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FEATURE: HEAVENLY CREATURE
By David Waldon
From the moment he stepped through the front door of the Halliwell manor in season one's 'Thank You For Not Morphing,' Leo Wyatt, a.k.a. actor BRIAN KRAUSE, has been a Whitelighter in shining armor to the beleaguered Halliwell sisters. David Waldon meets The Charmed Ones' very own guardian angel. . .
Sitting in his trailer on the Paramount Studios back lot and studying his lines, Brian Krause has one eye on his television. To the surprise of absolutely no one who knows him, he's watching golf — the PGA Championship, to be specific. If it is possible for this hard-working actor and dedicated father to have a one-track mind, Brian definitely has an affinity for the links. And like most diehard duffers, he sees more in golf than green lawns and martini lunches.
"It's physical and it's mental," says Brian introspectively. "It's a way to stay competitive — and not only compete with other people, but it's that mental, emotional competition that you have within yourself, whether it's the drive you have for work or the passion you have for sport. Because it's your head — your head determines everything. And physically all of these guys are capable of being just as good as one another. Even us amateurs are capable of hitting shots that these guys hit. But I think emotions and confidence is what separates the good amateur from the pro, and it's that challenge of just trying to constantly get better and trying to keep their emotions in check."
But how does all of this translate to Brian's real job? After all, he's not Tiger Woods; he's Leo Wyatt on Charmed. But he does see a connection: "It's about keeping your emotions in check, knowing that you need to be a master of your emotions," he says. "You know, it's about setting goals, trying to accomplish them. As soon as you try too hard, it's bad. Just like acting — if you try too hard, it's bad. It's just a fine line of letting go. You have to let go. And just like acting, where you just have to kind of let go and let things happen and be organic, it's kind of the same thing."
Helping Hand
A lot of things have happened to Brian Krause in the guise of Leo Wyatt since he first appeared on the show in its third episode as a handyman who visits the Halliwell home. Within two seasons he had gone from recurring nice guy to a regular and integral piece of the Charmed puzzle. "I don't know whether it was the fans or something that Brad [Kern, showrunner] always had in mind, of having a character who's an overseer, a healer of the witches. But I'm very thankful to everybody who supports my character, and definitely to Brad for creating it.
As a Whitelighter, Brian still sees Leo as a handyman, just of a different sort. "He's a constant reminder to the girls to stay on track," he says. "And I think that's what I like the most — that he's able to invoke pureness from those around him. It's nice to be the good guy. It's always fun to play the bad guy and be tough and play all these different things. But I have a son, friends and family who watch, and our show puts out a pretty good message. You know, it's nice to be that guy that's the reminder of it."
But being the moral tent post can mean sacrifice, as Leo has discovered in the past few seasons. After falling in love with and marrying Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and having a son with her, he was promoted to Elder and forced to choose duty over family. And things got even more complicated when his second son Chris (Drew Fuller) came from the future in an effort to reunite his parents — and to get conceived in the first place — only to die in last year's finale [It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World]. All of this tumult has left Leo feeling less than pure. . .
"I'm a little lost," admits Brian. "I don't have my wife, I don't have my family. And I think that goes back to two seasons ago. . . when I lost my family and I lost everything. So last season I was a little pissed, and Chris was there to kind of keep me distracted about it. But now that he's gone, I think Leo has just kind of gone over the edge.
"You know, when your family is ripped away from you — although I do get to see them, it's still hard because I'm not with them. And I think the emotional strain is going to begin to really start to get to Leo, to the point where he just feels unsure of who's good or what's good, who to trust, who to believe, 'Am I doing the right thing?' 'Is being good really good anymore?' 'What is good?' And it's just these questions that he'll have, not all of which will be spoken word, I would imagine."
They're questions that Brian can relate to, even if he isn't imbued with magical powers. Real life gives him enough of a reference.
"I don't live with my son," says Brian, "so that's a really easy one for me as far as knowing how hard that is. And it's devastating. I remain strong, and I think that's what Leo does as well. And Brad knows all of that, and I don't think he's trying to write my life into the show, but he knows certain emotions that he can tie into. So it's definitely an easy thing. Being divorced and the whole thing, it's right there."
