Writing and Acting
Strong described the early development of his character in an interview with the U.K. Buffy the Vampire Slayer magazine. He described his character as the "Kenny of Buffy. Except that he never dies." Strong had initially auditioned for the role of Xander, but lost out to Nicholas Brendon. He first appeared in the Unaired Buffy the Vampire Slayer pilot in a bit part simply named "Student", and subsequently appeared in a number of episodes. He said that often he appeared in scenes that could have been done by other characters but that "They'll have Jonathan do it, to keep the continuity of the world".
Writer/directors David Greenwalt and Marti Noxon both stated in the DVD commentaries for "Reptile Boy" and "What's My Line", respectively, that Danny Strong was the actor that they would call on whenever they needed a good victim, both citing his good "victim face". Eventually the character grew out of this frequent use.
Explaining the potential appeal of the character, he said, "I think everyone is sort of like Jonathan. Either they're like Jonathan or they're trying to cover up their Jonathan qualities. Either they're awkward and shy, or they're doing everything they can not to appear awkward and shy. I'm not really very shy, but I certainly can be awkward at times."
Read more about this topic: Jonathan Levinson
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