Recently I spoke to Carpenter to discuss Relative Chaos and what it was like to work with Brendon again, along with her experience on Veronica Mars and the enduring popularity of Buffy and Angel.

IGN TV: There’s been a lot of humor in some of your earlier projects, but this is still one of the more overall lighthearted things you’ve been involved in. Was that fun for you?
Charisma Carpenter: Yeah, it was very fun.

IGN TV: How would you describe Katherine?
Carpenter: Clear. Very clear. A go getter. She knows what she wants.

IGN TV: I was surprised when I realized it’s been seven years since you last worked with Nicholas Brendon. What was it like reuniting with him?
Carpenter: What? Seven years? Nuh-uh! Was it really?

IGN TV: Yeah, since the end of Buffy season 3.
Carpenter: Wow, it really doesn’t feel like that. Not at all. I mean it’s like riding a bike. You just get back on. Smooth sailing. You know each other, you know each others work. It was really hard to work with him in the sense that he’s probably the most organic, funny person I’ve ever met. He’s just so gifted. And it’s really hard to keep it together when you’re around someone like that. It’s really hard to not blow it. And when you have a scene with like seven people in it, and you’re going around the table shooting it, and then it’s his turn to shoot, you’re doing the off-camera and you’re trying not to laugh. You can not break up, because there’s just too much work that needs to be done. And you’re just dying, you know? I mean it was difficult for everyone, not only me, but like crew members would just have to snicker and would look away, or not look, or walk out. Whatever it took to just not ruin the takes.

IGN TV: Are you a little better at it because you’re more practiced at it with him? Could you hold it together a little better than some of the people?
Carpenter: No. None of us could really do it. But you know, Terry Bradshaw too is just another natural I think.

IGN TV: I was going to ask about him, because he seems like such a character. What was he like to work with?
Carpenter: He’s incredibly hard working. It’s funny, because people know him as a personality or, “He’s an athlete, and he’s not an actor,” and it’s like, I’m sorry, I don’t agree with that. The minute you get a paycheck to be in a movie, you’re an actor. He’s a paid actor. He is a member of SAG; he’s an actor now. And I think he excels at whatever he puts his mind to. I think it’s amazing how whatever he’s done… He’s won Emmy’s, he’s been MVP of the Super Bowl, he’s a Hall of Famer, he’s a motivational speaker for corporations. He’s a really, really fascinating person, and he’s got so much going on all of the time. It’s amazing that he can even sit down and focus long enough. And so we worked together pretty closely, and I think that he channels his energy really, really well, and when it comes time to do work, he’s not afraid to dig in and do it. And he did it and he did it really well. And for me, I don’t know if I was in his position, that I’d be so adaptable. I know when I first started out, I couldn’t adapt like that. The director’s going, “Say that speech, that’s like five minutes long, faster.” He just takes a deep breath, and he goes for it and he does it and it’s word perfect, and it’s like, “How did you do that?” He’s really a remarkable human being.

IGN TV: In the movie there are all these fun tasks and games that the characters play. Your character gets involved near the end, but in the earlier scenes is more of an observer. I’m curious if in-between takes, especially with those big bouncing balls used in one scene, if people were having fun with that?
Carpenter: Oh yeah. There was fun to be had. This was a really functioning set and it was very fun all the time and wise cracks all the time. It was just a really… You know, we enjoyed being together and we would sing in-between — we would stay on set, because base camp was kind of far away — so we had sort of like a green room that we would all go to and it was so hard for them to pull us out of the green room to go back to work, like when they had a lighting sequence. We’d be in the room and Terry would start singing and then Fiona would start singing. All the actresses… Everyone can sing but me, and it was just so fun, just to be with a group of people that just enjoyed being together. But then it was also so interesting to see everyone’s other talents. Acting is just not what some people are best at; you think they’re a really good actor and then you’re surprised at, “Wow, you are an amazing singer!” Or, “You’re really well read,” or recite poetry, and you know, I just shrink in awe. I’m like, “Wow… Um… I can act!”

IGN TV: You must have had something else too!
Carpenter: I can dance. It’s fun. But Terry, it was great, he would throw the football with us, and it was just a real strong camaraderie and we were all in this small town in Canada, in Nova Scotia, and the weather was not agreeable to the schedule that we needed. We needed to do a lot of outdoor stuff and it would be really raining, or it would be really, really hot and bugs everywhere. It was just really, super unpredictable. Or the fog would roll in and it was chilly to the bone. But we were just all in it together and it was just fun.

IGN TV: There’s a scene involving you and a bear…
Carpenter: Oh yeah!

IGN TV: I’m curious if you had any actual interaction with it, or was it all movie magic?
Carpenter: I think it’s really important to know that is all movie magic. I was actually really bummed out that I didn’t get to work with the bear. I didn’t get to meet the bear! I mean I could have, if I wanted to drive like two and a half hours outside of town on a day off and go be there when they shot it, but I didn’t want to do that – My hours are long enough. But I really thought that we were going to be with the bear. You know, a la Legends of the Fall or something.

