J. August Richards

J. August Richards: (on his role as Charles Gunn on Angel) Gunn is an activist, a renegade vampire hunter who leads his motley crew of fellow hunters on a personal crusade of execution for reasons that the audience is not yet aware of. He is a tormented soul and a lone ranger, much like Angel, but he has adopted a family of lost and disenfranchised who he will protect at any cost. It's almost like he's two people in one, a violent and aggressive warrior, but also someone who desires family and people close to him.

J. August Richards: (about his character on Angel) Gunn, like me, has a James Bond obsession. He would love to be James Bond, and it's a great role that I would love to be, someday.

J. August Richards: (on his role as Charles Gunn on Angel) What's ironic is that I don't think race ultimately had anything to do with me getting the part. When I auditioned, I heard that they were looking at white guys, Latino guys, Asian guys, so they didn't know where they were going with it.

J. August Richards: (on his role as Charles Gunn on Angel) I don't think my parents were too happy when I announced that I wanted to be an actor. And then when I told them I was starring in a show about vampires, they were like, "Couldn't you at least get a role as a nice lawyer or something." My Mom always wanted me to be a lawyer or a priest. I think they were a little bit surprised by my career choice.

J. August Richards: (on his role as Charles Gunn on Angel) Everybody on the set is fantastic and there are so many interesting people. I absolutely love working with David Boreanaz, and Charisma Carpenter I completely adore -- she teaches me to dance. She's definitely one of my favorite people on the set. And Alexis Denisof is such a dynamic actor. He's phenomenal. There is so much I can see happening to this character [Gunn], it makes me excited to think about all the ways he can branch out. Charles is a fantastic character. I really love his spirit. He's so pure and clean and unaffected. I love the extent to which he goes to protect the people he loves. I find that fascinating and admirable.