Charisma Carpenter: Death in Vegas
By John Aboud, TV Guide Online
September 28, 1999

Charisma Carpenter says she’s only recently been inside a casino, but after what happened to her last time she may never want to go in again!

The Las Vegas native tells Britain’s FHM magazine that the last time she visited home she stopped by a casino only to watch a man die right next to her. “There was this guy at a gaming table one minute, the next he was on the floor,” she explains. Perhaps caught up in the British sense of understatement, she adds, “That kind of put a damper on my vacation.”

With her leading role on the new WB show Angel (premiering October 5, 9 pm/ET), Carpenter has come a long way since her first break, a guest shot on Baywatch. “That was my worst job,” she remembers. “They did a full-on butt-shot when they’d said it was going to be a silhouette. I wasn’t naked – I had a bikini on – but I wasn’t down with it, and it was my first disillusionment. I’ve had plenty since – now I’m fully jaded!”

Even in her innocent, struggling-actress days, Carpenter was at least pragmatic. Her ability to compromise proved vital on the set of a commercial. “I had to do a commercial where the food had been glazed to make it look better, but the stuff they’d used was poisonous. We’d put it in our mouths then spit it out, but there was one girl from Texas who kept saying she wouldn’t do it because she wasn’t raised like that. So they fired her.”

Charisma Carpenter
Lindzi.com
September 1999

Lindzi.com: What were your high school years like?
Charisma Carpenter: Well, I moved around a lot so it was fun. I think if you can survive high school, you can survive real life, but one thing’s for sure — not everyone grows up. Ya know what I mean? That’s a huge misconception I had, [you'd think] it’s not as gossipy, people are more mature… no. It’s really kinda like life.

Lindzi.com: Typically, what goes on around the set of Buffy — in between takes?
Charisma Carpenter: It’s very much like a regular work place. It’s maybe a lot more personality oriented because it’s a creative environment. So, there’s a lot of clowning… there’s a lot of pressure, but I find it very enjoyable and can’t imagine doing anything else.

Lindzi.com: So, do you hang out with the cast in your free time?
Charisma Carpenter: Sometimes we do. Allison [Willow] and I went to a concert recently… Tony [Giles], Allison, Seth [Oz] and I all met each other at Marilyn Manson. It was fun!

Lindzi.com: Are you anything like Cordelia?
Charisma Carpenter: I think the only thing that’s really similar between the two of us is our passion for clothes (of course her closet is much better than mine!) and I think, also, there’s a similarity in being truthful.

Lindzi.com: Kissing Nicholas Brendon [Xander]…
Charisma Carpenter: …is like kissing my brother! Now, it’s like old hat, but at first it was very awkward. It took us a while to warm up to it. We’d never had an on-scene kiss before — I don’t think he did, but I know I hadn’t. It took some getting used to. In the end, it’s like egghh… we get to kiss.

Lindzi.com: Please tell me a little a bit about Angel, the new spin off show from Buffy…
Charisma Carpenter: I don’t know what I’m at liberty to say. It is a spin off starring David Boreanaz as Angel and myself as Cordelia. There’s another character involved, as well. His character name may change, but at the moment it’s “Whistler.” It takes place in Los Angeles and there’s demon fighting going on. We [started] taping in June and it’ll be on the Fall schedule.

Lindzi.com: Can we expect to see Angel and Cordelia hooking up anytime soon?
Charisma Carpenter: That is a million dollar questions I don’t even know the answer to, but I would looove to see that!

Lindzi.com: {laughs}

Lindzi.com: Will we see you on the big screen sometime soon?
Charisma Carpenter: Well, yeah… I would love for that to happen, but there’s a lot of scheduling problems. There’s a couple movies in the works that may or may not happen because of that. It’s a very short hiatus this season. I knew it was a problem I was looking to face. [Hiatus] may just be a vacation of relaxation and no work, but I really hope to.

Lindzi.com: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Charisma Carpenter: I hope to still be doing what I’m doing. Maybe a mother and married.

Lindzi.com: The signature question… what drives you insane??
Charisma Carpenter: Traffic… not too much time for myself.. not being able to see my niece…

Lindzi.com: How old’s your niece? What do they think of the whole ‘Hollywood thing’ with you on television and all?
Charisma Carpenter: I have two, actually. Well, the three year old has no idea. She pointed to me at the grocery store, when she saw Monica Lewinsky on the cover of Time, and she like “There’s Aunt Chili Dog, [her nickname for me].” My sister in law was dying!