IGN TV: Will you be returning to Veronica Mars this fall?
Carpenter: I do return to Veronica Mars this fall.

IGN TV: Can you talk at all about what role your character might be playing this season?
Carpenter: A little more of the same, with a really, really interesting twist. And it starts the first episode; you’ve got to watch it. You miss the first episode, you’re out of the loop. Gotta tune in right away.

IGN TV: When you had that scene at the end of last season when you give Keith the case, did you have any idea what was in it at the time?
Carpenter: No. I was really annoyed at that, and I think the writers didn’t know what was in the case either.

IGN TV: I talked to Enrico this summer and he told me how he had no idea, but was coming up with all these crazy theories.
Carpenter: Yeah, yeah. And I just kept pushing to have Enrico be my love interest. You know, I just thought, “Can we start… Can she…?” Because on Angel, the person that’s literally the bad person, that’s the bitch or hard to get along with or superficial or just makes your life miserable type person, always ends up being a redeeming person in the end. They get remolded somehow or they have some life experience that they realize, “Oh, you’re not so bad!” And I just thought it would be really funny if Enrico’s character and myself got together and then I was Veronica’s stepmom. I really, really wanted to do that, but, yeah…

IGN TV: That would be a very interesting dynamic with Veronica!
Carpenter: I pitched it, but it’s not going that way.

IGN TV: What was your reaction when you read the script and learned that’s how you’d first be seen on the show?
Carpenter: My reaction: Into action. Immediately in the gym. [Carpenter makes breathing/work out noises] Just working out!

IGN TV: Many of your scenes were with Jason Dohring last season. How was it working with him?
Carpenter: Oh yeah, he’s a brilliant actor. I’m telling you, these guys… Kristen and Jason and all these people are profusely talented and extremely together for such a young age. Sometimes when you get a lead actor, like Sarah [Michelle Gellar] on Buffy, [she] was just so acutely intelligent. You know, it makes sense; you’re somewhat of a prodigy. But on this show, everyone is a prodigy. Everyone is super together on every level. At that age, it’s really remarkable. It’s like wow, if I had my head halfway that well screwed on when I was that age I’d probably be in a lot different place. It’s really impressive to be in their company. And they’re spiritual and they’re solid and they’re in committed relationships, and they’re committed to their work, and they’re prepared and they’re on time and there’s no drama. And it’s just like, “Wow… You guys are way beyond your years!”

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.

IGN TV: There’s still so much Buffy and Angel merchandise coming out, and this fall I believe, there’s several new Cordelia action figures.
Carpenter: Finally! I totally got pushed to the side. You know, I wonder if they’re doing a pregnant one…

IGN TV: I don’t think they are, but I saw pictures of the ones that are coming.
Carpenter: [Laughs] No, I did [too]. They’re coming out with three dolls. I had to approve them.

IGN TV: Is it fun for you to see those? It must be sort of strange.
Carpenter: You know what’s weird? It’s kind of not. I guess because I started when I was really young, and what shouldn’t feel normal is kind of normal. Like I wouldn’t know what’s normal or not, but like when a family member comes over or when my brother is in from Chicago, he says to me, “Isn’t it weird to have a Barbie doll?”, or something like that. I’m like, “Yeah, I guess…” I never really thought about it and it’s weird to look at your image and I don’t think of it as me. I think of it as like, it’s almost as if I’m at Mattel and I’m looking at a doll and I’m going, “Yeah, this needs tweaking. Yeah,” and this and that and I write it down and submit it. It’s not even like it’s me. It’s not real. None of this is real, so it’s just sort of like a product. Remember in the 80′s how Cindy Crawford would kind of refer to herself as Cindy Crawford: The Product and then there’s Cindy? It’s kind of what it feels like.

IGN TV: Is it odd for your son? “Here’s mom’s action figures!”
Carpenter: He doesn’t get it yet. I try to tell him what I do, because I think it’s very hard for him to understand at his age why I go away for awhile. He’ll look at magazines sometimes and go, “Mommy!” It’ll be someone else and not me, and then other times it is me. So I think he’s just not clear. I think he’s used to, “My mommy’s on magazines, my mom has dolls, my mom’s on TV.” But I don’t think he thinks that’s cool or anything, I just think it’s like, “Oh. Mom’s on TV.”

IGN TV: Looking back on your time as Cordelia, are there any particular storylines or episodes that stand out as your favorite?
Carpenter: It’s funny, because I have Angel Tivoed, and I love to look at the early ones. Like the first and second seasons or my favorite seasons. I love watching the Doyle episodes, and I love the one where we kiss goodbye and I get the power ["Hero"]. I think that’s a great episode. I love every scene I’ve ever done with him. And I think the goodbye episode, “You’re Welcome”, for the 100th episode… I loved doing that episode so much, because it was so poignant. It was such a… It was really where art and life were sort of intertwined and it was very meaningful and very spiritual and very healing to be back on that set and to have that.

