Undercover Angel Most guardian angels have a fairly thankless job, but that's not the case for Charmed's Leo Wyatt, played by Brian Krause. As a White Lighter, Leo is charged with protecting Prue (Shannen Doherty), Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and Phoebe Halliwell (Alyssa Milano) from the forces of evil as they fulfill their destinies as the Charmed Ones — the most powerful witches the world has ever known. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it, and Leo has proved to be just the man for the job.
Krause, 32, joined the show's cast soon after its 1998 debut and has since garnered quite a loyal fan following. Prior to landing the Charmed gig, Krause was probably best known for his role in the feature film Return to the Blue Lagoon, a 1991 sequel to 1980's The Blue Lagoon. He also played all-American boy/mogul Matt Cory on the now-defunct soap opera Another World in 1997-98. Interestingly enough, his current Charmed co-star, Julian McMahon (Cole/Belthazor), is also an Another World veteran, but the two never had the chance to work together while on the daytime drama.
Gist recently caught up with Krause to chat about everything from his Blue sequel to the similarities between Leo and a TV character named John Bosley.
At first Leo seemed like the Halliwell sisters' answer to Charlie's Angels' Bosley [David Doyle], but that changed after he bedded, and later wedded, Piper."I've called myself Bosley before, joking around, but I think the fact that I'm not older, like Bosley was to the Angels, led Aaron [Spelling] and everyone else to decide to take his relationship with Piper to another place."
Aren't White Lighters forbidden from becoming romantically involved with the people they protect?"Well, we just broke that rule. I'm like an avenging angel; I break all the rules. Actually, I bend them a little because the Charmed Ones are special, so I figure I can get away with a little more, but Piper and Leo have gotten into some trouble over it. The elders try and set down the law, and we constantly have to prove to them that our relationship won't get in the way of our work."
Which power of Leo's would Brian most like to have?"Gosh, they're all so great. He can float, heal people, disappear and reappear anywhere he wants at any given time in the blink of an eye ... but I think the most rewarding would be the power to heal anyone who's been hurt. There are people all over this world in pain, and the ability to take that pain away from them would be an awesome gift."
Do people ever tease you about your role in Return to the Blue Lagoon?"It comes up pretty much daily [laughs], but it was probably one of the greatest experiences I've ever had."
How so?"I mean, the movie was what it was. It was a sequel to Blue Lagoon, but I was playing someone who didn't know about the modern world, so it was an acting challenge in that respect. Really, though, for me it was about seeing how the locals [in Fiji] lived and how they adored life and people. Seeing how simple people live and how the little things make them happy is just something I'll never, ever forget. I've tried to carry those lessons over to every aspect of my life since then. I try to live my life as simply as possible. I don't walk around the house in a loincloth [laughs], but I do try to always appreciate the little things around me."
On a more frivolous note, each of your female co-stars have tattoos. Do you?"I'm tattooless at the moment. It's not that I haven't thought about getting one or been tempted to do so; I just feel like I'd still have to hide it from my mother if I did get one."
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