TV 2000: Julie Benz

Er, yes, but what about the "girl makes boy vampire" part of our little tale? "Well, yeeeeah, that too," Julie says, laughing. "Big step I forgot! It's the ultimate love story. Buffy, Angel and Darla is, like, the ultimate love triangle. Very intense!"

Indeed. And it's about to get even more so. The very last shot of Angel's season finale revealed to us that Darla, who was offed by Angel (David Boreanaz) in Buffy's first year and has appeared subsequently in flashbacks, has been resurrected by nefarious law firm Wolfram and Hart. And, as might be expected, she ain't too happy with LA's resident hunky vampire.

When she's not busy making Angel's life miserable, Julie appears in the occasional movie (As Good As It Gets, Jawbreaker) or TV show -- she had quite a stunning run on fan favorite Roswell last year as mysterious FBI agent Topolsky. For now, though, it's all about Angelus...and Barbie campers.

IGN Sci-Fi: So what kind of trouble is Darla going to be making for Angel this time?

Julie: Lots. [Laughs] Lots of trouble. They have a lot of unfinished business between the two of them.

IGN Sci-Fi: And it seems like Wolfram and Hart is going to be giving her the means to take care of that...

Julie: A little bit. But she also has her own means as well. You know, she doesn't take orders from anybody. She's very independent.

IGN Sci-Fi: True, but, uh...she was dead. How does that work?

Julie: I have no idea. [Laughs] I think they really like me. I think that they felt that they killed me off too soon in the first season of Buffy, and there [are] a lot of unresolved issues between Darla and Angel that are going to be revealed and somehow resolved. And I have a great relationship with Joss [Whedon] and [Angel executive producer] David Greenwalt and David Boreanaz, so...I was going back last year for the flashbacks, and I think they just thought it would be fun to bring me back from the dead.

IGN Sci-Fi: And I'm so glad we'll get to see you in something other than flashbacks. So I'm assuming you don't have to wear as many period clothes now?

Julie: Oh, yeah, I do both, though. We still do lots of flashbacks.

IGN Sci-Fi: I know you can't tell us very much, but are there any hints you can give about what Darla's role will be this season?

Julie: Just causing trouble! That's about all I can say. [Laughs]

IGN Sci-Fi: Usually on Buffy, they have a big villain for the entire season. Do you think she's this year's big bad guy for Angel?

Julie: I don't really view Darla as a villain...

IGN Sci-Fi: Oh, right. The ultimate antagonist, then...

Julie: It's very interesting this year. I would say, she's not alone in being the antagonist. IGN Sci-Fi: And have you gotten to work with any of the actors besides David, like Charisma or Alexis?

Julie: Well, if you tell you that, wouldn't I be giving you a spoiler and ruining it? [Laughs]

IGN Sci-Fi: [Innocently] That's not a spoiler!

Julie: I don't know! [Laughs] I finally have gotten to meet them. We'll just leave it that. I never really got to meet Charisma when I did Buffy, because I did most of my work with Sarah [Michelle Gellar] and David.

IGN Sci-Fi: Now, I was watching the very first episode of Buffy again the other day, and I was reminded of a very important piece of Slayer lore: you're the very first vampire we see.

Julie: Yeah! When I signed on to do the pilot, I thought, "Oh, wow, it's gonna be really cool!" I'm the first face you're going to see at the start of this show, which I thought from the start was going to be a hit. I couldn't pass up that opportunity. And David Greenwalt always talks about how neat it is that I was the first face that you saw on season one Buffy, and then the last face that you see at the end of season one Angel.

IGN Sci-Fi: That is cool. Now, I swear you have this thing with The WB where they kill you off on one show, and then bring you back on another. That's a pretty sweet deal...

Julie: [Laughing] Yeah. They killed me off, and then they brought me on another show...and then they killed me off [again].

IGN Sci-Fi: Speaking of that, give it to me straight: is Topolsky [Julie's Roswell character] really dead?

Julie: [Enigmatically] They never found her body. I think it's up in the air.

IGN Sci-Fi: So what do you think she would do if she came back?

Julie: I have this fantasy that she's hiding out in, like, Venice, Italy. [Laughs] She's just hiding out, relaxing, and ran away from the FBI. And she's living in some villa, having a grand old time.

IGN Sci-Fi: And wouldn't that be an awesome scene, if they reintroduced Topolsky, and had, like, a scene with you in the villa, maybe being served a margarita or something?

Julie: Yeah, wouldn't it be great if the whole Roswell cast and crew got to go to Italy to shoot? I mean, that's my thinking... [Laughs]

IGN Sci-Fi: Well, I'll put that in, maybe it'll give them some ideas...

Julie: Yeah, well, my theory was, you know, The Sopranos went to Italy. We can go to Italy! Class trip, you know? And there I am in the big square, drinkin' a latte, and they suck me back in!

IGN Sci-Fi: Sounds good to me. So I understand you're actually a very accomplished ice dancer. Any chance that we'll get to see that skill of yours on Angel?

Julie: [Laughs] I don't think so!

IGN Sci-Fi: You don't think Darla's an ice dancer?

