Remembering Andy Hallett

Remembering Andy Hallett

Mar 31

andyhallett

Yesterday, the news came down that Andy Hallett — the dapper, green-complexioned Lorne from Angel — had passed away after a long battle with heart disease. We’re all mourning his loss today — such a big, brash talent. And so young.

I think Lorne — Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan — holds a special place in every Angel fan’s heart. He wasn’t there from the beginning, but once he arrived, it became incredibly clear how much this dark, shadowy show needed him. It’s similar to Strangers in Paradise needing Casey — here’s this character that initially seems like a charming grace note, yet you end up incapable of imagining the story without them. Lorne was everybody’s friend and confidante. And he could really belt out a tune. Future episodes deepened the character and Hallett’s performance became even more textured, even more gripping. His final words on the series — “Goodnight, folks” — still gut me.

I was lucky enough to encounter Andy a few times whilst covering the Buffy beat. His friends and colleagues can probably describe this much better than I ever could, but he had…a quality. Simply put, it was impossible to be in his presence for more than 5 seconds without smiling. He had such a warmth about him, such an obvious love of life. You could instantly see why Joss wanted him to be Lorne.

Below is an interview with Andy circa 2001 — that quality really comes through, I think. Rest in peace, Mr. Hallett. You will be missed.

***

Andy Hallett
Angel‘s Host with the most talks Patti LaBelle, cocktails and karaoke.

by Sarah Kuhn

lorne

As the outrageously-attired, ever-hospitable demon karaoke star The Host, Andy Hallett belts out a bevy of glorious tunes, dispenses killer advice, and generally provides a rare sunny spot on the otherwise shadowy Angel.

And of course, he’s never seen without a drink in hand. So what does the man behind all of that garish green face paint name as his cocktail of choice in real life?

“This is so ghetto,” says Andy conspiratorially. “But I always drink Southern Comfort before I sing.” He starts snickering with embarrassment. “I love nice drinks, too!” he insists. “But whenever I’m gonna perform, I have to have a little bit of Southern Comfort. I don’t care if it’s straight, on the rocks, or whatever, though I usually will put a little Coke in there. It opens up my throat, I swear to God!”

Mmm hmm. Sure. And how exactly did he figure this out?

“Years of research!” he quips. “My friends say, ‘Oh no, no, you think that psychologically because it’s loosening you up,’ which may hold some truth to it, but I’m serious! It actually opens up the passageway in my throat. I don’t know anything about the technical [aspects] of singing…all I know is that it opens me up and lets me hit better notes.”

So there you have it, folks — a little karaoke tip, courtesy of The Host.

Though he’s currently busy giving advice of all sorts on Angel, Andy didn’t initially set out for Hollywood with dreams of being the next David Boreanaz.

“I moved to LA three years ago, knowing that I wanted to be associated with the entertainment industry in some way, but I didn’t know how,” he says. “Back then, I would never even pick up a microphone and sing in front of anybody, never mind on a TV show! It cracks me up to see the situation I’m in now. But I started going out, and I went to this karaoke bar. It was a scandalous little place on Hollywood Boulevard called Studio Cafe — this divey little bar that we used to love.”

Andy eventually did get up the nerve to sing, and started making the rounds in various karaoke showcases. One night, performing at BB King’s, he happened to invite a good pal’s brother-in-law — Joss Whedon. “Somehow, some way, I have no idea how his mind works, Joss developed this character in his mind that night, which killed me because I certainly wasn’t up there with any green face paint on!” Andy says. “But he didn’t mention anything. It wasn’t until six or eight months later, I ran into him in the airport. And he said, ‘Hey, I’ve got something to tell you. You remember you did that show? Well, I want you to audition for this part we’re thinking about. It’s this demon karaoke singer!’ When he first told me that, I howled. I thought it was hilarious.”

Andy went in and auditioned, and the rest, of course, is history. Now, he sits in a make-up chair for three hours every day, getting transformed into the green goodness that is The Host. And since everyone’s favorite swanky demon dude is set to pop up consistently through the end of the season, it looks like Andy will be spending a good deal of his waking hours wearing face paint.

Though he’s mostly concentrating on Angel at the moment, Andy is also set to appear in Chance, a movie written, directed by and starring fellow Buffy-verse star Amber Benson. On his first day off in ages, the charming Andy took a few moments to chat via phone about action figures, Patti LaBelle, and of course, karaoke.

Obvious question: what are your top three karaoke jams of all time and why?

Andy: [Laughs] Great question. Definitely, number one is “Lady Marmalade,” Patti LaBelle. Number two would be “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder, which is going to be on a show coming up. And number three is probably “You Dropped a Bomb on Me” by the Gap Band. They’re all classic R&B songs that you can really jam to, and they all have a certain amount of funk to ’em. That’s my favorite kind of music, ’70s funk. They definitely all have that upbeat funkiness, and that’s why I love ’em.

Fine choices, all. Your “Lady Marmalade” at the Posting Board Party was killer…

Andy: Thanks! Well, we were lettin’ it all hang out that night.

Speaking of Patti LaBelle, I’ve heard you have a few interesting connections to her. True?

Andy: Well, not really connections… In all of her shows, she always pulls people out of the audience to sing with her. She’s done it for thirty years. And I’ve seen her several times in concert, and on four different occasions, I’ve happened to be one of the ones she’s pulled out of the audience, ’cause I’ve just been sitting close. And she’s remembered me a couple of times. By no means do I know her — I’d like to say that I do, but I definitely don’t! [But] she gives everyone a quick turn on the mic, and for some reason she’s let me sing last, and then she lets me sing maybe a whole verse of the song, which is pretty cool, and then she’ll sort of rock with me. So it’s been fun, I’ve got some great pictures of it. Definitely a highlight!

