J. August Richards: Are there really that few roles for young, handsome, talented black actors?

[meganbmoore]

Really, what's he been up to since Angel ended? This guy should have a starring role already. While chatting with lesbiassparrow earlier, we realized he hasn't really done much since Angel, and we consider this a crime. As such, I am willingly sacrificing my sleep to spread the love.



Gunn was the sole regular minority character in Angel(depending on how strict in defining "minority" you want to be as far as Willow being both Jewish and homosexual, but white, some would say the entire Buffyverse. Whedon and minority representation is something I refuse to get into, as both sides are rather rabid. And I don't count non-humans here as minority representatives), showing up near the end of season 1 of Angel and becoming a regular from season 2 onward. Introduced as the buttkicking (and smart) leader of a street gang of vampire hunters, he joined the Angel team at the beginning of season 2. Aside from Cordy, he was the only one who really got, on a regular basis, the monster just beneath Angel's skin. I love him almost as much as I love Cordy, and some of you know how all encompassing my love for Cordy is. Sadly, he was also a rather underused character. I remain sorrowful that they did not keep Gwen so she and Gunn could become a buttkicking, electrifying, monster killing, occassionally thieving OTP.

But that's ok, nothing could detract from his awesomeness. He is so awesome that Supernatural TPTB felt compelled to create a character who was essentially Gunn gone horribly wrong as a sort of twisted homage, I supect.

In his first appearance, Gunn's sister, Alona, was abducted by vampires. After finding her and fighting the vampires to save her, he learns she's been turned and is forced to kill her. In Supernatural, the Hunter Gordon also had his sister abducted by vampires, and when he finally found her months later-becoming a hunter in the process-he found that she'd been turned and killed her. For both the event was a catalyst in their lives, but in different ways. For Gunn it helped turn him from a street kid who killed monsters into a hero, but it set Gordon off on a very dark, twisted path where he became almost as bad-and sometimes worse-than the things he hunted. The main difference, I suspect, is that Gunn had Angel when it happened to keep him from going off the deep end, while Gordon had no one.

Gunn MV:

Watch on YouTube

And, of course, a picspam:























A little closer:



"Get that out of my face or I'll shove it where the sun don't shine."







From season 5, I believe. I confess, I don't recall exactly what was happening here:



With a gang member, from his first appearance:



Prepared to take Angel down.



Last scene of Angel. It's only the apocalypse headed their way, that's all...



Wondering why he doesn't get to sit next to the cute girl:



Doing his very best to feign interest in the opera for his girl(I never cared much for Gunn/Fred as it seemed to happen mostly because we expected Wes/Fred, but I did like Gunn at the opera):





I shall now go pass out.

Comments

[lostopenwindows.livejournal.com]

Just have to say that I love Gunn too and I agree that he was underused in Angel. He was one of those characters who I loved from beginning to the end.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I admit, when he first showed up, he rubbed me a bit the wrong way, but then I realized that it was because they didn't quite know what to do with him, and when I realized that, I realized I loved him.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Okay, total icon love. Is it gackable?

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I meant to do a post on how much I like Gunn - he is EEEEEEE fabulous. I am in the middle of the season 2 now (the whole Darla thing just blew up) and seem to be rooting for all sorts of secondary characters. Like Gunn. And I have a crush on Lindsey (especially after he cut his hair)..

[bzoppa.livejournal.com]

oh god.... Lindsay with short hair....

I can't wait for you to watch the end of season 2.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I, too, have a serious cruh on Lindsey. I love him so. Actually, it seems all my Buffyverse crushes are from Angel...

[filmi-girl.livejournal.com]

My favorite Gunn story line is in S5 and the Flowers for Algenon with super-lawyer brain.

And I always liked Gunn/Fred. :)

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I really wanted to like Gunn/Fred(big tough fighter guy and smart geeky little gal? I should be nuts for it), but I think the way they made it happened annoyed me. Everything they were building up to said Wes/Fred, and then out of the blue they did Gunn/Fred and said thay'd been building up to it all along when...they hadn't built up to it at all.

[bzoppa.livejournal.com]

Yay for picspams, and connection between shows!

However, I never liked Gunn. I thought he was evidence that they were just pulling on random characters and making them regulars. He annoyed me. I hated him with Fred.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I loved Gunn, but they really had no idea what to do with him. I wasn't initially very big on him, but when I realized my problems were that they had no idea what to do with him and not the character himself, I realized I liked him.

And Gunn/Fred never should have happened. At least, not the way it did.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

Gunn! I loved him so much. I didn't mind Gunn and Fred in the start but they seemed to have no idea how to write them.

I think he is my favourite Buffyverse character.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

He is second only to Cordy in my eyes. I honestly believe Gunn/Fred only happened because we didn't expect it, and not a lot more thought went into it than that.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Agreed with most of what people are saying.

But can I just say, I will never forgive Joss for killing of Fred without letting her and Wesley have sex even one. That was just cruel.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Weren't they together for a few eps before she died? I just kinda...assumed they did...

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

There's a line when Fred is dying where she comments that she's finally got Wesley into her bedroom that made me think they'd never have sex, especially since it was like get together kiss, one episode - she's dying.

But Joss has a track record with not letting lovers make love (i.e. Jenny and Giles)