By Jefferson Graham
USA TODAY

Angel lives!
On the season finale of WB's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy thrust a sword into her on-again, off-again boyfriend Angel's stomach. He evaporated. "People should remember," says David Boreanez, who plays Angel, "that only a wooden stake can kill a vampire." And so Angel will return in September. For the 1999-2000 season he'll get his own spinoff on the WB.
"When Angel's evil he has no sense of anything," Boreanez says. "His soul is really torn up." The character has wavred between good Angel and bad Angel, but he'll be more good then bad in this new show. "Angel won't be very far from Sunnydale, and he'll visit Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its characters will visit the new show," Boreanez promises. "It's like a tree, and Joss (Whedon, Buffy's creator) has created a new branch."
Boreanez, 27, grew up in Philadelphia and moved to California several years ago to pursue acting. He snagged a guest spot on Married...With Children and small parts in films such as Aspen Extreme and Best of the Best 2before signing with Buffy. He's currently on summer vacation and unlike many young TV stars of the day, he's not out shooting a movie.
"I don't want to rush into anything," he says. "You have to balance your life and keep everything in sync. If you don't, you'll get eaten alive by Hollywood."