The Life of Brian
It's that resonance of reality, along with the fun and the fantasy that Brian has come to enjoy during his years on Charmed. And he has taken to heart more than his acting, having contributed an original story idea during the show's fifth season. 'Sense and Sense Ability' involved the sisters each losing a vital sense but still joining together to save the day.
"It was the idea of putting out the message to everybody that, hey, just because somebody's blind or deaf or mute doesn't mean that they can't accomplish anything in this world. And kind of through The Charmed Ones, we say, 'Look, these girls had to accomplish saving the world, and if they can do it, you can do it.'"
Brian has not ruled out doing more writing for the show; in fact, he has a couple of ideas churning in his head. But he knows how tricky it is to pitch an idea to the writing staff, especially as they formulate the story arc for the season. But, in his mind, he may have plenty of time to contribute behind the scenes; despite the fact that Charmed's seventh season is well underway, Brian sees no end in sight. "With storylines being magical, everything can happen," he says. "So I don't think the problem's running out of stories or anything like that. I think it would just come down to the fans going, 'We don't like this genre anymore,' which hopefully doesn't happen for the next 10 years."
And that would give plenty of time for Brian to soak in what he sees as a glorious working environment — even if he usually is the only guy in a female-dominated cast. "I think men tend to be a little more serious: 'We're doing this job, blah blah blah,'" he says with a smile. "The girls are very serious when they come to work, and they do their job, but I think there's a lot more fun had than might be on some other sets. And, I tell you, it's a relief to the crew and a relief to everyone that they know how to have fun and enjoy their work as well. They're very passionate about it. And you don't want to be somewhere 12 hours a day and just have it be a grind. I think that by having them in this position, it makes it fun. You know, being the only guy, sometimes they can have fun and poke fun and stuff. It's part of the job description, and I wouldn't trade it for anything."
And so, as the first round of the PGA winds down and Brian prepares to head to make-up, one more question pops into mind — how good is Leo's golf game? "Well, I think Leo, being an angel and having magical powers, could definitely cheat," says Brian, with a chuckle. Of course, being a Whitelighter and all, he couldn't bend the rules. "You can't use magic to benefit yourself. Besides," he adds with a smile, "I don't think he gets enough time to play golf."
Brian Krause interview courtesy of Charmed — The Official Magazine
From the moment he stepped through the front door of the Halliwell manor in season one's 'Thank You For Not Morphing,' Leo Wyatt, a.k.a. actor BRIAN KRAUSE, has been a Whitelighter in shining armor to the beleaguered Halliwell sisters. David Waldon meets The Charmed Ones' very own guardian angel. . .
Sitting in his trailer on the Paramount Studios back lot and studying his lines, Brian Krause has one eye on his television. To the surprise of absolutely no one who knows him, he's watching golf — the PGA Championship, to be specific. If it is possible for this hard-working actor and dedicated father to have a one-track mind, Brian definitely has an affinity for the links. And like most diehard duffers, he sees more in golf than green lawns and martini lunches.
"It's physical and it's mental," says Brian introspectively. "It's a way to stay competitive — and not only compete with other people, but it's that mental, emotional competition that you have within yourself, whether it's the drive you have for work or the passion you have for sport. Because it's your head — your head determines everything. And physically all of these guys are capable of being just as good as one another. Even us amateurs are capable of hitting shots that these guys hit. But I think emotions and confidence is what separates the good amateur from the pro, and it's that challenge of just trying to constantly get better and trying to keep their emotions in check."
But how does all of this translate to Brian's real job? After all, he's not Tiger Woods; he's Leo Wyatt on Charmed. But he does see a connection: "It's about keeping your emotions in check, knowing that you need to be a master of your emotions," he says. "You know, it's about setting goals, trying to accomplish them. As soon as you try too hard, it's bad. Just like acting — if you try too hard, it's bad. It's just a fine line of letting go. You have to let go. And just like acting, where you just have to kind of let go and let things happen and be organic, it's kind of the same thing."
Helping Hand
A lot of things have happened to Brian Krause in the guise of Leo Wyatt since he first appeared on the show in its third episode as a handyman who visits the Halliwell home. Within two seasons he had gone from recurring nice guy to a regular and integral piece of the Charmed puzzle. "I don't know whether it was the fans or something that Brad [Kern, showrunner] always had in mind, of having a character who's an overseer, a healer of the witches. But I'm very thankful to everybody who supports my character, and definitely to Brad for creating it.
