Xander the Great

Cult Times
May 2000

Separated from all his college-going friends and dating a man-hating demon, Xander still finds time to invite the gang over for Hallowe'en, sell bad beer to the student population and grapple with a few vampires. "This isn't really a comical world," confides Nicholas Brendon

The fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer has taken the successful series in new and unexpected directions. The Scooby gang is out of high school now, and facing the real world challenges of college and life decisions, along with the decidedly other-worldly challenges of demons, monsters, and a mysterious government agency fighting alongside (or is it against?) the Slayer.

Those different directions give actor Nicholas Brendon pause as he considers the implications of the past year. "We're not done yet, so these are my thoughts while we're still shooting," says Brendon with the same dry delivery viewers have come to expect from his character, Xander, on Buffy.

"It was cool because it was a growing year for everybody. And very realistic, which is what I think Joss does an amazing job with on the show. Like Willow's new relationship, which I think happens in college -- and the confusion, the hurt from opposite sex people," muses Brendon. "And my character, it's just kind of... it's funny, because it's kind of what I did in my real life. I didn't go to college right away... if ever. He's just trying to find his niche in life, and every week he has a different job. It seemed that even though we had a lot of the monsters and ghouls and stuff, the main monster and ghouls seemed to be real life traumas and problems."

The character of Xander often seems to fill the role of the show's Greek chorus, commenting on events as well as translating what's happening on-screen for viewers. But he's also the personification of series creator Joss Whedon, who has stated that Buffy's depiction of the trials and tribulations of teenage life is essentially a thinly veiled version of Whedon's own high school years. "I think it was Joss when he was in school, but now he's God, so he has more say on what the outcome is," jokes Brendon. "It's almost as if the show is seen through Xander's eyes. He guffaws and laughs and looks in wonderment, and also he has to live Joss's life in high school and college."

The wry, sardonic wit that's Xander's trademark comes naturally to Brendon. "No, I just take the lines and do them like I want to do them. I like comedy. It's escapism. Because this isn't really a comical world."

Consider his response to being asked how does he keep things fresh on the series: "I'll change sodas that I drink. Mondays I'll never have a Coke, I'll have a 7-Up on Mondays, Sprite on Tuesdays, Pepsi on Wednesdays. Orange on Thursdays and maybe root beer on Fridays," he says with a straight face, completely serious -- or maybe not.

Aside from comedy, Brendon cites baseball as having been a major influence in his formative years. "Baseball was very, very good to me. And I [watched] Love Boat and Dukes of Hazzard; I was never really into Sci-Fi and didn't really read any comic books at all. I was just a kid who loved to play baseball, and whenever there was a baseball game on TV I'd watch it. And I was always playing baseball. So I didn't really watch any Sci-Fi at all." An arm injury cut short his aspirations of playing baseball professionally, and it was then that Brendon turned his attention to acting. When he hit a dry spot between parts, he took a job as a production assistant on Dave's World, and then promptly nailed a guest spot role on the series, too. He's since appeared on the soap opera The Young and the Restless, had a role in Children of the Corn III - Urban Harvest, and has appeared in several Los Angeles theater productions.

Although his tendencies don't lean toward science fiction, like any other eligible 20-something male actor in Hollywood these days, Brendon wouldn't mind it if the role of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode II rolled his way. Not that he believes it will. But, he tells, "George Lucas came to our set two months ago. And so I went and I met and I talked to him. But when I realized the kid in the first episode is Anakin, I realized that it probably is not going to happen," he laughs, shrugging it off. "I would love to. I just wasn't into it. I've seen all of the movies when they were rereleased and they were cool. But at the time, it was just so blown up, and when everyone had all the action figures, I just didn't want to be a part of that. I wanted to play kickball instead. But yes, I'd definitely do it. I think Lucas has proven his worth."

As has Buffy, apparently. After four years on the air, Buffy remains one of the WB Network's strongest, most consistent, and most-lauded efforts. Not that Brendon or any of the other actors knew what they were in for when they first began on this little-show-that-cold, which was based on a mildly noted feature film. "No. It was like fighting tooth and nail with the network for them to even give us a shot, because they picked up 7th Heaven over us. We were a midseason replacement. And so I think it was because of Joss being who he was, even then, that they gave it a shot. I think the first episode we all saw together was episode three, which was the witch episode, and we were all sitting there with chills, going, "oh my god, this is a really cool show." And I think that's when we started to realize [what we had with Buffy]. And then when it aired the ratings were really good, and we never looked back."

There are advantages to being part of a hit, established series: namely, job security. "Now we're getting our pick-ups early," explains Brendon. "After the first season we had to wait to see if we were going to be picked up. Then you wait until a week before they start shooting to get your option, to see if they want you back. But now they're doing it like, we got picked up for next year long ago, and we'll start production in July and probably in August we'll have our next season pick-up and the options coming in. So, the show's going to be around for a while. And we're all just trying to stay happy, and keep it real and fresh. And that's kind of up to the actors in a sense, to do that. It's fortunate."

There's always the potential for shock with Buffy, and Whedon never misses a beat when he sees a chance to throw viewers for a loop. However, according to Brendon, rumors that a character on the series will be killed off at the end of this season are inaccurate. But he does drolly offer this insight: "Buffy, Xander, Willow, and Giles are the four characters that will never die. Unless there's a bitter contract dispute with Fox. Anyone above and beyond that is expendable in Joss's eyes."

-- Melissa J Perenson