James Marsters

His Marsters voice

With rumours abounding that Buffy star James Marsters’ next appearance will be in Brit hit Torchwood, here’s a look at what he had to say when we caught up with him at Creation’s Grand Slam convention in April. Words: Abbie Bernstein

James Marsters is a popular figure on the convention circuit, and it’s not hard to see why. Not only does he make fans feel welcome at two Q&A sessions over the Grand Slam weekend in Burbank, California, he also performs a 25-song concert, made up almost entirely of his own compositions.

"It’s the most beautiful thing when people sing along," he tells his appreciative audience. Though he’s mostly uncomfortable discussing what his songs are about, he says that when people relate to the words enough to join in, he doesn’t "feel so alone".

That singing feeling

Given this passion for music, it’s unsurprising that Marsters cites musical extravaganza Once More, With Feeling as his favourite episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (in which he played Spike for six years). "Even though we all thought it would be the biggest train wreck!" he laughs.

"Anthony Stewart Head and I were comfortable doing it, because we were both singers, but the first four days were so tense! People were thinking, ’We’re all gonna die,’ but everybody committed, and I love them all a little more for that."

At the end of Marsters’ big number in that episode, Spike is seen leaping onto a coffin, but he admits that, while he can sing, he wasn’t responsible for the accompanying gymnastics. "That was my stunt double, Steve Tartalia," he says. "He came to us straight out of Hong Kong, and doesn’t know the meaning of the word ’safety’. He was a godsend"

One scene that Marsters did perform, however, and which he still finds disturbing, comes from the episode Seeing Red, where Spike attempts to rape Buffy. "That was the lowest part of my acting career," he says. "I hate rape scenes. That scene sent me to therapy. Sometimes, when they write this stuff, they don’t understand what it’s like to perform it."

Once more, with soul

After Buffy came to an end in 2003, Marsters reprised the role of Spike in spin-off series Angel. He says he was happy to resurrect the character, "because I wanted to explore what he was like when he had a soul." He adds that working with David Boreanaz was great, "As was the continuing paycheck!"

As to whether Marsters would be willing to don fangs once more in the future, he says, “I have done enough other roles since then that I feel I could probably go back and play a vampire again."

Those other roles include work on two new feature films, horror-thriller Shadow Puppets and romantic drama PS, I Love You. On Shadow Puppets, he worked with Tony ’Candyman’ Todd, whom he describes as, "A great guy. A huge guy. You sense that he’s had a lot to be angry about in his life, but he’s always very even-tempered.” Of PS, I Love You, he says simply, "I fell a little in love with Kathy Bates!"

As well as the Oscar-winning Bates, Marsters has recently worked alongside another Academy Award winner, Holly Hunter, on supernatural cop show Saving Grace, which premieres in the US next month. "Holly freaked me out by saying she’d been following my career for years," he laughs.

Doing Fine now

Other well-liked co-stars include Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling, against whom Marsters was pitted in season five of Smallville, as Professor Milton Fine/Brainiac. "It’s gold when you find somebody who’s as active as Michael," Marsters says. "If you work with him, you’d better be prepared to get your game on." Welling, he adds, is "fantastic and very smart."

Marsters has also just recorded an audiobook of Jim Butcher’s Summer Knight, the fourth book in the Dresden Files series. Marsters performs all the roles, and says he particularly enjoys reading Bob, the talking skull, because he’s "such a jerk!" With so many genre strings to his bow, and at least one other, secret project in the pipeline, it’s fortunate that Marsters is still so keen to engage with his fans.

"Are you kidding?" he laughs, when asked if he ever tires of the attention. "This is the fantasy that actors hope for!" Besides, he’s been on the other side of the mic himself. “I used to go to Star Trek conventions with ears on, so this is delicious! Get thy freak on!"