The key to any powerful long lasting fandom is to create compelling characters, full of rich personality and backstory, put them in a relationship with an equally compelling character, and then make sure they take their shirt off every other episode. Buffy the Vampire Slayer has one of the best fandoms in the business, so they understood the value in showing a shirtless Angel every now and again. As it turns out, David Boreanaz didn't mind at all, and he was probably ready to go one step further. According to Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar, the actor would walk around set naked all the time, just for the fun of it:
It was all the time. . . . He would literally come out with no pants on just to see if you could keep a straight face.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, who shared plenty of scenes with David Boreanaz for her role as Buffy, remembers that he particularly loved to be naked on set. She revealed this to Entertainment Weekly for the 20th anniversary of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where she shared the story surrounded by most of the original cast of the classic TV show. Apparently Boreanaz had a habit of getting naked just to see what people's reactions would be. He would do this often, assumedly to many different people.
And it was full frontal nudity too. When asked by Emma Caulfield (who played Anya) if he would at least wear a sock, Gellar immediately answered with a "No!" Even though he would do it to see if his co-stars could keep a straight face, David Boreanaz was apparently incapable of doing that himself, as Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia on the show) remembers.
It's shocking how often he was comfortable being naked and how giggly he is.
It's unknown if David Boreanaz also did this during Bones, but we suppose we'll have to wait until Emily Deschanel opens up about it at the 20th anniversary of Bones. In the meantime, I've tracked down this scene from Buffy of Angel doing shirtless tai chi, so enjoy that.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is currently enjoying its 20 year anniversary and you should all check out the show if you've haven't already. Even though the show is leaving Netflix, it's available over over on Hulu, so fans still have a way to enjoy it. For more of our television coverage, check out our midseason premiere schedule and summer premiere schedule to help you plan out your upcoming viewing plans!
