Casting for Angel

[gwyn]

How cool is it that my beloved Adam Baldwin is going to be on Angel? I'm terribly excited -- before he was Jayne, he was a long-time favorite, back from his first movie. It's a lovely litle early '80s gem called My Bodyguard, and if you've never seen it, you should so rent it. He plays this tortured hulking kid who is hired as a bodyguard by another kid in high school who is being tormented mercilessly by the class thugs (led by infant Matt Dillon!), and his terrible, sad secret slowly comes out as he's befriended by the kid who hired him, and the friends in his small circle of fellow picked-on students. It has a lovely cast full of old pros like John Houseman and Ruth Gordon, and Clifford's dad is played by Martin Mull, and there are performances by not just baby Matt Dillon but baby Joan Cusack as well.

I remember being seriously annoyed when I found out that Adam wouldn't be the lead in Firefly like I'd thought he would be when I read of the casting. I'd never heard of Nathan Fillion (and if you think this is your cue to write to me and be hipper than thou because you've been in love with him since you saw him on some obscure Canadian thing or a soap or the pizza show, please don't, because to quote Tommy Lee Jones, I don't care!), and so I was all grumbly about how many movies Adam had been in and how talented he was and it was just because he was so big and blah blah. Then, of course, I saw my first ep of Firefly and never thought of it again -- Nathan had me at hello.

But I still adore Adam, and he was just so wonderful as Jayne. Few people could play that level of irritating, stupid macho bullshit and humanity, and he was often just so funny I howled. But he was good with the dramatic stuff, too -- that lovely scene at the end of Jaynestown with Mal is still my favorite, as is the way he hovers behind the window when Kaylee is being operated on in Serenity. I love the way Joss keeps recycling his Firefly actors! This is why I love the man.

Sigh. Must go watch Firefly eps, and see if I can dig up the crummy 7th season X-Files eps he's in.

Comments

[zoniduck.livejournal.com]

Oh cool! I see the Mutant Enemy Actor Reclamation Project is still in operation. :-)

[slackerace.livejournal.com]

Ah! I LOVED My Bodyguard! I had no idea it was him OR Joan Cusack, as I haven't seen it in forever. I must rent this flick!

[nwhepcat.livejournal.com]

No, actually I was going to post that I've adored Adam Baldwin since "My Bodyguard" too! I thought he was the best of the Baldwin Bros till someone told me he's not one.

[soundingsea.livejournal.com]

I was accidently spoiled on this bit of casting news a while ago, but there might be someone out there who'd want a cut-tag. ;)

And yeah, I adore him too. Love, love the Jayne.

Song of Jayne rocks, man...

[emmarytz.livejournal.com]

Have you seen the extended version of him singing his song on the Firefly DVD? Were it not that I had it stuck in my head for 48 hours straight after the first time I saw it, I'd watch it again. Not having come to Firefly with any knowledge of Adam Baldwin, I know him exclusively as Jayne. Which is okay, because I do adore Jayne. When is he going to be on Angel? (Not that I won't be watching it religiously through the end of the season, anyway. What ever happened with the rumor about Angel being extended another season after all?) -em

[klia.livejournal.com]

You do know he showed up in two recent Stargate eps, right? Both eps were excellent, too. Well worth seeing.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I went to check that it's on DVD (my old tape copy off air is pretty bad), and it's out there. Interesting thing is that the box features Adam's face more prominently than Chris Makepeace. ;-)

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I can't count how many times people have asked me about that when I've talked about him -- and they're always so confused when I tell them he's not a Baldwin brother! ;-) You made me laugh out loud.

[nwhepcat.livejournal.com]

Actually, I heard of him before I heard of any of the Bros. So I thought THEY were related to HIM. I was very disappointed to learn they were not.

I just put My Bodyguard at the top of my Netflix queue! Thanks!

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Sigh. Well, defriend me if people must, but I just can't call saying some actor is going to be on some episode of a show at some point, without giving any details, is a spoiler. Sorry! :-( We'll have to agree to disagree.

But at least we can agree on the fabulousness of Mr. Cobb.

Re: Song of Jayne rocks, man...

