On Thursday, October 4, 2018 David Boreanaz, known for his roles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Bones, and now SEAL Team, appeared on a solo panel at New York Comic Con.
After having wandered the Show Floor at NYCC 2018 on Thursday morning, including checking out the Good Omens activation, we headed down to get in line for David Boreanaz’s panel, which was scheduled to begin at 1:45pm in Room 1A06.
We were well familiar with this room, as we had spent half of our Thursday in it last year. It was about 1:30pm by the time we made it down there, and we were surprised at how many people were in line to see David Boreanaz. All of the railings that had been set up to contain the line were full, and we had to line up along the outside of the railing. The line continued to grow, and people who came by to get in line as well also seemed surprised at the turnout.
The only room that gets cleared between panels at NYCC is the Main Stage, but luckily the interest between the previous panel (VIZ Media) and David Boreanaz’s panel didn’t seem to overlap, and it looked like everyone who wanted in was able to make it in.
David started off the panel by asking to clean the moderator’s glasses! Apparently it was something that his mother had taught him how to do. “One of my fetishes is cleaning glasses,” he confessed. So the moderator obliged and he went on to clean her glasses.
Although this was David’s first time at New York Comic Con, the moderator pointed out that he has had a lot of past experience at San Diego Comic-Con, where he had been involved in Buffy the Vampire Slayer panels. (We ourselves had actually seen him there for Bones at our first SDCC in 2012.) David joked about how his hair was “much higher” back then. He recalled going back year after year and seeing the show grow.
We watched a clip for David’s current show, SEAL Team, which had just had its season premiere the night before. In the clip, he is being examined for a concussion. Following the clip, David spoke seriously about how he considers SEAL Team members to be real life superheroes. David admitted that going into the show, he wasn’t very knowledgeable about the special forces. He recalled when he was first considering doing the pilot, he and his wife had a discussion wherein she made him aware of what an intense endeavor he would be taking on if he did the show.
David told us a story of when he shot the pilot, particularly the scene where his character jumps off the bow of a ship into the water. He wanted to do the jump himself, but his stunt guy said he’d probably break his neck, so he let the stunt guy do it. But then he got in the water, wearing a wetsuit and gear, while being fired at. In the midst of this, he dunked his head and started to go after the other guy in the scene he was supposed to go after. Unfortunately, a boat that was supposed to come by and pick them up missed, and David started having a panic attack, gasping for air, yelling for help. Meanwhile, the stunt coordinator in the nearby boat saw him, but did nothing. When the other boat came back by and got him, they banged his nose on the side of the boat and it started bleeding. Later, he found out that his co-stars who were watching this unfold, A.J. and Neil, had been discussing whether he was a really good actor or was actually drowning! He also was later told that there had been an alligator in the water near him!
Regarding his physical appearance, David wasn’t too concerned about it when he first got the job. He plays ice hockey, which provides an overall good workout for him and keeps him in shape.
We watched another SEAL Team clip. This one was of him and his character’s (presumably ex) wife talking, as it seems he is sleeping on the couch in her house, but he mentions finding his own place. He tells her that he is back in the field, but she is worried about him dying, though he assures her that he’s not going to die.
After the clip, David brought up the fact that the divorce rate is high among people who do what his character does. He pointed out that it’s difficult for spouses to understand about the abrupt transition between the intensity of what SEALs do on the job one day, and then having to come home and deal with mundane chores the next. David spoke about how the show prides itself on its authenticity and that it has real veterans on set.
David went on to tell us about how he got started in his acting career. He wasn’t classically trained, but he did grow up around showbiz in Buffalo, New York, where his father was a children’s show host. It wasn’t until college when he started really getting interested in acting, and he moved out to Los Angeles, where he struggled at first, even having to sleep on people’s couches. He trained in improv to hone his acting skills. Mostly he just got commercial gigs, such as for Pepsi and Zima. But eventually he was in the right place at the right time: the way he got Buffy was by walking his dog in West Hollywood!
When asked what he thought of the idea of rebooting Buffy with a new cast, much of the audience booed the mention of it. However, David quickly put a stop to this, saying “it’s a good thing,” and pointed out how they want to “embrace a new generation.” He went on to say how times change, and technology has evolved, and the new show could explore those aspects. David made his opinion clear, saying “I’m all for it,” and that he hopes it becomes successful. However, he and the other cast members are proud of having started it.
The moderator also brought up Bones, and the viewers “shipping” his and Emily Decshanel’s characters. However, David seemed to be unfamiliar with the term “shipping” and it had to be explained to him. David remembered that when the show started, it was important to the network for that relationship to grow, as they wanted to sort of recreate X-Files. However, David is proud of the relationship that he and Emily created.
Audience members were also given the opportunity to ask questions.
One audience member brought up how David had karaoked in Angel and asked him to sing Mandy. However, David declined.
Another audience member brought up how he makes his characters fans of the ice hockey team the Philadelphia Flyers, and asked what he thinks about the team this year. David replied that he thinks they’re going to be fantastic, though probably about two years away, and complimented the new forward they have.
In response to another audience question, he talked about his voiceover acting on Justice League: The New Frontier, wherein he voiced Green Lantern. David spoke about how it’s much different work, as it is repetitive and a bit desensitized, since you’re watching instead of there, but he enjoyed it.
With that, the panel ran out of time. The moderator tried to get him to end the panel by walking off the stage singing Mandy, but he joked that instead of that, he would take his shirt off. Sadly, neither of those two things happened.
Even though we’re only fans of David Boreanaz because of Buffy and Angel, and haven’t really kept up with his work since then, this was a really fun panel to see. David was a lot funnier than I had expected!
Next on our agenda was the Nat Geo Mars Season 2 panel, which was located in Room 1A10. Stay tuned for our recap and photos of that panel!
You can view more of our photos from the David Boreanaz panel at NYCC 2018 below.
