TV Guide Online Interview

Interview at TV Guide Online
1998

Buffy is the Slayer. Giles is the Watcher. Willow is the brain. Cordelia is the pretty one. And Xander... well, he's Xander. Nicholas Brendon is the first to admit that Xander Harris, his character on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Mondays, 9 p.m./ET, WB), has no business squaring off against the undead. But fans don't seem to mind, as long as he keeps them laughing with his off-kilter quips. Jeanne Wolf talked with the actor and discovered his unexpected serious side. — John Walsh

Q: Has your life changed because of Buffy? Do you have to deal with crowds of fans now?
A: I don't tend to go out that much, really. When you're doing an hourlong show, five days a week, you just work and come home. I have a twin brother whose life has been affected a bit more. He actually just dyed his hair blond because he was kind of getting sick of it. He would say, "I'm his twin brother," and certain people would want his autograph anyway or take pictures with him. And I can see how that can be a bit cumbersome, because I love him very much. And he wants to act at some point, too.

Q: Have your expectations changed since Buffy took off?
A: I don't really think of it like that. I just would like to leave this big, floating rock having inspired somebody, having made a difference. It doesn't mean I have to be a huge megastar. I would like to entertain people. I love to do that. Thank you, God. I guess He gave me a little talent to do that. I watch biographies and get inspired, which is what I think they're intended to do.

I don't really look that far ahead. I'll talk to my girlfriend a lot. She gives really good advice on what to do and how to handle things. She's an actress and a model, and she writes and stuff. We write together. She's probably the most amazing person I know. I met her before I got the show. She's inspired me and she's coached me. It's just been really nice. Everything kind of fell into place.

Q: What's it like being a twin?
A: You always had a best friend — always. My parents were going through their problems and eventually got divorced. So we kind of raised each other and we were never lonely. You always had a person to play with. You always had someone to confide in, someone to talk to. And someone just to beat up.

Q: Is it hard for your twin, now that you've got a girlfriend and a hot series, and you're moving into your own life?
A: That's actually something that I've been struggling with lately. Maybe I'm not enjoying it as much because, maybe, I'm not fully happy if he's not fully happy. I'm starting to realize, "Well, this is what I do, and this is what he does. And don't confuse the two. Have fun with what you're doing and love and support your brother." It's been tough, though.

Q: Did you always want to be an actor?
A: No. I was a baseball player. I was going to play for the Dodgers. That was my goal. My parents weren't happy when I told them I wanted to start acting at all. I started when I was 20 and I did it for about three years. I did a couple commercials, and then I quit because the town was weird. I went back to school to do pre-med and that didn't work out. I just took pretty much every odd job you can have. I was working on Dave's World as a production assistant and they let me audition for a guest spot. I got it, and then they fired me as a PA. I just fell back into acting because there was nothing else. I signed with a manager and got Buffy about three months after that. It's just one of those things. Those strange things. Why did these things happen? Now I know why.

Q: Did you always know you had such great comic timing?
A: Never. I never did. I just hear things in my head. I think sometimes I take abnormal beats on a line, which is neat. It's just different. However the line should be said would just come into my brain, and I just would say it. It's almost like I'm out of control. And it's also got me into a lot of trouble because I'm not Robin Williams yet. So you say certain things and people take them out of context. That's something my girlfriend has helped me out a lot with.

Q: Were you a performer all your life?
A: God, no. I got into acting because I had a bad stutter. And I remember sitting in my mom's backyard. I was 19 and I was talking to God. And I just said, "When I'm 50 or 60, what will I look back on? What would I want to have done?" And acting came up. Because I was definitely afraid to talk in front of people. I couldn't really have a conversation without stuttering.

Q: Did your brother stutter, too?
A: No. It's something that happened to me as a child that triggered it. Later on in my career I might talk about it. Right now, I won't. But I just decided to tackle it. And I did a lot of tongue twisters, and I slowed my brain down. And it took probably about three or four years to really tackle it. I never knew that I could do what I'm doing now. Because it was a bad stutter. And I had an acne problem. Just all these things that I didn't think I could control. My mom would say, "Nick, love the zits. Love them. Embrace them. Because it means that you have oily skin, and as you get older, you won't have any wrinkles." Now I'm 27 and I'm playing 17. So it's like, God bless you, Mom.

Q: Mother knows best.
A: She was right. But when you're 17 and you just want to go out with that one girl... "They're calling me pizza-forehead, Mom. Pizza-forehead!" But now it's great. Now it's awesome. But, no, I never thought I'd be doing this. But I also knew I didn't want to wear a suit and tie, either, and do that 9-to-5 grind. So it's nice that I can get paid for having fun."

Q: Couldn't Sunnydale's vampire problem be ameliorated a bit with lots of garlic?
A: Well, Joss [Whedon, the series creator] has created somewhat of a hybrid vampire that isn't affected so badly by garlic. It just sort of makes their eyes tear up. We have a lot of crucifixes and stakes, and apparently those still work. The holy water also works as well. But garlic...well, garlic tends to make me really hungry. So I've just asked for it not to be on set because then I've got to eat. And I've got to fit into my wardrobe. I can't snack in between takes like that. Also, I just don't think it's as scary. Garlic is just not as ominous.

Q: Will you ever get bitten, do you think?
A: Will I ever get bitten? I guess that all depends on my contract renegotiations, I suppose. As of now, no. Are we talking about being bitten by a vampire or by a chick? Maybe I'll get bitten by a chick. That might be nice. That'd be great.

Q: What makes Xander a good vampire slayer?
A: Nothing. There's nothing about him that makes a good vampire slayer. Xander is both Shaggy and Scooby wrapped into one nice, little, neat package. I think I hinder more than help at times. And it's weird because sometimes I wonder what Xander is doing in a scene. Like, they're all around the library table and you see Xander kind of hopping up like a Chihuahua in the back. And he's ignored a lot. I don't think Xander's a really good vampire slayer at all.

Article taken from TV Guide Online. Graciously provided by the Webmaster of "The Babe Known As Xander."