Julie: [Laughing] No! I did do an episode of Diagnosis Murder where I did do my own skating. It was a lot of fun, but I don't know...maybe in a dream sequence. You know, the Christmas episode. [Laughs] But I highly doubt it.

IGN Sci-Fi: I would love that! They could have a little couples ice skating sequence with Darla and Angel!

Julie: [Skeptically] Um, yeah.

IGN Sci-Fi: OK, normally I ask people on the show to describe their dream action figure. But in your case, I have an idea of my own: instead of a figure of your character, you could have the Julie Benz figure, which transforms from Darla to Topolsky and back again in the blink of an eye! What do you think?

Julie: That's pretty cool! [Laughs] I like that one.

IGN Sci-Fi: What accessories would you want?

Julie: We always joke around on set about how if they did have a Darla action figure, how great the accessories would be, because there would be all of the period costumes, and the Catholic school girl outfit, and the modern day look. And then the different hair -- I have numerous wigs for everything! And then the face as well -- you'd have the little glue-on vampire face, and it'd just be insane. They'd make a lot of money off of it! And I'd have to have my own camper. 'Cause Barbie had a camper!

IGN Sci-Fi: What about the Dream House?

Julie: Nah, I had the Barbie camper growing up!

IGN Sci-Fi: So you could have Darla in the camper with all of her outfits. But would it be pink?

Julie: No!

IGN Sci-Fi: Yeah, I don' t think Darla's a pink kind of girl...

Julie: Darla's not pink at all. It'd be black. And red, maybe. A streak of red, like blood.

IGN Sci-Fi: I've heard that you get requests from men who want you to bite them. Is that true?

Julie: Yeeeeah. They also want pictures of me that have my feet in them. I don't get that one.

IGN Sci-Fi: Oooo-kaaaay.

Julie: Yeah.

IGN Sci-Fi: Yeah, I don't get that either. Is that some kind of weird, vampire-related fetish?

Julie: No, I just think it's a weird fetish, in general. [Laughs] I think the feet thing has nothing to do with playing a vampire. The biting does! Some people [are confused] that we're actors, and we're not really the characters.

IGN Sci-Fi: Do you get any other weird requests specific to your character?

Julie: Well, the fans are really amazing. They know more about the show than the people that work on the show! And their knowledge of the history of every single character is intense and absolutely amazing. And they've been really wonderful to me. I think that's part of the reason Darla's back -- I mean, I've only been on a handful of times, but the fans really kind of hooked into her right away, and really loved her. But occasionally, you get one or two people who kind of get confused. But they're charming and sweet and fun.

IGN Sci-Fi: Do you ever read any of the stuff online?

Julie: I do, but I really shouldn't, because I take a lot of it personally! When I was on Roswell, and I would read the stuff online about Agent Topolsky, and people having absolutely violent reactions to her -- and this was before it was revealed whether she was good or bad, before even I knew. But I really felt that she was so misunderstood, that they weren't seeing it from her perspective, that she was just trying to do her job, you know? And people either love Darla, or they absolutely hate her. The fans are very protective of Angel. They don't want him with anybody else [besides Buffy]. And, you know, I get a little scared! But it's great to play characters that have such controversy surrounding them. I was on the other day because I wanted to see the reaction to the trailer they showed for the upcoming season. These people are very upset, and I'm like, "Oh my God! I'm gonna cry!" One girl was like, "I'm gonna kill her!" Kill Darla, not me, but I took it personally!

IGN Sci-Fi: Stupid question: your character, Marcie, from Jawbreaker faces off against Buffy in a battle of witty one-liners and fashion sense. Who wins?

Julie: Ooooh. Well, I think Buffy would. Because Marcie wasn't an independent thinker. Marcie was a follower...

IGN Sci-Fi: But she had that cool necklace...[Sarah note: the necklace was one of those gold, cursive things from the '70s and spelled out Marcie's nickname, "Foxy." I want one!]

Julie: She had the very cool necklace! But, yeah, I think when it comes to putting those two against each other, I don't think Marcie could hold her own against anybody. She was also very misunderstood!

IGN Sci-Fi: Yeah, you have a definite history with misunderstood characters. Well, what if she had Rose McGowan too back her up?

Julie: Oh, then they would definitely win! [Laughs] I don't think anybody would lose [with] Rose. She's tough!

IGN Sci-Fi: Yeah, she's got 'tude. So, anything else you want to say? About the show? About you in general?

Julie: Somebody wrote that I'm too sweet and innocent to play a vampire, and it's like, "I'm not that innocent! I'm not that sweet!" Obviously, I play all these evil characters...

IGN Sci-Fi: No, not evil, just misunderstood...

Julie: Misunderstood! I must have a dark side somewhere. And considering every character I played last year was evil...except for Topolsky, but people thought she was for the longest time. I was electrocuted, I was cursed, I mean, I just played these evil, evil characters. And I just want to be loved now!

IGN Sci-Fi: Maybe since you've put in your dues with The WB, they could come up with a vehicle for you, where you're a little less evil...

Julie: Well, I think they like seeing me that way. And I don't mind! It has definitely been a lot of fun. I always thought I would be the girl next door, the sweet one. IGN Sci-Fi: Whereas, now you're the girl next door...with a twist.

Julie: With a twist! Exactly.