Angel

Fans of BtVS and AtS know him as Spike, the blond, good looking British bloodsucker with plenty of attitude. However, years before James Marsters got his vampire fangs, he played a very different type of role, "My very first time in front of the camera was as a bellhop in an episode of Northern Exposure," he recall. "I had five lines, all of which were monosyllabic, like ’Uh, yeah,’ and I think I also had an ’Uh-oh’ to master. Thank God it wasn’t anything more than that because I was nervous as hell.

"In the scene I’m standing in front of an elevator with Rob Morrow’s character who is trying to make conversation with me, the bellhop, and I’m not supposed to pay much attention to him. I remember feeling light on my feet, like I was floating. Suddenly, I became acutely aware of the fact that millions of TV viewers would soon be staring at every pore on my face. After you’ve been acting for a while, you get used to that but in the beginning it’s pretty daunting. I hadn’t a clue as to what I was doing but I must have done something right because a year or two later I was hired for a much larger role on Northern Exposure that got me my Screen Actors’ Guild card."

The producers of Northern Exposure certainly knew what they were doing. Since making his debut in the early 90’s, Marsters has shined as an actor in a variety of roles in feature films and TV as well as on the stage. In the BtVS series finale his character finally achieved redemption for his wicked ways by sacrificing himself to close the Sunnydale Hellmouth from the armies of the First Evil.

Gone but by no means forgotten, there was talk of Spike returning in a potential BtVS spinoff. However, when that idea didn’t pan out, Joss Whedon suggested to the Powers That Be that Spike come aboard for the fifth season of AtS. They agreed and Marsters was only too happy to oblige.

"One thing I wanted to make sure of before accepting Joss’s offer was that David was OK with playing a storyline between his character Angel and Spike and the conflict that would result. Happily, he was," notes the actor. "I have to say that the best thing about my time on AtS has been getting to know David. He’s a real stand-up guy with an honest passion for the work. David wants to be present and in the moment and that makes so many things possible. To tell you the truth, a great deal of what fans have enjoyed watching this year on AtS is a result of David being the kind of actor you can truly improvise with. I can look into his eyes - not that we stare ’lovingly’ into each other’s eyes - but when you talk to someone you look into their eyes to see whether or not your point is getting through to them and, if it is, what’s their reaction. If you’re getting a truthful reaction you can keep going, and that’s only possible with an actor who is willing to be present for you, like David."

When he died on BtVS, Spike was wearing an amulet given to him by Angel. At the end of AtS’s fifth season opener, Conviction, our hero opens an envelope on his desk and finds the same amulet. Angel watches as the amulet starts spinning around and, in a sudden burst of light, Spike miraculously appears. "That was a tough episode to do. I had two shots, screamed and went home," chuckles Marsters. "Once again Joss had written as well as directed an episode and Spike was nowhere to be seen. That used to happen on BtVS and it became kind of a joke. Then I move over to AtS and, guess what, it’s still happening. I was like, "Hey, I know my lines, I’m not that difficult to work with, am I? What gives?’

"Fortunately, Spike had much more to do, in the following episode Just Rewards. That was fantastic. In it, we really start to explore the deep distrust that he and Angel have for one another. You’re not sure is Spike is going to turn around and betray Angel. It was wonderful to play the ambiguity of this particular story and to be the villain again, if only for one commercial break."

’Initially, neither Angel nor Spike were thrilled about their unexpected reunion. Although Angel would have liked nothing more than for his old ’friend’ to leave, both me and Spike came to realise that they’re destined to work as a team. "From our first scene together, people remarked what good on-screen chemistry David and I have. I think it’s because we’re playing the history between our characters in an honest way," notes Marsters. Deep down, Spike and Angel are a lot alike. The two of them committed mass murder and are now trying to make amends. What I realised about Spike is that he kind of fakes being tough. He started out life as a mama’s boy, and when he became a vampire, he could get away with pretending to be tough because all of a sudden, he was. When Spike got a soul he wasn’t about to ditch his bad-ass act just to be Mr Nice Guy. So he dealt with all the pain and conflict that entailed over on BtVS. Since coming to AtS, Spike has learned that he can be tough and still care about people."

Spike’s early days on AtS are spent walking around in a non-corporeal state. This proves to be a liability in the episode Hell Bound when he is preyed upon by the spirit of a sadistic 18th century surgeon named Pavayne.

"My strongest memories of this episode are working with Steven DeKnight," enthuses Marsters. "He was one of my favourite writers on BtVS and now AtS. Hell Bound was the second story he directed and he did a terrific job. The producers decided to do all the ghost-stuff in the ‘old Hollywood style’ or as practical effects as opposed to SFX. They didn’t realise, though, that it would mean more set-ups.

They dug a big hole for themselves which Steve slowly climbed out of as the week went on. He managed to deliver a memorable episode on time and on-budget."