A Conversation With David Boreanaz Panel Recap

Fans had a chance to get to know David Boreanaz in a whole new way at New York Comic-Con, and we’ve got your full recap of the panel right here.

Boreanaz has starred in several beloved shows over the course of his career, with shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer and the spinoff Angel, followed by his 12-season run on Bones. Now he is part of SEAL Team, and he talked about all of it during his A Conversation with David Boreanaz panel. Without further ado let’s begin!

The moderator Introduces David. He runs up to the stage and takes a video of the audience. This is his first New York Comic-Con, and he thanks the audience for coming out. Notes that some people have come dressed up as bears, and he made some time to get to know them.

He then cleans the moderator’s glasses as they were foggy, and has his own handkerchief to do it. He’s quite good at it actually.

The first time he went to SDCC was Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and he remembers the trip. “The whole cast traveled to San Diego on the bus and I had a Hawaiian shirt and the hair was much higher, but I remember the floor was more about the love of comic books and these characters that were revered so much and it wasn’t too much about the pop and marketing and selling everything that you can,” Boreanaz said. “It’s become a big business now and to walk the floor then was pretty remarkable.”

An awkward moment with a fan?

“I didn’t have many awkward moments,” Boreanaz said. “I was amazed at the amount of outfits that I saw, and to their bravery I would say thank you and good work, but nothing that would stand out, nothing crazy.”

(Continued)

First SEAL Team Clip

SEAL Team clip runs.

Jason Hayes is meeting with the military doctor. She makes him walk through the helicopter crash he had with his men. He busted his leg but survived, while the pilot and more died in the crash. He is cleared to go back out there but is recommended for treatment.

(continued)

What Seals Go Through

After the clip, Boreanaz talked about SEAL Teams and what they do day in and day out.

“When we came back the beginning of the second season we are about 6 months ahead,” Boreanaz said. “What these guys do. I consider these guys true superheroes. I say that because there’s no green screen. No fake blood. These guys get up and do operations to keep our people safe. If they make a wrong turn they’re dead. They’re gone. So I consider them superheroes.”

“When you’re dealing with these types of individuals, how they balance their minds because they are always going, it’s like an engine that can’t stop, so when they get home they have to hit the brakes and it’s like going at 20%, and it’s hard to deal with that,” Boreanaz said. “They compartmentalize, they become very depressed, and they need to get back out because it’s their drug of choice, that rush, so it’s intense.”

The famous 1990s Navy Seals movie starring Charlie Sheen came up, and Boreanaz is a big fan, but did say “We don’t do any paint facing,’ referencing the very cinematic face paint the team wore during their missions.

“I’ll be dead honest I wasn’t very knowledgeable about the special forces,” Boreanaz said. “My wife was the one over a glass of wine who told me this is an intense endeavor to take on.”

(continued)

 

Stunt Gone Wrong

Boreanaz then told fans about a rather harrowing incident during filming of SEAL Team, one in which his zeal for doing stunts came back to bite him. The scene took place in the water and a SEAL Boat was supposed to come and pick him up out of the water, but things didn’t go as planned.

“So I dunk my head (undewater) thinking thats going to be a good idea. I’m grasping for air and my helmet’s all wonky. The SEAL boat is starting to come and misses us, and then I’m starting to struggle. The wetsuit is sticking to me like a python and I was like I’m going to f****** die. For a brief moment, I was like ‘why did I decide to do this? I just got off of 12 years on Bones’. So I start swimming and drinking the river water, now Hepatitis C is in my f****** brain. The Seal boat comes back, and as they pull me up into the boat and slam me down, I hit my nose and it adds to my roman one already, but it got damaged and I’m bleeding. Having a panic attack. They take the boat back to the camera boat and we need to get you back to the set to check you out. I said no and I want to shoot the scene. Let’s f****** go. I feel like a badass now. The tier 1 operator is looking at me from the other boat. It was like a Tom Clancy Novel and says look at him and he turns and walks away. During the scene AJ and Neil who were protecting and shooting, when I said help AJ was like ‘man he’s a really good actor.’ Neil said ‘no dude, I think he is f****** drowning.”

“A week later I found out there was an alligator in the water and no one told me that. They were like who gives a s*** it’s a pilot.’

(continued)

 

A Strained Relationship Clip

A new clip is shown from season 3.

