Why Lucifer's Amenadiel Looks So Familiar
In "Lucifer," even the devil is tired of hell. The 2016 Fox television series — adapted from Neil Gaiman's DC comic "The Sandman" — follows Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis) after he decides that eternal dominion over tortured souls just isn't for him. The fallen angel rebrands himself as the totally human owner of a Los Angeles nightclub, but misfortune is never far away. "Lucifer" is a quirky police procedural and the LAPD needs a consultant, whom they find in the former shepherd of the damned. Fox canceled the series after three seasons but Netflix blessed "Lucifer" with new life in the streaming world, where it received another three seasons before ultimately ending in 2021.
No occult drama would be complete without a little conflict between forces above and below. In Season 1, Lucifer contends with Amenadiel (D. B. Woodside), his eldest brother, an angel deadset on the newly minted LAPD consultant returning to his hellish duties. Amenadiel changes his rigid, self-righteous tune as the series progresses and he becomes more than a brother to Lucifer, but also a true defender of humanity's right to better judgment. During a 2021 interview with Pop Culture Principle, Woodside described Amenadiel's character journey as being the most difficult arc he's ever taken on, and he's taken on quite a few.
Woodside's resume features over 50 projects, including brief appearances on popular programs such as "Lie to Me," "Castle," "Monk," and "Grey's Anatomy." Here are some of the actor's many career highlights.
Murder One changed Woodside's life forever
Much like police procedurals, legal dramas are everywhere. In 1995, ABC released "Murder One," a television series that defies modern convention by centering the narrative around a singular court case for the entirety of Season 1, rather than featuring a new court case in every consecutive episode. Someone with authority must have disliked everything about that particular artistic choice, as Season 2 sees a mostly new roster of main characters, more court cases with less exposition, and a smaller overall episode count. In the wake of such drastic restructuring, it's probably not a surprise to hear that "Murder One" was canceled after two seasons. The show received a short-lived spinoff miniseries in the form of "Murder One: Diary of a Serial Killer," but that was the end of it.
In Season 2, as well as in "Diary of a Serial Killer," D. B. Woodside portrays Aaron Mosley, in a role that literally changed his life. The series was his big break and Woodside's been gainfully employed in the professional acting business ever since. In 2023, he told UAlbany, "I consider myself fortunate and blessed, but not 'lucky.' My family and friends have told me to stop using that word because they know that I've worked really hard for this. Yes, in this business, you need to be in the right place at the right time -– but you also need to be prepared."
Romeo Must Die kills just about everyone but Romeo, including Woodside
"Romeo Must Die" is the answer to a question producer Joel Silver presumably asked, and that question what if William Shakespeare, really, really loved action flicks? Released by Warner Bros. in 2000, the film follows a plot loosely patterned after the bard's "Romeo and Juliet." Han Sing (Jet Li) and Trish O-Day (Aaliyah), both begrudgingly connected to criminal organizations courtesy of their respective bloodlines, team up to end an all-consuming feud between their families. Long story short, the pair discover that the war was created to cover up a series of murders caused by violent property disputes.
Oddly enough, Han and Trish aren't exactly against the violence, as they add their fair share to the movie's body count. Also, it's worth mentioning that this particular adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet" doesn't really feature a romantic subplot.
In "Romeo Must Die," D. B. Woodside portrays Colin O'Day, Trish's brother. Like his sister, Colin is uninterested in the criminal activities of his family. Unlike his sister, though, Colin is removed from the equation. Permanently. Around the third act of the film, Mac (Isaiah Washington) confesses to killing him after he realized that Colin wanted to end the fabricated feud between the Sings and the O'Days. Woodside's role doesn't have a one-to-one with any given character in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." He's sort of like Benvolio, if Benvolio were Juliet's sibling, rather than Romeo's cousin, but even that's a stretch.
"Romeo Must Die" is hardly considered one of the best movie adaptations of Shakespeare's plays, but audiences loved it for what it was — two hours of Jet Li fight scenes.