So you’ve jammed with Patti LaBelle! And doesn’t she go to your grocery store or something?

Andy: No, you know, I read that online… something about Patti LaBelle [that] made it sound like I had much more of a connection than I do with her. No! I saw her coming out of a grocery store once. It’s not, like, the grocery store I normally go to. I saw her come out of the store. That was it!

So you know that she actually goes to grocery stores…

Andy: Yes. [Laughs] That’s about all I know.

Fair enough. Now on the show, The Host seems to be sort of checkin’ Angel out. Do you think the big guy will ever return his affections?

Andy: [Laughs] Hell, no! Never. I just wouldn’t buy it. I think The Host is just one of those types of people — er, types of demons! — that is just sort of ambiguous. He gives everybody lots of love! There’s no ulterior motive there. He’s just giving everyone a little bit of love.

[He’s] the smarmy, lounge-y, just kickin’ back with a drink type of guy, wanting to say hello to everyone that’s in there. As far as most of the episodes have shown, he’s been in charge of all of the situations. As the season continues, you’ll find that changes a little bit at times…he has a little vulnerability, sort of around episode 19-ish, somewhere around there. In the upcoming episodes, which they unfortunately don’t let me talk about, you’ll see a different side to The Host, which I think will be fun.

Well, he’s already become a more and more integral part of Angel’s world as the season has gone on. Do you think he might become a series regular?

Andy: You know, I don’t know. By the end of this season, I will have done 17 out of 22 episodes, which isn’t bad for someone who they weren’t sure was even gonna go past episode number one. They did give me one big episode for episode number 13, which was called “Happy Anniversary.” I had a ball doing it, and that was the first time I had worked on the show for a full eight day shooting. And between now and the end of the season, I’m working full time with them as well, so I’ll be in all of the episodes [through] the end of the season, but primarily the last three, I’ll be featured quite a bit.

Well, I think they kind of noticed in “Happy Anniversary” that you and Angel seemed to have a really unique dynamic together. He sort of split off from his friends, so he needed someone else to talk to…

Andy: Exactly! And I thought that was really cool how they developed that. Being the demon Host in the karaoke bar, I was a little concerned that it could possibly get exhausted too quickly, if every time everyone was in there singing karaoke. But now they’ve taken me into different areas, and developed a bit of camaraderie with Angel, and made a little friendship there, which you’ll see develop even more as the season goes on.

With the expanded role and everything, could you ever see The Host crossing over to Buffy? What do you see him doing over there?

Andy: Oooooh, that would be fun! That would be a blast! I hadn’t thought about it. I don’t know. Gosh. I know that The Host could definitely offer lots of advice over in Sunnydale!

They need it…

Andy: They sure do! I’m sure they’d all be coming to him. They would be an interesting scene, wouldn’t it?

I was thinking that you could go over and do something at The Bronze, or you could duet with Giles…

Andy: Yeah, that would be fun! Or with James [Marsters] or something. You know, it’s funny that you mention that because I hadn’t even realized that every single person in the cast has sang in the karaoke bar! Angel, Gunn, Cordelia, Wesley. Darla sang, and a bunch of other random demons and so forth. It’s been a ball! So I would love to do something over at The Bronze. Oh, God, I should recommend that!

Yeah, tell Joss. Now another thing about The Host is that he has excellent fashion sense. Have you ever thought about snitching some of his outfits for your own wardrobe?

Andy: [Laughs] Yesssss!!! Definitely. I’m always teasing the wardrobe department, saying, “You’re not gonna get this back!” Some of the stuff is a little over-the-top, and it gets even more wild towards the end of the show, take my word for it! Some of this recent stuff is even more flashy and even more over the top. But, yeah, I’ve threatened to steal lots of stuff. Especially the shoes — I always have good shoes, although you don’t usually get to see them.

They really pay attention to detail…

Andy: Oh, yeah. Down to the cufflinks.

One last stupid question: what would The Host action figure come with?

Andy: Oooooooooh! Definitely a microphone. And definitely a drink of some sort.

And maybe a few changes of clothes?

Andy: [Laughing] Yeah, a mic, a drink, and a glass with some fake ice cubes in it, and several costume changes. I just told them the other day, “Hey, I want an action figure!” They told me, “We’re working on it, we’re working on it!”

14 comments

  1. Kiala

    Oh Lorne. So sad. I think about him every single time I sing karaoke.

    *sniff*

  2. Ken

    Thanks for the repost of the interview, Sarah. Lorne was hands down my favorite character on Angel, and you nailed the reason why — the show _needed_ him. I thought that Andy Hallett had a long, bright future ahead of him in his performing career. I’m so sad that it’s been cut short.

  3. Great tribute post. His passing is terribly sad-I always think about him when we do karaoke too. He was always a joy to watch.

  4. Matt

    Thanks for posting this Sarah–it is so sad that he died. He should have had a long career of other great geeky roles ahead of him, and I’m really sorry I never saw him in his element at a con, although seeing him with you at the PBP was pretty awesome.

  5. Sarah

    Aw, nice to see all the love for Andy Hallett. Who doesn’t think of The Host when karaoke-ing? He was the master.

  6. Jeff

    Good interview. Very sad to see him pass. He always seemed like one of those rare genuninely nice guys.

  7. Ben

    I wish I had a copy of my old IGN interview with Andy to post. He was fun to talk to (and patient too.) RIP.

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