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Buffy Troika Online Chat - Live chat 4th October 2002

Part one
  Conventions and fan sites.

Host: Tell us why you are here in the UK at the moment.

Tom: We're here doing some Buffy conventions, meeting fans and doing Q and A sessions. We're having a good time. Come and say "Hi", we want to meet you!

Mel: Have any of you visited any of the Troika fan websites? What did you think?

Adam: I have. During the season we know what's going to happen just as much as the fans do. The rumours on the fan sites are closer to what's going to happen more than the ones we know.

Tom: My unauthorised sites are better than mine. It's odd that there's so many. It's cool though.

Lor: What is the nature of the relationship between Andrew and Warren? Are they just friends or are we led to think that there may be something more?

Adam: Something more... implying what? I would imagine that they know each other very well and that they would do whatever they want to get what they want.

Tom: Andrew idolises Warren I think. I don't think we really know too much, it's very much left open. Maybe we will find out.

Aidan: Have you ever had any bad experiences with Buffy fans? Has anyone every asked you to sign a part of their body?

All: Yes!

Part two
  Nerds and super-powers

Barry: Were you guys the nerds at school? If so, did you bring this experience to your characters?

Danny: I wouldn't say I was a nerd, I was a 5' 2" sex symbol. I was friends with the nerds and the cool kids. I enjoyed the nerds much more, they were a lot more fun. They are the ones I still talk to now.

Tom: I was a popular nerd. I did drama, and was always performing in front of the school, so everybody knew who I was! I think it makes your personality more fun if you do that sort of thing.

Adam: I was a nerd. To be in a small town and to say you want to be an actor, they look at you really strangely. Anything they can do to deter your dreams is high on their list!

Tracy Michelle: If each of your characters were given super-powers, what would you like them to have?

Danny: I would like to fly. That would be fun. Then I could go places and wouldn't have to work. No customs either...

Tom: I was confused about my character's powers. I thought I had power of the music and arts, but it turned out I had power over demons.

Adam: I'd like to fly with Danny!

Becky Martin: Do any of you love sci-fi as much as the characters you play (i.e. would you do anything to save your Bobba Fett figurine)?

Danny: To be honest, none of us are sci-fi guys. I'm a big Harry Potter fan, but that's as close as we get.

Tom: I'm a fan of comedy, the reality TV shows like The Osbournes.

Adam: I'm obsessed with music and musicians I like. But I get obsessive about musicians as Buffy fans do about the characters.

Part three
  Andrew and and teen series

Victoria Haddow: To Tom Lenk. Do you think that Andrew ever gets fed up of being "the other one"? and do you wish that him and Jonathan got to Katrina first?

Tom: I know I get tired of being the other guy! I don't know if he does. In one of our last episodes, it shows that he's just a follower, he doesn't think for himself. He's just looking for someone to lead him.

Black Cat: What was it like working with Alyson Hannigan and how did you feel when you found out that the actions of your characters were going to have fatal consequences?

Danny: for me, I think she's awesome, so it's been great working with her. As far as actions having consequences, it's great storytelling.

Tom: We liked the turn when we did take action, that was really fun for us.

Adam: It was a great way to go. They are demons and they get badder! It's scary because it's a little more realistic.

Oddboy: Hi guys. Great to have you here. Would you be up for a Troika spin-off show? I'd love to see it.

Danny: Rock and roll Oddboy. Yeah I think we'd all love to do it.

Tom: You're not the first one to mention it either. Write in!

BTVS: If you were to create a teen series what would it be about?

Danny: About the life and times of Tom Lenk. A reality TV show...

Tom: I wrote a sitcom pilot based around my life, so that would be my ideal thing.

Part four
  Action figures and Enterprise

Luckie: Hiya. Did you keep any of the action figures as memorabilia?

Danny: I have all my props from Superstar.

Biggs: How have your lives changed since being on the show?

Danny: I'm more recognisable than I was before. That's pretty much the extent of it.

Tom: I moved out by myself. We all got new cars too.

Adam: We're all friends. When we hang out together we get lots of strange looks!

Tom: I don't think we've changed.

Polly: Would any of you like to star in any other sci-fi? Enterprise perhaps?

Danny: Sure, yeah, why not? I'm not so concerned about genre, as long as it's well written. There's great stuff in all genres, but it's all in the writing.

Tom: I'd like to guest star in Beast Master! Where he talks to the animals...

Part five
  Pilots and singing

Mr Doe: Danny, you appeared in the original unaired Buffy pilot. Could you tell us a bit about the differences between that pilot and the show that ultimately aired?

Danny: I only had one line in that pilot so I didn't spend too much time on the set. The cast were unknowns during the pilot but by the time I went back they were all famous. Really busy schedules. You're shooting a one hour movie in eight days. It's crazy!"

Sophie: To Danny - what was it like to do your own episode in the earlier seasons?

Danny: It was wonderful. It was a really funny episode I thought. It was really well written and it was fun to play the opposite to what I'd been playing up until then.

Tom: Danny is a very powerful actor and we saw it many times!!!

Sophie: Were you disappointed that you weren't in Once More With Feeling or didn't you want to sing?

Danny: Yes!

Tom: Everyone asks us why we weren't in it, like we didn't want to be in it!

Danny: It was sad that we didn't get to sing.

Adam: We weren't even in the mix when they started working on it. but I think the evil boy band concept would have worked!"

