WGN Interview
Interview on WGN
May 1999
Allison: Recent violent events have effected the WB's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The show's season finale is being shelved, at least for now. The episode was to air tonight. It would have shown Buffy dealing with disturbing images during her high school graduation. The WB has decided it was a little too violent to show so soon after the recent school shootings in Colorado and Georgia. The episode will air at a later date yet to be announced. Meanwhile, luckily Buffy has certainly produced some bright young stars.
Steve: She has.
Allison: Nicholas Brendon, who plays Xander on the hit tv show, is one of them.
Steve: You know, but being a tv star wasn't his big dream. In tonight's cover story, Joanie Lum takes Xander from the Buffy set, and brings him to Chicago. Joanie.
Joanie: Hi Steve, Hi Allison. Nicholas Brendon describes himself as being a huge sports fan. When he visited Chicago for the first time recently, the Cubs let him do commentary for a couple of innings from the WGN broadcast booth. But, Nick's real dream is to play for the major leagues. So we played along with Xander in Soxville.
[Switch to excerpt from Graduation Day, Part I]
Anya: Men like sports. I'm sure of it.
Xander: Yes, men like sports. Men watch the action movie, they eat of the beef, and enjoy to look at the bosoms.
[Voice over]
Joanie: He has the funniest lines on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. His character, Xander, a nerdy but clever teenager, romanced the school's most popular girl, known to Buffy fans as Cordelia.
[Switch to another Graduation Day, Part I scene]
Xander: And I was short. One more rotation and I'm shipping state side. You know what I mean?
Cordelia: Hardly, if ever.
[Voice over]
Joanie: But, Nicholas Brendon's real life-long dream was to play baseball. So, we took him to the place where kids can play, Comisky Park. The only kid in the park was Roger Bosser, the park’s grounds keeper.
[At the park, talking to Nicholas]
Roger: I know when you were growing up in life you wanted to be a major league ball player. But, I'm sure the second scenario was indeed, if I could become a groundskeeper and pull the canvas.
Nicholas: Totally.
Roger: I used to pitch a little bit.
Nicholas: Didjya?
Roger: I was a righty. You know, I wonder if I throw you a couple knuckleballs, just how far would you be able to hit them. Let's go for it.
Nicholas: Let's do it. Yeah, but I - I'm not wearing spikes, though.
[Some throwing and hitting as Sugar Ray’s "Every Morning" plays. It's on almost the whole time]
Nicholas: I'll pull it. I'll - I'll hit it to Joanie.
Roger: The fence is only 347.
Nicholas: This park, this park can't contain me. Ah! [Hits the ball and the bat flies out of his hand]
[Voice over] Joanie: Nick may contain a quick wit, but the hand-eye coordination is less sharp.
[On the field]
Did you dent it or anything? [Pointing to the wooden bat that flew out of Nick's hands earlier]
Nicholas: Yeah, oh yeah. [Points at the huge chunk missing out of the end of the bat]
Joanie: Did you do that?
Nicholas: Yeah, it flew... out of my hands.
[Voice over] Joanie: His game might be rusty but he's always looking to expand his roster.
[Back on field]
You're open to new friends?
Nicholas: Totally open to new friends.
Joanie: And you make friends fast.
Nicholas: I do make friends fast. But, I think you do too, though. I think you do. You've got this aura about you.
Joanie: And you have this warmth about you too.
[Voice over]
Nick and I realized neither of us could ever wield a big stick on the Sox field. Except the kind with a big
broom on the end.
[Both Joanie and Nick are shown with big brooms over their shoulders, the broom part behind them]
Nicholas: [Whistling a tune that sounds like one a broom-sweeper might sing] And I thought my brooming days were behind me. Get it? Behind me. Ba dum bum.
[Back in the studio]
Joanie: What a cutie. Nicholas Brendon lives in Los Angles, where he's been taking up piano and surfing, the childhood things he said he missed while concentrating on baseball.
Transcribed by Nicky