SFX Nr. 120 - From Bad Boy to Bard Boy - Aug. 2004


From Buffy, Angel and his band Ghost of the Robot to… Shakespeare? James Marsters talks to Jayne Dearsley about his proposed transformation from bad boy to Bard boy.

By some cosmic fluke, SFX talked to James Marsters at the precise moment that the final episode of Angel aired in the UK. Spooky! But just what is the former vampire – and regular recipient of the Sexiest Man and Best Actor awards from SFX readers – doing now that his stint in the Buffyverse has come to an end? Well, the sometime William the Bloody may still be trying to wash the bloodstains out if all goes to plan….

I just thought I'd let you know that as I'm speaking to you the very last episode of Angel is airing on UK television… it's on my TV screen right here!

"Oh my god! Well, we paid for that last show… we got to The Pain. When you get to that last shot [in the rain] – we were so cold! It was, like, 12 hours! We were very wet puppies. But we helped each other through it. 'Don't wuss out! I'm not gonna wuss out – don't you wuss out!'"

Well, it was a great episode. And I cried my bloody eyes out, so thanks for that.

"Right on! Good. It was a hard thing to write, not that I wrote it. But we had laid out so many lines in the water as far as plotlines were concerned during the season, because we didn't expect to be cancelled, and so to come up with a satisfying way to resolve all of those arcs and still wrap the season up in a way that was satisfying…. we were there thinking 'How the heck are they gonna do that?' And they really did."

Well, onto the reason for our call. You've won SFX Reader Awards! For the fourth year running you've won Best TV Actor, and for the third year in a row the Sexiest Male.

"I am floored and honoured again. And I never…. Oh…. I…. er… [Gathers himself together]. At a time when I am looking to reinvent myself, and further the career, it's so good to be acknowledged. And at a time when I'm no longer blond, and no longer sounding particularly British. It feels really good to hear that I'm still interesting."

I have a feeling you'll always be interesting. It's not just about the hair, you know!

[Laughs] "Why, thank you!"

Oh, and congratulations on raising so much money! [James shaved his head to raise money for the Elisabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation]

"That was so good. That felt really good. Every once in a while you feel like your celebrity can do something that's not selfish. You can help people."

You've made enough people happy, that's all that matters.

"I guess I don't really get to see that. I guess if I process it a bit too much my head will get a bit big. You know, 'I touch people! I make a difference in their lives!'"

You could be a swami and set up your own cult. The Cult of Spike!

"That's what this world really needs – another cult of personality! That'll help! [Giggles]

Although you actually have that cult of personality! You're on my TV at the moment reading poetry, which brings me neatly to the fact that you have a fan club – the Bloody Awful Poet Society, which in itself is interesting… because the acronym is BAPS. Which is a bit of a naughty word over here.

"Oh really…?" [Lets out breath] "Ooooohhhh…..Oh, and I bet they knew that, too. I wonder. That's pretty funny! I like that fan club a lot. At a point when I played the earlier part of the character before he became a vampire, we had to admit that he was, er, not so sexy. And then they really embraced that character. That felt really good."

I have to ask you – what have you learned about Britain through playing a Brit?

"You guys are a nasty race. And that's meant as the biggest compliment. You guys have a boiling fire. You guys have high social skills to cover it up, but there is a real passion inside you. I sense a capped violence on the streets. Not that I'm afraid of anything happening, but there's something there."

Okay… and, of course, you learnt a few British swear words, which hopefully you're spreading across America's West Coast.

[Laughs] "Yeah, 'cause we say words that normally you can't say!"

They have to be cut when the show airs over here.

"Do they allow me to flip off?"

Maybe not on the BBC at teatime, but on Sky they do. [Laughs]

So, for the last year you've been on Angel – what do you feel you contributed to the show?

"Oh man… [Thinks] What they told me was that I contributed a lot of energy on set, that I came in with a high commitment level. Really, I'm embarrassingly energetic about my job, and some actors really can't take it, but those guys loved it."

Are you saying that the cast of Angel were all a bit clapped out when you got there, then?

"No, no, no, that wasn't it! Fresh blood is just always appreciated. And anytime that another cast member comes along and really is giving their all, it helps. Whenever you're in a group that's working together and someone's really putting it out there, it helps. Even if it made people goofy. [Laughs] I've been lettin' my freak flag fly…."

You're letting your freak flag fly? What a great expression, I've not heard that before!

"It's from Crosby, Stills and Nash." (Sings: "I feel like lettin' my freak flag fly…")

Ah, of course! You're a musical man. I hear your tour with Ghost of the Robot has been going very well?

"Yes, very well. I'm very happy with these guys. Whenever we come to the UK we're always a little bit nervous, 'cause you guys play real rock and roll."

[SFX does have a news item about GOTR splitting up three days after this interview.]

But would you be nervous about coming to Britain and acting on stage, a la Alyson Hannigan in the West End?

"I dunno, I haven't been back on the stage for a while; I would be a little trepidatious. I felt kind of at home on stage, ever since I was a kid…. if it was Shakespeare, it would be interesting."

You probably know this already, but there was a poll by the Royal Shakespeare Company on who should play Romeo, and you came top.

"I went to the RSC and I met Romeo and Juliet; they took me to the Swan, I got to stand on the stage! The acoustics in that theatre are just amazing.

You should do it! People would love to see you. And you'd be spreading the word of Shakespeare, which can only be a good thing.

"I agree! For an American, I'm very good. But what you have to admit is that there's something else when you go over to the culture that invented it – it's the way the British breathe, the way they express themselves. They're closer to Shakespeare, so it's not as much of a stretch. I'm a regional theatre actor so we all get pretty good at it, because if you don't, you starve. But even though we don't like to admit it, you guys do it better."

I've heard rumours on the internet that you've been given money to make Macbeth. Is that right?

Well, yeah. [Pause] The truth of it is that there is a man who's talking with me about helping me get the money. But we are still in very formative stages, going through the play scene by scene, and discovering if we have a common vision for it. I had known that I needed a money man who would appreciate Shakespeare, the money man being the producer who just goes out and gets the raw cash. And I'd kind of given up on finding somebody like that, 'cause in Hollywood there's not a lot of people who know, or frankly care for, Shakespeare. So, I've met a man, we are very excited, he's a very successful businessman, and I'm gonna see what happens! If I didn't leap through this door, I would never forgive myself. I think it'll happen! I think it'll go at least halfway through production…" [Laughs]

Would you play Macbeth?

"Yes, and I want to produce too, but not direct."

Okay, it's time for us to go… Thank you for talking to us, and good luck with the future!

"Thank you to the readers of SFX for voting for me! Best actor and sexy guy. Pretty good, huh?"