We're returning to Supanova, where we've already brought you interviews with comic writer , Buffy star James Marsters and the from . Now we've got the man who brought the white light into the lives of the Charmed witches, Brian Krause.
Enjoy listening or skip down to the transcript.
https://houseofgeekery.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/brian-krause-interview.mp3
G-Funk: We are here at Supanova in Perth, it's 2016, and we're with Brian Krause. Hello!
Brian Krause: Hello!
GF: Now you are best known for your role on Charmed, yes?
BK: I believe so, yes.
GF: That's what I've picked up so far, because I've never watched Charmed. I watched Buffy. But people tell me you're a 'Whitelighter'? Can you explain that?
BK: A 'Whitelighter' is a guardian angel, I was kind of a guide to the three witches on the show in between the heavens, if you will, and the witches. I constantly guide them towards the greater good.
GF: So you were the moral compass of the show?
BK: Pretty much. On our show we never said 'heaven' or 'hell', or 'God' or 'devil'. It was always the 'greater good' against 'demons'. The girls were the combatants of evil, if you will. I came in as a pseudo type of angel known as a 'whitelighter' who spoke with the heavens and tried to convince the girls down the path, how to vanquish the evil and continue on the path towards the greater good.
GF: That sounds like a pretty good role. You just got to be the good guy!
BK: Yeah, I was the good guy the whole way.
GF: And in this case the good guy finished first, you married one of the characters.
BK: I did! I married one of the characters, had kids, and I stayed on the show! Eight years, all the bad guys seemed to come and go. When I first realised I had powers it was the kiss of death. You have powers, you're evil and you're gone. I remember Shannen Doherty turning to me and saying 'No! You're a good guy!' I was like 'I am?! I am?!', and they were like 'Yeah!' So that was a relief.
GF: We've got Shannen and Holly Marie Combs here as well. Is it like a reunion coming to these events?
BK: It is! I don't see the girls often but I do see them at comic cons and the such. So it's always great to run into the girls.
GF: And there's a big line of people here for Charmed. It's been off the air for a while and there's still an amazing fan base coming out to see you guys. Why do you think the show had such staying power?
BK: Well it's been in syndication for...gosh...12, 14, 15 years so it's been on the air since 1998. It's never left the airwave. I think the biggest reason it's had such staying power is it's three women who are very charismatic and the characters they played were strong willed, powerful woman. Great role models for any young lady growing up. I think that's gone from generation to generation where mothers have taught their parents about the show, and grandparents and children...we get people from 5 years old to 90 coming up. It's really crossed all generations. I think for young people it's great. It not something that's just bad, it's all about the greater good. The message of the show is that goodness will always win if you fight for it.
GF: It's good to see shows with such strong characters doing the distance because so often it gets lost in the mess of reality TV and forgettable garbage like that. It's great to see the fans out there. Have you ever had a weird fan encounter? Because they get intense...
BK: (Laughs) I mean, yeah, I have weird people encounters. Fans...being that I'm the good guy means I don't get a lot of the craziness the people who played the bad guys. They get panties thrown at them, Norman Reedus gets people bringing him dead possums and things like that...
GF: What do you do with a dead possum?
BK: I DON'T KNOW! But being the good guy people are like, 'Aw, Leo! We want a hug!' The people that come up who know Leo...my character was this sweet, angelic character. They're like 'you're like my older brother' or this other sweet guy.
GF: Well, that's nice!
BK: Yeah, it's nice.
GF: Most people are here because of Leo, do you have other roles you want people to be more aware of?
BK: Before Leo I had been working for quite some time. There was this Stephen King movie called Sleepwalkers, I did the sequel to The Blue Lagoon, Return to the Blue Lagoon. There's been many roles since Charmed - guest spots in different TV shows and different movies. I've got more coming out. Go to IMDb, check it out.
GF: Do you have one particular role? Is there a stand out?
BK: Man...I just did a movie, an independent movie, called Ribbons and I play a drug addict gang member, kind of a KKK kind of guy. Shaved head, tattoos, a bad ass dude. We were hoping to movie did a little better got to the theatres, that sort of thing. It's such a total difference from Leo, I was hoping that would catch on. Perhaps as it gets to DVD and Netflix it will.
GF: Well, now people know.
GF: We're watching out for Ribbons. You play a gang member, is that the focus?
BK: It becomes the focus. It's about a step-daughter of mine...it's kinda like a caper, it's a follow the money trail. I steal some money, she comes in to steal from me and a clash at the end, and what happens to the family at the end.
GF: Cool. We'll watch out for that. It sounds pretty cool.
BK: I beat up my step-daughter.
GF: That's not cool. That's very un-Leo like.
BK: She deserved it. IN THE MOVIE! In the movie.
GF: I'll see it for myself a judge then.
BK: It is disturbing when you play roles like that. I did a movie called Cyrus where I played a serial killer. I was actually cannibalising people and when you spend that much time around the blood and creating pain for people it does affect you. Immediately after that I was like, I need a puppy or something in a movie or something...
GF: Not to eat?
BK: (Laughs) I NEED HAPPY. It does affect you, especially when you put an action out there and someone reacts well and sees the pain and anguish they go through. There's a bitter reality that is quite disturbing like that. Any sort of violence like that, especially against women and children, is unacceptable.
GF: Now it sounds like you play a lot of psychos.
BK: I'm trying to! Anything that's not Leo at this point, I'm just trying to show my full range.
GF: I understand that. Have you been down to Australia before?
BK: yeah, this'll be my fourth trip.
GF: What keeps bringing you pack?
BK: The fans are big part of that. Supanova, bringing me down. I love Australia. The people are fantastic, it's a beautiful country, and the times I've been here have been a great experience. I love the openness of the country itself.
GF: You can get really lost out there. I don't recommend that.
BK: Yeah! I tend to stay in the cities.
GF: Fair enough! Thanks for coming down to Perth and having a chat with us. The queues are probably pretty long by now, we'd better let you get back out there.
BK: Thank you, I appreciate it.
GF: Thanks, enjoy the convention!