The Scene opens up on Jason as he puts his keys on the table and wakes up Alana and says “this is kind of my bed now”. She asks him how he is and he tells her he is ‘back in the field where I belong’. He drinks a beer and she gets up and says “I need to go to bed’” He tells her “I need to find my own place, but close by if she needs him for the kids”. She tells him “you’re operating again so it’s not like it matters”. He asks what she wants and she says “I guess what I really want is for you not to die. Because of the kids and because I love you.’ Jason says “I’m not gonna die.” Alana shakes her head and says “I don’t believe you’.”

Clip ends.

Boreanaz was asked about the strain on a relationship that going out into the field can have in regards to armed forces work, and it partly comes from the transition of a constantly stressful situation to something more ordinary.

“The divorce rate is very high and the rate of understanding is extremely difficult,” Boreanaz said. “They go in on a mission or operation that is intense and the next day the guy comes back and during the deployment he is holding the head of someone he just shot and then the next day he is in an argument over the trash can.”

(continued)

Getting Buffy

Boreanaz talked about when he first got the role of Angel, as well as his first meeting with longtime agent Tom Parziale.

“When I got Buffy I was walking my dog in West Hollywood and this guy is like trying to pick me up,” Boreanaz said. “I’m walking my dog and then I find out when I go in, this is my guy Tom Parziale, and I sat with him for a bit. He said ‘I’ve got this part of Angel you could play.’ Whatever, I just wanted to act. So I got the slides and the breakdown was this 282-year-old Vampire, described as you can hit him a bunch and he never stays down like Joe Lewis. I loved the boxing part, the Vampire part is fine if it pays. I met with them and we talked about restaurants for like 2 hours.”

He still had to actually talk about the character, but of course, ended up winning the part. Boreanaz also joked that for a while he wasn’t sure if he was actually going to have a ton to work with, as the character didn’t talk much early on.

“Like this character was this quiet dude who is lurking in the corners,” Boreanaz said. “At one point I was like Joss, is this guy going to f****** talk or what? Joss said ‘yeah he does, he does.’ I look at my line and he’s like “heyyyy”. I’ve got a long way to go. Second scene. Angel enters from the shadows, he looks at Buffy and says ‘…why’. It gets better. ‘Why me’. Now I have two lines. So that gradually picks up. So before you know it I’m talking with cool hair and a cool leather coat. Then I get a love story and an explosion and then a spinoff and I’m like now we’re taking off.. Then I turn evil and Now Angelus has a lot to say and I’ve got monologues now. Angelus has a lot to say.”

(continued)

Buffy Reboot

The topic of the Buffy Reboot (with a new cast) was always going to come up, but when it did the audience was clearly not fans of the possibility. Boreanaz was much more embracing of the premise.

“Let’s just embrace it,” Boreanaz said. “Think about it this way. I’m very happy for them. They want to embrace a new generation. Everyone wants old, they want to go back. I understand that, but things move on, times change, things evolve and I think it’s a great opportunity to show where we are in society now and what people do with technology and show that now with those same human interactions (from the original series). You have to realize we started it, and we’re proud of that. If someone can step in my shoes and play my character that’s great, cuz i’m not putting that makeup back on. I hope it’s huge.”

“The character was a fantastic character to play,” Boreanaz said. “I share him with people. I did great shows with him. How many people have played Batman, or other superheroes?”

From X-Files To Bones

Boreanaz followed up Buffy and Angel with a 12-year stint on Bones, his hit series on FOX. He revealed that the network didn’t really see what it would ultimately become in the beginning.

“The network saw it as an X-Files type show, they were just coming off of X-Files,” Boreanaz said. “For us, it was relationship relationship relationship. As seasons went on we created it and they were all for it.”

When asked what female role he would love to play, Boreanaz went old Hollywood, saying “Good question. Anything that Ava Gardner did. Yeah, I’m an old-school, old Hollywood.”

 

 

The Most Pressing Angel Question

Things moved on to a Q&A session, and the very first question was a popular Angel throwback.

Boreanaz was asked to sing Mandy, just like that sequence in the show. Boreanaz smiled and shook his head no and said ‘but it was a nice try. I respect you for asking so much.’

Ironically he actually did end up singing a little bit, segueing into ‘Oh Mandy.’ He also recalled when he was told he had to sing it really bad and he was like ‘well that’s not a problem.’”

He also told the fan who asked the question “Thank you for your question and bravery.”

Green Lantern?

During that same Q&A session, one fan said Boreanaz was “always my number one choice for Green Lantern Hal Jordan.”

Boreanaz responded “Do I have to wear a green outfit? I don’t know the costume I’m assuming it’s green right?” So, he would need to wear a green outfit of course, but he didn’t say that was exactly a deal breaker, so who knows right?