ING INTERVIEW: CHARISMA CARPENTER
by Eric Goldman

IGN TV: Last year, did you ever think Kendall might be the one behind the bus crash?
Carpenter: …Was I?! …Just kidding. No, I had no idea.

IGN TV: So have you heard what they're airing on the last night The WB is on the air [September 17th]?
Carpenter: No… I have no idea.

IGN TV: Well, you're on three of the five hours…
Carpenter: What?!

IGN TV: Because they're showing the pilots to Dawson and Felicity, and Buffy and Angel.
Carpenter: Oh wow! So David Boreanaz and myself are in the pilots for Buffy and Angel… I saw him today at the gym. That's so funny.

IGN TV: Oh, do you see him much at the gym?
Carpenter: I don't see him much at the gym, but we'll bump into each other at the Grove or we'll see each other periodically and I'll call Jamie, his wife, and we'll compare notes for our kids and stuff. Not often - I don't mean to make it sound like we're best buds - but we're very civil and love each other.

IGN TV: Is it gratifying for you to hear that when they're sending the WB off, those two shows are such a spotlight of their programming?
Carpenter: What about 7th Heaven?

IGN TV: I think they said that because it was moving to The CW, that was their reasoning for not including it.
Carpenter: Ooooh. That's bizarre. Well, it's interesting. Because when we first got on that show, supposedly at the time, WB was like, "Buffy is the landmark show that made our network." And then it was like, 7th Heaven was the number one show every year on The WB. So then WB… Buffy just sort of fell to the wayside, and I kind of got bummed, because it kind of felt like, "Gosh, you used to be loyal to us!" [Laughs] "You used to love us!" But you know, it's okay. I think it's appropriate and I think it's lovely to be recognized that way and I'm honored and grateful and The WB was always good to me. I'm really affectionate with [and] I have an affinity for [WB heads] Garth Ancier and Jamie Kellner, so it's all good.

IGN TV: I guess they're going to show a bunch of old promos and commercials on that final night too.
Carpenter: Oh, rad! That should be really interesting.

IGN TV: What do you think is the reason for the enduring popularity and fandom for Buffy and Angel?
Carpenter: You know, I'm sure if it was figured out it would be bottled. I don't know what it is. I just feel like apparently, people really connected and identified with the show and its themes and the characters were identifiable, which is both kudos to the writer and their ability to flesh out a character, and then to the actor, for that to be translated and performed in a way that was also attractive to fans, in a universal way. The quality of fans we have blows my mind. The kind of fan that we have is really smart and very attentive and quick to pick up on the innuendos, and you know, spoiler driven… conspiracy driven. And I just marvel at the fact that appeal's there.

It's almost weird that it's over. It's kind of like… It's funny, 'cause I met someone the other day... I was at the nail shop and I have a good relationship with the lady that does my nails, and so she was like, "Go ask them what they would like. Do they want a pedicure?" So I was just acting like the host of the nail shop and [the customer] asks, "Aren't you Charisma Carpenter?" And I say, "Yeah," and she goes, "I was a big Buffy fan," or something like a has been sort of phrasing, and I said, "Was?" [Laughs] She goes, "Well, it's not on the air anymore." I was like man, is this how it's going to be the next 20 years? Is it going to be like, "was"? "I was a big Buffy fan." - You know, I'm going to be sitting in a diner in 20 years [hearing that].

IGN TV: Well, I'm sure you're aware that there's plenty of fans who it's still very present tense for.
Carpenter: It's interesting. It's all a process! And it's funny to witness it and observe it.

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