Woodside dabbles in freelance demon hunting on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Not long before "Supernatural" dominated the cryptid space, there was "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," a 1997 WB television series created and produced by Joss Whedon. The story follows Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Geller) who, wouldn't you know it, slays vampires. But she's not as narrow as all that. She also slays demons, monsters, and anything that threatens humanity, because Buffy is fated to protect the world with her magical powers. The only trouble is that Buffy has no interest in the position whatsoever. She'd rather survive high school the usual way with her head down and her life normal.
In Season 7, which aired in 2002 and 2003, D. B. Woodside portrays Robin Wood, the new principal of the newly rebuilt Sunnydale High School. He's notably more apt than his predecessors and even enjoys a little light humor. Also, he's a self-described freelance demon hunter, hellbent on revenge against the creatures who murdered his mother. He's an on-again, off-again, ally in the show's final days because Spike (James Marsters) just so happens to be a vampire and that takes a little getting used to for Buffy's new friend.
During a 2016 interview with The AV Club, Woodside admitted that appearing on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was a dream of his. "I had to be on that show. I think I drove my manager crazy," said Woodside. "And when they turned the character and made him into the son of the original slayer, which meant that I got to be bada** as h*** [and do] some crazy stunts ... Working with Sarah was fantastic, working with James was great... It was a blast."
24 is both hit and miss for Woodside
Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is the king of busy days. In "24," Fox's 2001 action-oriented television series, each episode is one hour of a full day, meaning that there are 24 episodes in any given season. The story follows Jack, a US Counter-Terrorist federal agent with an "ends justifies means" kind of attitude. He's not the friendliest guy, nor the most well-rested, but he gets the job done. "24" cranked out nine seasons — referred to as Days — and a made-for-TV movie before bowing out in 2014. It should be noted that these Days are not consecutive, as they occur over many years.
On Days 3, 5, and 6, D. B. Woodside portrays Wayne Palmer. On Days 3 and 5, he's the brother of President David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) and his Whitehouse Chief of Staff. On Day 5, however, the president is assassinated and, before Day 6, his brother is elected to take his place. Things don't go much better for Wayne than they did for David, though, and a botched assassination attempt causes him to suffer severe brain damage, which ultimately takes his life at some point after Day 6.
During a 2016 interview with The AV Club, Woodside confessed that he was displeased with Day 6. "I was on the show for three seasons, and the first two I absolutely love... I think Season 6, for so many reasons, was a miss... I don't think Wayne Palmer had actually been established enough as a stable individual [to be promoted offscreen]. And it was something that I was uncomfortable with."
Woodside wears a lot of suits in Suits
By his own admission, D. B. Woodside is almost always cast as a man in a suit. He credits "Lucifer" with helping him break away from that image. Conversely, he probably blames "Suits" for setting him back a few years. The 2011 USA television series is another legal drama under Woodside's belt. For those who haven't seen the whole thing via out-of-context TikTok clips, the story follows Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), a college dropout with a photographic memory, as he charms and tricks his way into the heart of Harvey Spector (Gabriel Macht), an attorney whose appreciation of the law depends on the episode. The bulk of the narrative sees the pair doing typical legal drama things like being smarmy and winning cases, but now and then it turns into an angrier "Catch Me if You Can."
In Seasons 4 through 7 of "Suits," as well as in the 2019 spin-off, "Pearson," Woodside portrays Jeff Malone. He's a vicious prosecutor who turns Jessica Pearson's (Gina Torres) eye, although their relationship doesn't survive the onslaught of secrecy hiding within the Pearson Spector law firm. Fortunately for Woodside, his role survives the breakup. Less fortunately for Woodside, "Suits" closed shop in 2019 after Season 9, and "Pearson" only received a single season before cancellation. At least fans can pretend that Jeff and Jessica, who found their way back to each other in "Pearson," get the happy ending that so few TV couples ever manage to find.
That said, considering how the "Suits" universe is set to expand with a new series, everything is back up in the air, just as TV likes it.