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I've been avoiding it for a long time. I'm just now watching The Message with the commentary track on, which I've also avoided for a long time, because I just can't cope with the fact that when it's done, it's done. I'm such a wuss about this stuff -- it's hard for me knowing the finiteness. I *still* haven't gotten over Buffy ending. ;-)

But maybe since I'm in an Adam mood, I'll watch it despite my sadness.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, you know, I thought I remembered seeing something, but forgot to ask you guys about it. Guess I'll ask the local fen and see if anyone taped them. Though, sometimes, it can be painful when someone you love is on a show you don't get into -- god knows I stuck with XF through the bitter end, but the times Adam was on I just sort went uuugggghhhh.

X-Files Connection?

[emmarytz.livejournal.com]

Okay, it's been mentioned twice so now I've got to ask. Which XFiles episodes was he in? I confess I lost essentially all interest in that show its last couple of seasons so I'm likely not to remember the episodes, but still I must ask.

And while I know it's really no consolation I do try to comfort myself for the end of Buffy by observing that it ended while it was still good. I don't like watching a series that used to be brilliant and wondering why it now reeks so, as was the case, for me, with the last couple of years of XFiles. -em

Re: X-Files Connection?

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

He was in season 7 eps, when Robert Patrick joined the cast -- he played a friend ofRobert Patrick's character called Noel Rohr (I have *no* idea if the spelling on that is even remotely correct, everyone pronounced his name slightly differently). The character was in the intelligence community and at first he seemed like a slightly suspicious guy, but somewhat trustworthy, and then got progressively more skeevy. Since I never understood the whole pregnancy storyline anyway, I really didn't get the ending where it seemed like he was part of the alien invasion force. Or something. Then I think, but am not sure, he was back in the truly execrable season 8, but I paid so little attention even though the eps were on, that I never could remember. Might be worth checking out his IMDB stats.

hey, btw., I went looking for the Jayne sings thing -- and I can't find it! For someone who used to discover all the easter eggs before they got published, I'm having a terrible time finding that thing. Where the heck is it?

[przed.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'm going to join the general chorus of "that was him in My Bodyguard?!!"

Glad to hear he's going to be in Angel. I absolutely adored Jayne as well, in all his boneheaded, macho humanity.

[soundingsea.livejournal.com]

Well, I always like to be surprised. You're too cool for me to defriend, so I'll just read your journal with caution for the next couple of months. :)

[klia.livejournal.com]

If no one has them, let me know, and I'll get you copies from Kathy (my cable went insane during both eps, so I have to get copies from her, myself). They're not painful at all. Adam's character is great, and the eps are, honestly, really good. No uuugggghhhhing involved.

[klia.livejournal.com]

before he was Jayne, he was a long-time favorite, back from his first movie. It's a lovely litle early '80s gem called My Bodyguard

I meant to say this before: holy crap, I *adore* that movie! It was one of the first things I remember being filmed in Chicago, and I just thought it was incredibly cool, not to mention the extra special coolness of seeing Ricky and Clifford in familiar places. So, yeah, lusting after AB since 1980. *g*

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Hey, we should make t-shirts! Wear them at the next con we all go to -- "Lusting after AB since 1980."

I had no idea that so many people knew My Bodyguard. Honestly, for decades I've waxed rhapsodic about it, and very few folks I know have seen it. It was such a little movie in so many ways -- a small story, very precise and gentle and sweet, and not quite an indie, but not a big studio marketing piece, either. It was rarely ever shown on TV till AMC picked it up a few years ago. It's one of the few movies of that time period about teens that still holds up after all this time. I never feel like cringing when watching it after all these years. I had a hard time watching him in his first post-MB movie, Ordinary People, because he was so cruel. But it was something I had to get used to. ;-)

Pretty cunning, huh?

[emmarytz.livejournal.com]

Alas, I have blocked out those last couple of seasons so thoroughly that I remember only vaguely that Scully got a new partner; I don't have a chance of remembering that partner's friends... But maybe I'll find the tapes and search some rainy afternoon. First, obviously, I have to rent "My Bodyguard." Brian's reaction was, predictably, an "Oh! That was him?"

Here's a link to a page that tells how to find the song on the DVD:

http://www.eggheaven2000.com/detailed/2021.html

and the instructions themselves if you don't want to bother with the link:

Disc 4 - Select "Special Features"
Click "More" for second screen
Click the swirl design to the left of the photo, or press "6" on your remote.

Re: Pretty cunning, huh?

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Well, phoo. I clicked the arrows a million times yesterday, but it never went to the swirlies. Ill have to try that 6 and see if it works any better. Gorram it!