'Merlin's' Anthony Head still 'Giles' to some
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Katie McGrath happy to live inside the 'Merlin' bubble
It was only a short time ago that the Merlin star was working on the other side of the camera.
by: Sheri.Block
Date: 8/21/2009 11:09:00 AM ET
Anthony Head may be receiving much acclaim for his role as King Uther on "Merlin," but many fans still fondly remember the actor as Rupert Giles in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" - including his new young co-stars.
During the very first read through for "Merlin," Katie McGrath, who plays Morgana, recently told CTV.ca she was freaking out because not only had she never done a read through before in her life, she couldn't believe 'Giles' was part of it.
"You would never have known that she had never been to a read through in her life ... She sat next to me and she's got her feet up on the chair and she was reading with incredible aplomb," laughs Head, who also had no idea the novice actress was so intimidated to meet him.
"And Bradley James (who plays Arthur), bless his heart, did sidle up to me and say, 'I know I'm going to make a complete fool of myself but I have to now confess that I'm a huge 'Buffy' fan.'"
"Merlin," which gives a new spin on the legend of King Arthur, features a fresh new cast that also includes Colin Morgan as a much younger version of the famed wizard. The series has become an international success since its debut last year in the UK.
And even though playing a king who wants to banish all magic from his kingdom in "Merlin" may seem like a long way off from his role as a high school librarian who wasn't opposed to casting a spell or two in cult series "Buffy," Head says the latter character opened a lot of doors for him in terms of future roles - including his current one as King Uther.
"What Rupert did for me was basically, up to that point I had pretty much been sort of the romantic lead and it gave me the opportunity to play character. Character roles, there's just so much more to them - you get to play so many more colours. Also, 'Buffy' was an international hit so sure ... in terms of my bankability, my marquee value as they say, went up enormously and people also understood, 'Oh, he can act.'"
After appearing in seven seasons of "Buffy," which wrapped up in 2003, Head was cast in a number of roles back home in the UK, including as a prime minister in "Little Britain" and as a sinister headmaster who ate children in "Dr. Who." It all convinced Merlin producers he was perfect for the role of Uther.
"I think what they wanted in Uther was somebody who could play both sides - who could play the reasonable man, who could see what was going on, not just playing somebody who shouts at people and chops their heads off. I hope I've given them what they wanted," he says with a laugh.
Head says "Merlin" and "Buffy" do share some similarities when it comes to the quality of the writing and having a veteran cast as the backbone.
"I think in terms of writing a show, to add the gravitas that I and Richard Wilson give, and as I did with 'Buffy' as Giles, that's kind of what, it roots the show. It roots the writing. Then you can do whatever else on top of it but you've got a kind of bedrock and it worked very well with Buffy and you know there's a constant there in terms of character that you come back to and you can kind of rely on," says Head.
But King Uther's days as the ruler of Camelot could be numbered as everyone has it out for him - including his loyal ward Morgana.
Head says the events in the two-episode season finale, which airs Sunday night at 7 pm ET on CTV, will forever change the two characters' relationship.
"All the way through the series there's been the suggestion that she is my wayward ward and I am fighting to keep control over this sort of relationship. I'm very fond of her but it's the first real kind of step out of line that she basically declares her hatred for me and it pre-shadows what comes down the line," says Head.
"The last episode is awesome ... You don't really know what's going to happen next."
Season 1 may just be coming to a close here in North America, but Head and the rest of the cast are already nearing the end of shooting Season 2 in England, France and Wales.
"There's some quite dark episodes, which is very cool, there's a couple of stand out, pretty much comedy episodes. They've got a little bit of bite to them," he says with a chuckle. "But they revolve around Uther falling in love with somebody."
And with upcoming projects that include TV series "Free Agents" and a possible return to the theatre, Head says he would never rule out the possibility of a "Buffy" reunion.
Head is not pleased that plans for a new big screen movie haven't included series creator Joss Whedon or any of the original cast, including star Sarah Michelle Gellar, and says any future film should be done the right way.
"I would love Joss to say, 'Ok, you're going to make a movie? Right, let's make the proper movie,'" says Head, who still stays in touch with the show's cast regularly.
"It would (depend) if he felt the need to say anything else. I would love it. I would jump at the chance to work with Whedon again and I think it would be very interesting to see the 'Buffy' crew a little older, to see what happened to all the characters."
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