"It is kind of grandiose, isn't it? I changed my name at 14 because no one outside
of my family could pronounce my first name correctly. My parents are from Panama, and so there's a primary AND
a secondary stress on my first name, Jaime, so it sounds like HIGH-MAY. And my middle name is actually Augusto [Ah-GOOS-toe],
so that's tough too. The funny thing is, I have so many nicknames that no one calls me by my given name anyway. Still, I have
thought about changing it just to Jay Richards." - Jay in an interview with EW. (regarding his given name)
[on his role as Charles Gunn on "Angel":] "What's ironic is that I don't think
race ultimately had anything to do with me getting the part. When I auditioned, I heard that they were looking at white guys,
Latino guys, Asian guys, so they didn't know where they were going with it."
[on his role as Charles Gunn on "Angel":] "I don't think my parents were too happy
when I announced that I wanted to be an actor. And then when I told them I was starring in a show about vampires, they were
like, 'Couldn't you at least get a role as a nice lawyer or something.' My Mom always wanted me to be a lawyer or a priest.
I think they were a little bit surprised by my career choice." [March 18, 2003]
[on his role as Charles Gunn on "Angel":] "When I change my lines, I just deliver
them and wait for their reaction. I just kind of ad-lib sometimes and they'll pull me back or they'll just let it go. When
they have a problem with it, they tell me. It's not that I have to change much, because they usually get it right. I'm glad
they don't dumb him down and make him say stupid things." [March 18, 2003]
[on his role as Charles Gunn on "Angel":] "Gunn is an activist, a renegade vampire
hunter who leads his motley crew of fellow hunters on a personal crusade of execution for reasons that the audience is not
yet aware of. He is a tormented soul and a lone ranger, much like Angel, but he has adopted a family of lost and disenfranchised
who he will protect at any cost. It's almost like he's two people in one, a violent and aggressive warrior, but also someone
who desires family and people close to him." [March 18, 2003]
[on his role as Charles Gunn on "Angel":] "Everybody on the set is fantastic and there are
so many interesting people. I absolutely love working with David
Boreanaz, and Charisma
Carpenter I completely adore -- she teaches me to dance. She's definitely one of
my favorite people on the set. And Alexis
Denisof is such a dynamic actor. He's phenomenal. There is so much
I can see happening to this character [Gunn], it makes me excited to think about all the ways he can branch out. Charles is
a fantastic character. I really love his spirit. He's so pure and clean and unaffected. I love the extent to which he goes
to protect the people he loves. I find that fascinating and admirable." [March 18, 2003]
"Gunn, like me, has a James Bond obsession. He would love to be James Bond, and
it's a great role that I would love to be, someday."