'Empire' Shutterbug Adam Busch Talks Messing with Jamal and Angry 'Buffy' Fans

Fox’s blockbuster soap opera Empire has found great success in casting well-known performers against type, whether it’s Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei as a corporate shark or multi-platinum singer Kelly Rowland as a mentally unstable mom. The latest example is Adam Busch as Chase One, the wild-eyed photographer who has pushed the normally level-headed Jamal (Jussie Smollett) out of his comfort zone with his unorthodox behavior…which culminated in him (ahem) pleasuring Jamal’s boyfriend Michael (Rafael de la Fuente). It’s a role that’s light years removed from Busch’s past work, including his controversial stint on Buffy, the Vampire Slayer’s sixth season, when his otherwise hapless big bad, Warren, succeeded at ending one of the show’s most popular romances — Willow and Tara — with a badly aimed bullet.

That role may have earned him the lifelong enmity of Buffy fans, but it also gifted him with a powerful friend in the form of Empire co-creator and executive producer, Danny Strong. Back then, Strong had had a recurring role on Buffy as dorky Jonathan that dated back to Season 2. In Season 6, Jonathan joined forces with Warren and Andrew (Tom Lenk) to unsuccessfully bedevil the Vampire Slayer as her “arch-nemesis-es,” The Trio. Strong and Busch have remained close since their time on Buffy ended (an ending that proved particularly violent for Warren) and they moved on to other projects. Once Empire became a breakout hit, it was only natural that they’d reunite, and Strong earmarked the role of Chase One for Busch, specifically because it wasn’t traditional casting. In advance of tonight’s Empire, Yahoo TV caught up with Busch — who refused to reveal how many episodes he’ll appear in — to talk Buffy and body odor.

How did this role come about? It’s definitely a different look for you.
When the part was written, it was supposed to be an extremely beautiful, model-like person that’s there to create a rift in Jamal’s mind about creative art and corporate America and where he lies in all that. He’s such an honest person and speaks from the heart and Chase is none of those things. Then the thinking was, if there’s temptation between Jamal and Chase, it would be mental or intellectual; he’d seduce him with words and perspective, which I know can be very intoxicating. I think it was really brave for Danny and Lee to cast me against type.

So much of the character’s shock value lies in his ragged appearance — like he’s been awake for a week, living on nothing but coffee and cigarettes.
That’s how I planned it, and Danny pushed me even further. I didn’t shower before we shot our first scene and I stayed up all night. I also left my hair wild and didn’t trim my beard. I was very surprised by the strong reaction his look got. I realized they hadn’t had a character like this on the show before, a very specific kind of artistic hipster sensibility. It used to be cool for artists to be private and not very business-savvy. Chase is aware of how things are perceived and that all press is good press. The things he says to Jamal in terms of sexuality and dealing with his father are forward thinking. Society needs deviants to show everybody else when they’ve gone too far, because otherwise you don’t know. And that’s his thing.

How did you feel about the intense public reaction to his appearance?
I was surprised by those people who assumed that this what I’ve looked like since the last time they saw me! [Laughs] I’d done this show for three years [the TBS sitcom Men at Work] where I played a clean-shaven uptight nerd with glasses who didn’t know how to hit on women and was never confident. I remember the reactions of everybody on the Empire set to the look we’d come up with for Chase. It was like “What is this?” I was really impressed by how much they allowed me to improvise and figure out scenes for myself. The first scene we shot was the one where I reveal Jamal’s painting to everybody and the way we rehearsed it was totally different from the way we shot it. Terrence [Howard] came in like a, pardon the pun, like a lion — all hunched over and growling. The whole scene became about something else, which was great. That’s what I think the show does really well.

Did you shadow any professional photographers to prepare for the part?
I did. I know two rock and roll photographers, Lindsey Byrnes and Tyler Curtis, and one of them was shooting a Rolling Stones party, so I went along and watched how they shot and how they acted, and Chase’s shooting style is based on that. Because cameras are digital now, you don’t even have to hold them to your eye. Film was very precious, and digital is not. I can hold the camera above my head and whirl it around and I’m going to get something. I heard from people on Twitter who liked the way I was holding the camera. I wanted to make it as real as possible.

What was it like to work with Danny as a director?
We’ve been friends for so long, and it’s always a risk when someone knows you really well, because it can create friction or second-guessing where there shouldn’t be. But this was one of those incredible moments where having a friend behind the camera made me feel so trusted. It just felt like family. Sometimes he’d give me a look and I knew what he meant. It was so great to see him bring the best out of me in a role I normally wouldn’t get to play. So many of Chase’s speeches about the state of commerce and culture in America are from Danny’s heart. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the episode: this guy who looks like that, saying these things on network television. I hope they made an impact, beyond, “Boy, that guy looks really hairy!” [Laughs]

Danny also went to bat for me in another scene. I improvised the line “A mouth is a mouth” [after Chase comes on to Jamal]. Everybody looked at me like, “Can you say that? Let’s find out!” They came up with some other options just in case. But it was Danny who stuck his neck out and said, “It’s really powerful. Do it.” And they kept it in! It validates people’s love of Buffy to see Danny and I still working together and that we still get joy from our relationship.

What’s the experience been like with Empire fandom versus Buffy fandom?
It’s definitely similar in terms of passion. I’m not greeted with as much anger by Empire fans as I am by Buffy fans, but that’s because I didn’t take a gun and shoot one of their favorite characters! That’s something Danny might want to think about. [Laughs] But when you get in the way of something people love, you’re going to hear about it and it’s very clear how much people love Jamal and Michael and want to see them together. And I understand that! Every time I saw Rafael on set, he was on the phone talking to someone in Spanish. One day, I called him out. I was like “Who is this special lover you’re always whispering to on the phone?” And it was his mother! He calls his mom everyday from the set. He’s the sweetest guy in the world.

Buffy’s infamous Trio: (from left to right) Adam Busch as Warren, Danny Strong as Jonathan and Tom Lenk as Andrew

So Buffy fans still do give you grief about the whole “killing Tara” thing?
Go look at my Twitter feed! Everyday somebody has to remind me of how much they don’t like what I did and how upset they are with me. Which is why I think that Danny thought of me for the Empire role. I feel that the people who play these types of characters are sensitive. I’m definitely like that; I’m very gullible and trust people until I’m given a reason not to. It’s helpful for playing characters like that, and Danny wants to find the humanity in everybody.

When can we expect to see Tom Lenk to appear on Empire for a full Trio reunion?
That’s pretty much everyone’s question! Tom’s so funny and so great. Danny and I went to see him in Rock of Ages and Scream: The Musical together not too long ago. We all love musical theater and he’s a monster performer. So if Jamal ever does a stint on Broadway, Tom will be his counterpoint. And if they let Chase One in the building, I’ll be taking the pictures. [Laughs]

Empires airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Fox