar] and Alyson [Hannigan] were like sisters to them. I'd always say, “I can leave Buffy if you want me to, if this is too difficult,” but they both said no, it's too cool a show. They both act, and the fact they've seen it first-hand early on was beneficial.

My mum and dad

When at first I didn't get into drama school, Dad took me into his company making documentary films, working in the cutting room. Instead of saying, “Right, you're obviously not going to be an actor,” he allowed me to do something constructive. I've remained good friends with my parents, though my dad just passed away. It's hard – you think, did I say everything that needed to be said ? I'm glad to say I did. I miss him, but there was nothing owing on either side.

Free Agents, starring Anthony Head, is available on DVD now

Anthony Head - About his travels - Independent.co.uk Interview

Webmaster — 2009-04-12T08:49:28Z

My Life In Travel : Anthony Head

'LA is a beach culture without sitting on a beach all the time'

First holiday memory ?

My mother [actress Helen Shingler] used to do the TV show Maigret, so a lot of our early holidays revolved around France. They would film location stuff there and we would go along as well. We went all over : the Dordogne, the Loire, Brittany. We would find a camping site and spend a week getting there, stopping off at the odd hotel, but mostly at camp sites on the way.

Best holiday ?

I think it's LA. When I was doing Buffy, our family would make holidays part of the job. We'd go out for three weeks, and the first two weeks we'd have together and do Universal Studios and Disney, and then the last week I'd start work and the kids would join me on set. The worst part of it always was saying goodbye ; I'd be left to get on with the work and they'd leave.

Favourite place in the British Isles ?

Somerset. We moved there about 15 years ago. When I come back from travels there's a certain place where you come off the M4 that overlooks the Avon Valley. I always open the window and just breathe the air.

What have you learnt from your travels ?

That it's always good to come home when you spend a long time away from your family. It's lovely to be in exotic places, but if I didn't know I was going home I think I'd lose it.

Ideal travelling companion ?

My partner, Sarah. When I'm on my own because of a job and I'm not able to share stuff with her, it devalues what I'm seeing. We laugh a lot together ; she's my best friend as well as my partner.

Beach bum, culture vulture or adrenalin junkie ?

Beach bum. That's one of the great things about LA ; it's sort of a beach culture without having to sit on a beach all the time.

Greatest travel luxury ?

Someone to organise it all for me ! That is one of the joys of being an actor – there is usually someone who takes care of the travel arrangements.

Holiday reading ?

I always take a book and then never read it. It usually ends up that I've got a script or two that I take with me and I have to read them.

Where has seduced you ?

We stayed in this beautiful nest of chalets in an old plantation in St Lucia. I still look at the pictures I took on my phone. It's a vista that goes around from tropical rainforests, taking in an extraordinary mountain spur, and then out to the Caribbean. It is the most idyllic surroundings I think I've known, a beautiful place.

Better to travel or arrive ?

Definitely arrive. As far as travelling is concerned, I try to do as much as I can with Virgin : they do make travel enjoyable. They aren't quite as attentive as they were once upon a time ; I do miss the in-flight massage.

Worst travel experience ?

It was my own fault. I was travelling out to LA with my daughters to do a photo shoot for Buffy. I got them each their own passport, and for some bizarre reason I got single fares out there. We got to Heathrow and I was alright because I had a visa, but the girls needed return tickets. I'd left my credit card behind and had absolutely no means of paying, so someone had to take us all the way back to Bath. I missed the photo shoot and they had to shoot me separately and Photoshop me in ; it was just hideous.

Worst holiday ?

It was a working holiday but Haiti was the most unpleasant place I've been to. Just before I got there the crew had been kidnapped by a machete-wielding mob and held hostage. And while I was there, there was gunfire every night and six policemen were beheaded and left on the road.

Worst hotel ?

The Stouffer Concourse hotel in LA. A long time ago when I did a commercial for Nescafé, somebody had the strange idea of running a competition to find the characters' names. The prize was to meet me and Sharon Maughan, who was the other actor in it, at the Stouffer Concourse hotel. As we were flying in, Sarah looked out of the window and said "Isn't that our hotel ?" – it was right by the runway ; there was an 18ft wall overshadowing the pool, presumably to stop people on the plane from looking into it.

Best hotel ?

Without a doubt, also in LA, it's Shutters on the Beach. It's always been a favourite of Sarah's and mine. When the girls were much younger we would get a babysitter and go and have cocktails on the balcony overlooking Santa Monica beach. It's really relaxed.

Favourite walk/ swim/ride/drive ?

We did this drive up to the Sequoias in North California in an open-top Mustang. It was great fun, but when we got there it was the most incredible place – stunning trees ; the forest was absolutely beautiful.

Best meal abroad ?

Crab cakes on the balcony of Shutters on the Beach with a margarita, or champagne.

First thing you do when you arrive somewhere new ?

Look at the view then look at the bathroom. They're both pretty much interchangeable ; if you've got a crap view you've got a crap bathroom and vice versa.

Dream trip ?

I'd love to go to Tibet. It's always held a great mystery for me.

Favourite city ?

Palmyra, which is an ancient Roman city in the Libyan desert and one of the most extraordinary sites I have seen. There's a beauty to something that's been preserved in the desert.

Where next ?

Paris, to do more Merlin. We shoot in the most extraordinary château called Pierrefonds, which is about an hour north-west of Paris. It's a strange sort of folly ; Napoleon III commissioned it on the ruins of a medieval castle. The first time I walked into what we use as the throne room, which is this wooden chamber with a vaulted ceiling, I thought, "Oh my God ; I am a King !"

Anthony Head - "Repo ! The Genetic Opera" Movie - Nymag.com Q&A

Webmaster — 2008-11-11T10:52:47Z

Britain's Anthony Stewart Head, best known for playing librarian Rupert Giles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, clearly appreciates a cult following. His latest film—the supremely weird Repo ! The Genetic Opera, in which he plays a Sweeney Todd–like widower—has been described as the next Rocky Horror Picture Show. (He also stars in the hit Brit series Merlin, coming here in 2009). Head spoke with Rebecca Milzoff about his dodgy past and two exceedingly odd pets.

So, I saw the movie. I'm still recovering.

I've only seen it in a theater once, and it was two o'clock in the morning. It was weird. There were a few people who left. But I thought, It's a rock opera—and it's by Darren Lynn Bousman [Saw II, III, and IV]. What would you expect but disemboweling and a bit of singin' about it ? Horror is in itself oddly campy, and I think part of Repo's appeal is that it has its tongue firmly in its cheek.

As evidenced in the legendary Buffy episode “Once More, With Feeling,” you can sing. Weren't you in a rock band called Two Way ?

It sounds like a strange sexual deviance. The music was very eighties. There are record covers out there with me sporting a very dodgy look—including a tiny rattail plait.

What's next for you ?

Well, right now I go and pick up my daughter who's in town. Then come back and muck out the donkeys !

Wait—you have donkeys ? At your home ?

Yeah, doesn't everyone ? [Laughs] We've got some stables in our garden with two cute Mediterranean miniature pink donkeys—although that description is misleading. They're not that small.