David Boreanaz brought Hollywood star power to the Italian Global Series 2026 red carpet in Riccione on Thursday, July 9. Welcomed warmly by the audience, the actor reflected on the defining moments of his career during a conversation with journalist Hakim Zejjari.
Zejjari opened by asking whether Boreanaz had already wanted to become an actor at the age of seven and what had first inspired him.
“My father worked in television, and when I was seven, I had the opportunity to see Yul Brynner perform live in The King and I,” Boreanaz recalled. “I was completely struck by the way he captured the spirit of the character. That performance had a profound impact on me.”
He also confirmed the story that he was discovered in Los Angeles while walking his dog, at a time when his career had reached a standstill.
“I had already done a few things, but nothing was really taking off,” he said. “Then one day, while I was walking my dog, I was spotted by the man who would later become my manager. I went to his office and was offered the role of Angel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That meeting changed my life.”
David Boreanaz also looked back on an unusual early audition during which he turned a chair into an imaginary motorcycle.
“I didn’t really know what I was doing,” he admitted. “There was a chair in the room, and the scene involved a motorcycle, so I grabbed it and started moving it around. Eventually, the producer told me that the chair was not going to turn into a motorcycle and that I needed to start acting.”
The moment, he explained, was driven more by nerves than by any deliberate creative choice.
“I was very young. It was a nervous reaction rather than something planned. I was using the chair as a way to release the tension because I wasn’t fully focused.”
Learning the Craft Beyond Acting School
Despite not following a traditional acting-school route, Boreanaz went on to play Angel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, lead its spin-off series Angel and later star in the long-running procedural Bones.
His career, he explained, has always been shaped by observation, curiosity and a willingness to learn from every department on set.
“I have always tried to learn, and I still do every day, including here,” he said. “You can learn from anyone. You learn from producers and directors, and you can even learn from young students.”
Before becoming a successful actor, David Boreanaz worked in several production roles and gained practical experience behind the scenes.
“When I first started working, I moved around the different departments on set, and directors encouraged me to watch everything,” he explained. “I started in the props department, then worked as an assistant director, helped the director of photography and carried cables. Sometimes I made mistakes and caused a bit of chaos, but I was learning, including from those mistakes.”
Boreanaz later studied cinema and photography at university, building on an interest that had begun during his childhood. Through his father’s work in television, he had the opportunity to observe performers including Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis and John Belushi.
“I could watch them, listen to them and see how they moved,” he said.
He also mentioned at the Italian Global Series that Cinema played a central role in shaping his creative outlook. He recalled seeing Tora! Tora! Tora! at a time when Dolby sound was still a new theatrical experience, as well as the animated film Watership Down.
“I later realised that Watership Down was largely aimed at adults and had a very strong subtext,” he explained. “It taught me a lot about metaphors connected to life.”
Those experiences encouraged him to explore directing, screenwriting and acting, although he never saw himself as a classically trained performer.
“I feel closer to someone like Sam Shepard,” he said. “That is where I tend to direct my energy. I am certainly not a Shakespearean actor.”
Asked how he has continued to reinvent himself across very different roles, Boreanaz said the process requires constant personal work.
“I have had the same acting coach for more than 20 years, and she encourages me to dig deeply into each character and find what is important in order to express it,” he said. “Acting is essentially about wearing masks. You put one on, and then you take it off.”
Boreanaz is now starring in a reboot of The Rockford Files, a project that also features his son, Jaden. He described the opportunity as an unexpected blessing after another series he had expected to film failed to move forward.
James Garner, who starred in the original series, has long been an important influence on him.
“I know his daughter, and I told her that I had no intention of imitating him,” Boreanaz said. “I simply wanted to create something that he would have been proud of.”
His son, he added, earned the role through the traditional audition process, including network tests and meetings with the producer and director.
“I still have a few bruises because we shot a scene in which he gave me a pretty serious beating,” he joked. “Aside from that, I feel incredibly fortunate to have had this opportunity.”
The conversation ended with a question about Boreanaz’s dream role. Rather than naming a specific character, the actor described his career as a journey shaped by timing, instinct and opportunity.
“I believe roles come to you, and when the right one arrives at the right moment, you have to be ready to embrace it,” he said. “I cannot say that I would rather play one type of character than another. That is not how it works for me. Wherever the universe takes me, I go.”
Boreanaz’s appearance at the Italian Global Series offered a portrait of an actor whose career has been built not only on iconic television roles, but also on adaptability, practical experience and a lasting curiosity about every part of the filmmaking process. From working behind the scenes to leading major international series, his journey shows how instinct and continuous learning can remain essential even after decades of success.