Anyway, I was Tivoing and I went through Angel episodes last night. I had two Tivoed. I don’t know why it worked out that way, but I was like, “I haven’t seen that! What year was that? Oh, was I pregnant that year?” And then there’s always me in the back [thinking], “How pregnant was I? God, my hair looks horrible like that! Oh, how awful!” And there was this scene where, it’s told through Lorne’s eyes – who I love, love his character. When he came along, it was awesome – when he’s telling the story about the Beast and I end up being the Beast and we’re discovering it. Lorne kind of gives me something on my tongue and then I kind of have a drug [inducement] and run away. And then Angel goes after me and he goes, “Do you remember?” And I say, “Yes, I do.” And he goes, “Were we in love?” And I say, “Yes, we were.”

I forget how complicated our relationship was. You know, when you’re doing the work, it’s a little hard when you’re in it to sort of… In retrospect, I look back and I can be more of a viewer and more of an observer about it, then when you’re in it. And I can just go, “God, that was sweet.” We just really had a special relationship. I think that it’s very touching, and I just thought, “That’s so sweet!”, and no wonder people loved watching the show! It was just real and loving. And what was that like? And did we love each other? And we care about each other. It’s just so different.

You know, there’s always the Buffy and Angel love; that first love. And then there’s this kind of love that was just history and friendship and coming to each others rescue and total, utter trust and sincerity and honesty. And accepting of each others bad faults, like, you know, “You’re a vampire… Oops!” [Laughs] And me like, “You’re selfish and self-centered… Oops. But I still love you.” Totally accepting each other for each others character defects and loving each other.

I look back and I reminisce and go, “Oh, that’s so sweet,” and I wish I could have not been so fast paced in it, you know? In the sense that you’re just chugging away and you’re rolling them out and I just look back and I go, “At least I get to enjoy it now.” It’s a little bit more enjoyable. It’s just sweet. I don’t know what to say. It was just so sweet and endearing to see that little snippet. And then my Tivo, because it’s sensitive, starts to scramble and I’m like, “Ugh, f**k this!” I erase it and move on to the next thing. [Laughs] “Oh, Angelina Jolie, True Hollywood Story! Let’s watch that!”

IGN TV: I loved the 100th episode and it was great having you back. Do you think that was good closure for the character? Were you happy with the send off she got?
Carpenter: Bittersweet-happy. I was really sad that she died, and I didn’t want to come back for the 100th episode if she was going to die. And I kind of got a little hoodwinked into that. Because then, after I agreed to do it, they were like, “Yeah, we’re gonna kill her.” And I started to cry. I was like, “No! I specifically did not want to come back for her to be killed!” I didn’t know what they were going to do or what they had in mind and then I was really resentful. I was like, “What?!” Not resentful, not angry, as much as hurt and sad, like, “No!” I don’t know, it’s such a big part of my life and it was just so awful to think about her dying. And it was shocking and I was sad and I grieved, and then I’m like, “I’m not doing this!”

And then David Fury told me what Joss’s idea was. And he said, “But wait! Just hear this…” And I go, “Wow… That does sound really good. That does sound like a pretty cool, sentimental…” I mean it’s just so beautifully written. “Well… I guess I could die. If you’re gonna put it that way!” It was really, really sweet. It was hard to do those scenes. That scene in the office right before the phone rings and he picks it up and then he realizes she’s not there… Those scenes…

If anybody gets the Angel DVDs, then you get the bonus [footage] where we’re all interviewed. Then I saw the episode “You’re Welcome” and I listened to the commentary. And it kind of bummed me out that the people that are on it with David Fury are Christian Kane and Sarah Thompson. They’re talking with David Fury through that and I was kind of bummed. I wish they would have had David [Boreanaz] and I talking about it with David Fury or Joss, because it was a really big send off and it kind of just didn’t feel like that was the episode they would put [Christian and Sarah on], because it was so about Angel and Cordelia.

But I loved what David Fury said about it. I’m paraphrasing of course, but David was often kind of marveling at the fact that Joss would watch something that he’d written being performed and he would get really emotional; Like he’d tear up, and he [David Fury] had never had that experience. And he said that when he was shooting those scenes with David [Boreanaz] and I, that it was very difficult for anybody to not be touched, in video village as they call it, watching the monitors while we’re shooting it. And then he was talking about what he observed on set between the two of us, which I thought was pretty accurate. And it was very cool…

IGN TV: Well thank you so much Charisma.
Carpenter: You’re welcome so much. Great talking to you. Thank you for taking me down memory lane! And I hope everybody enjoys Relative Chaos, because it’s very light and bright. Definitely not as dark as Angel. Not as heavy, not as emotionally trying. It’s a good alternative if you don’t want to go there!