James Marsters

When you were studying acting, what was one of your favorite acting exercises and which ones did you dread?

I’m not a big fan of acting exercises. I think of acting as an old world profession and one should therefore be trained through apprenticeship. I ran into problems when I tried to take acting apart and study it bit by bit. I did much better watching good actors work. But I do love trust exercises.

How did you come upon music?

Al Green. Third grade.

What do you wear when you want to feel like you look really good?

Uhhh, lets see...a good pair of jeans, a tight, white t-shirt, and a nice old leather jacket.

What was the audition like and how did you react when you found out you got the part in PS I Love You?

The audition was a taped audition in Los Angeles. I felt that I did a good job, but not a great job. It was one of many that week and so I forgot about it, which is the healthy thing to do. When my manager Steve told me the news that I got the role, I felt numb and didn’t allow myself the joy that I could have had, but was immediately cured of a head cold.

How do you define passion?

Um, passion is an emotional response that overwhelms reason. It is emotion strong enough to motivate you into action. Sometimes that’s good and sometimes that’s very, very bad.

What kind of cook are you? What is your best dish?

Oh, I’m a good cook. Roast duck with orange sauce.

Was there a light-bulb moment, a defining moment when something in your portrayal of Spike finally clicked and you went, "ah...THERE he is!’

Yes, it happened before the audition while having sweaty sex with my then girlfriend. Somewhere in that passion and sweat I think I got the character.

Favorite:

Tom Waits song: "Picture in a Frame"

Smells: The ocean in the morning, clean, washed skin, and a ripe apple.