Part six
  Embarrassing moments and sex idols

Sammy: Can I just say "Hi" 'cos I have skipped school to chat?

All: Hi Sammy!

Willow Rules: Have you had any embarrassing moments while on set and if you have, what are they?

Tom: When Danny was naked in a scene...

Danny: I didn't have to be, but my instincts told me too ... Adam threw me against a wall so hard in a scene that he broke the wall. It was painful! People in the crew were blaming me!

Tom: When Katrina was supposed to be hitting me across the face, and she actually hit me. It didn't hurt too much, but it was embarrassing.

Danny: I don't know if they are embarrassing, but they're painful moments!

Sammy: Which of you gets the most women?

Danny and Adam: Tom!

Tom: My vote is for Danny, you're a sex idol. I don't know about getting the ladies though!

Biggs: Adam, what was your reaction when the rumours about Britney Spears being your robot girl came about?

Adam: Extreme excitement followed by despair and disappointment! It would have been a lot of fun and would have brought a lot of tension on the set. That would have been interesting to observe!

Part seven
  Recognition and Buffy Magazine

Black Cat: What is it like living in L.A. and being recognised in the streets have your egos got bigger?

Danny: I don't think there's much difference as my ego is always big! I love living in L.A. It's a city to have to get to know to like it, but there's a lot of neat stuff. I can leave my house and go to the supermarket though!

Black Cat: What is your favourite part about going to the Buffy conventions?

Danny: Meeting the fans, they're a lot of fun and really sweet. They're really nice, especially in the UK.

Jim: Do you ever read the Buffy Magazine?

Adam: I think Jim needs a more interesting name!!!

Tom: I think we've looked at them when they're about us!

Adam: It's good when they show an interest in us, not just the parts we play. They know about Common Rotation, great band, my band! Look out for the album soon! I've been doing that as long as I've been acting. It's a whole lot of fun.

Tom: We sell the T-Shirts and tickets...

James Master's Wife: Hi all, If you could make a 'bot' of anyone who would it be of?

Danny: Tom Lenk, we all know that! Everybody does!

Part eight (spoilers)
  Favourite episodes and season seven

Michael Sharp: This question goes to all of you. What was your favourite episode to do in Season Six and what would you change from your least favourite episode.

Danny: Dead Things. When we killed Katrina, I was an innocent bystander. It all turned around, it's all very serious and dark and it was great to do that one. Least favourite was the episodes that we weren't in!

Hacker Groupie: Tom - Do you think there was any chance that Adam's character Warren was knowingly using Andrew's attraction for him? Playing it up so that he (Warren) would have a dedicated follower?

Tom: I think so. Warren knew that he could take advantage of this guy. No matter what was going on between them, I think he did take advantage. He knew that if he had one person just working for him, he could take control.

Christina: I have been watching Buffy on satellite and was wondering if any of you are going to appear in the next season and are you going to be evil again?

Danny: Adam already appeared in the first episode, but I don't think we can talk about the future.

Adam: But watch closely...

Tom: We could teach Spanish maybe...

Ellybot: Tom, did you enjoy being one of Harmony's minions in Real Me, and at the time did you think you would be coming back as a different character?

Tom: I had no idea, I thought I was totally done with it, especially when you're killed. At the time, it was the biggest thing I'd done. I loved it. The make up was a little odd, an hour and a half having the face thing put on, but it was really cool.

Part nine (spoilers)
  Backlashes and badness

Stef: Adam, have you received any backlash from Amber Benson fans after you killed of Tara? What was it like to become a 'murderer'... and do you think Warren got his just deserts.

Adam: Yeah, absolutely. People were very upset about it. A lot of people had a lot of questions but hopefully they don't take it out on me personally. I think he probably got what he deserved for what he'd done.

Jasmine: Jonathan has been in almost every season of Buffy. Will he show up in season seven somewhere as well?

Danny: Maybe!

Charlotte: How does it feel to be the meanest human Buffy villains?

Danny: Do you think we're the meanest?

Tom: I thought we were bad at being bad!

Danny: Adam was good!

Adam: I feel like I've gotten to do everything you can get to do - fly, jump, be funny - it was wonderful.

Tom: Personally even when we were trying to be bad, I still felt like I kept bumbling.

Danny: Jonathan was ultimately in it for the chicks and trying to get the attention, not really to become bad.

Part ten (spoilers)
  Consequences and final thoughts

Cloud One: Should Jonathan and Andrew have to pay for what they did or took part in?

Danny: Yes I do. Actions have consequences.

Tom: I think they know what they did and I think it'll catch up with them.

Odd Boy: Adam, you show up at the end of Lessons as part of a morphing evil monster thing. Is this any indication of what is to come in season seven?

Adam: I think if I say, they'll break my thumbs! But it was a wonderful scene to shoot.

Luckie: Apparently the nerds were based on the Buffy writers. Who do you think is the biggest 'nerd' on the writing staff?

Danny: None of them are nerds, they're all brilliant, talented people.

Adam: Take a tour of their offices and you decide! They have a lot of figurines in there!

Danny: Once you get to a certain age, being a nerd is a badge of honour.

BBC Host: We're coming to the end of today's chat. Let's see if our guests have a final word for you all...

Adam: Nerd, all the way to the bank.

Danny: We love being a part of a show that people love so much.

Tom: We love our UK fans, you guys are awesome!