As a Whitelighter, Brian still sees Leo as a handyman, just of a different sort. "He's a constant reminder to the girls to stay on track," he says. "And I think that's what I like the most — that he's able to invoke pureness from those around him. It's nice to be the good guy. It's always fun to play the bad guy and be tough and play all these different things. But I have a son, friends and family who watch, and our show puts out a pretty good message. You know, it's nice to be that guy that's the reminder of it."
But being the moral tent post can mean sacrifice, as Leo has discovered in the past few seasons. After falling in love with and marrying Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and having a son with her, he was promoted to Elder and forced to choose duty over family. And things got even more complicated when his second son Chris (Drew Fuller) came from the future in an effort to reunite his parents — and to get conceived in the first place — only to die in last year's finale [It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World]. All of this tumult has left Leo feeling less than pure. . .
"I'm a little lost," admits Brian. "I don't have my wife, I don't have my family. And I think that goes back to two seasons ago. . . when I lost my family and I lost everything. So last season I was a little pissed, and Chris was there to kind of keep me distracted about it. But now that he's gone, I think Leo has just kind of gone over the edge.
"You know, when your family is ripped away from you — although I do get to see them, it's still hard because I'm not with them. And I think the emotional strain is going to begin to really start to get to Leo, to the point where he just feels unsure of who's good or what's good, who to trust, who to believe, 'Am I doing the right thing?' 'Is being good really good anymore?' 'What is good?' And it's just these questions that he'll have, not all of which will be spoken word, I would imagine."
They're questions that Brian can relate to, even if he isn't imbued with magical powers. Real life gives him enough of a reference.
"I don't live with my son," says Brian, "so that's a really easy one for me as far as knowing how hard that is. And it's devastating. I remain strong, and I think that's what Leo does as well. And Brad knows all of that, and I don't think he's trying to write my life into the show, but he knows certain emotions that he can tie into. So it's definitely an easy thing. Being divorced and the whole thing, it's right there."
The Life of Brian
It's that resonance of reality, along with the fun and the fantasy that Brian has come to enjoy during his years on Charmed. And he has taken to heart more than his acting, having contributed an original story idea during the show's fifth season. 'Sense and Sense Ability' involved the sisters each losing a vital sense but still joining together to save the day.
"It was the idea of putting out the message to everybody that, hey, just because somebody's blind or deaf or mute doesn't mean that they can't accomplish anything in this world. And kind of through The Charmed Ones, we say, 'Look, these girls had to accomplish saving the world, and if they can do it, you can do it.'"
Brian has not ruled out doing more writing for the show; in fact, he has a couple of ideas churning in his head. But he knows how tricky it is to pitch an idea to the writing staff, especially as they formulate the story arc for the season. But, in his mind, he may have plenty of time to contribute behind the scenes; despite the fact that Charmed's seventh season is well underway, Brian sees no end in sight. "With storylines being magical, everything can happen," he says. "So I don't think the problem's running out of stories or anything like that. I think it would just come down to the fans going, 'We don't like this genre anymore,' which hopefully doesn't happen for the next 10 years."
And that would give plenty of time for Brian to soak in what he sees as a glorious working environment — even if he usually is the only guy in a female-dominated cast. "I think men tend to be a little more serious: 'We're doing this job, blah blah blah,'" he says with a smile. "The girls are very serious when they come to work, and they do their job, but I think there's a lot more fun had than might be on some other sets. And, I tell you, it's a relief to the crew and a relief to everyone that they know how to have fun and enjoy their work as well. They're very passionate about it. And you don't want to be somewhere 12 hours a day and just have it be a grind. I think that by having them in this position, it makes it fun. You know, being the only guy, sometimes they can have fun and poke fun and stuff. It's part of the job description, and I wouldn't trade it for anything."
And so, as the first round of the PGA winds down and Brian prepares to head to make-up, one more question pops into mind — how good is Leo's golf game? "Well, I think Leo, being an angel and having magical powers, could definitely cheat," says Brian, with a chuckle. Of course, being a Whitelighter and all, he couldn't bend the rules. "You can't use magic to benefit yourself. Besides," he adds with a smile, "I don't think he gets enough time to play golf."
Brian Krause interview courtesy of Charmed — The Official Magazine
