Buffy the Vampire Slayer actor coming to Connecticut this weekend.
23 October 1998, by Jason Harris, Staff Writer.
(http://www.dailycampus.com/focus/current/buffy_fjh1023.html)

Anthony Stewart Head, who plays Giles the Watcher on the hit show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," is coming to Connecticut this weekend.

Head will be signing autographs at 8 p.m. this Saturday in Farmington's Borders Books and Music.

The life time actor made his debut at age 6 in the play "The Emperor's New Clothes." Since that time, Head has been in a number of plays, commercials and television shows.

Before "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," he was on the sci-fi series "VR.5," which lasted for 13 episodes.

Head might be best known, though, for those soapy Taster's Choice commercials he starred in a few years ago.

Whoever he playing, though, Head learned a long time ago that to get into a character's shoes, he needed to know their "smell."

Head said he believes the character of Giles posesses a musty, old-book smell. Giles will continue to be angst-ridden as he mourns the loss of his love interest, Jenny Calendar, who was killed by the vampire, Angel.

Head loves being on a hit show and working with the actorson the show, he said. Head is very fond of his castmates who are "exceptional" and "very talented," he said. "It is a remarkable cast."

His praise doesn't stop with his castmates. He has high praise for Joss Whedon, the creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

"Joss Whedon is an exceptional writer and creator," Head said. "Joss doesn't play to the market value of something. He writes toward story arcs."

Head thinks the myth and concept of vampires is appealing. He thinks Anne Rice did an exceptional job of renewing the vampire legend by getting inside the vampires heads.

"There is something romantic and cool about them," Head said. "I always fancied playing one for two reasons: You don't know what they are thinking, and they have this light and dark side."

Along with the show, Head is keeping busy with future projects, which may include an animated movie and a television program, he said. He also writes screenplays.

"I love writing," Head said. "I love most forms of creativity. I write music, which I haven't done in awhile."

Head loves the fact that writing can be done anywhere. He never considers any of his work finished.

"I am involved with five things at the moment," Head said. "[The writing projects] are ongoing."

He is co-writing "D'Ark Secrets" with Matthew Bell, a friend in England. Head has said it will be the next "Rocky Horror Picture Show" and hopes it will become an animated feature.

When he is on hiatus from the show, he is heading back to England where he does things such as mend his fences and other house-hold chores. He also is renovating his 1813 regency house which he has owned for five years. He lives with his long-time companion, Sarah Fisher and their two daughters, Emily and Daisy. As far as marriage goes, Head lives by the philosophy of 'don't fix something that ain't broken.'

"She is the most extraordinary, beautiful person I have ever met," Head said. "She makes my life complete."

Top of page

The fight against AIDS continues when AIDS Project Hartford conducts AIDS walk '98. The parade, entitled The Hartford Halloween Parade to Benefit AIDS Project Hartford, will take place on Sun., Oct. 24.

The parade walks along a two-mile route through downtown Hartford. The grand marshall of the parade will be Anthony Stewart Head who portrays Giles on "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer."

Head was asked to be the Grand Marshall a couple of months ago, he said. It was the first thing he was asked to do when he came back to the U.S. to start filming the third season of "Buffy."

"I made a choice that I will be more available this year," Head said about doing things for charity. "I have lost a number of friends to AIDS. We should care for the people who have it."

In London, Head has done work for the Terrence Higgins Trust, the main body which coordinates AIDS events research, he said.

"I am always careful not to spread myself too thin," he said. "I like people to know that I have thought about [these causes]."

The event begins with the pre-parade registration at The Hartford Insurance Groups headquarters on Asylum Street. All pledges and donations must be collected prior to the day of the parade. There will be prizes awarded to the individuals and teams who have raised the most money. The prizes include a trip to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a Web TV package with television set, weekend getaways to New Orleans and Cape Cod, movie and theater passes, plus gift certificates from area restaurants and bookstores, and other prizes.

People coming to the parade can dress up as their favorite cartoon character, actor, television character or anything else a person can dream up.

The event will have food donated by Subway and featuring music by The Undertones, Storm Warning Jazz Band and others throughout the day. There will be a benefit concert at the Webster Theater featuring Max Creek and Deep Banana Blackout. An estimated 1,000 people will be attending the event, said Joseph Downton, the director of development at Aids Project Hartford.

The entire event is sponsored by WB-59 TV, The Travelers, The Hartford, Anthem/Blue Cross, WKSS-FM, The Hartford Advocate, WHCN-FM and a number of other companies.

Tickets for the benefit concert are $20 and will go to AIDS Project Hartford along with all the money raised from the parade. The doors to the Webster Theater will open at 6:30 p.m. and the concert will begin at 8 p.m. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday.

Related Links

Sources

Page created January 1999. Original material © Betsy Vera (bentley@umich.edu). This website is for information and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to infringe on copyrights held by others.