James Marsters Interview

[Nan-S'cubie Mascot]

Thanks to Mare for pointing this out to us.

James Marsters on Life After Buffy

By Karen Butler
United Press International
Published 6/11/2003 12:45 PM
View printer-friendly version

CATSKILL, N.Y., June 11 (UPI) -- The final episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" left rabid fans debating several burning questions, among them: did Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) mean it when she told reformed vamp Spike (James Marsters) she loved him?

Talking to more than 800 spellbound fans at a Moonlight Rising "Buffy" convention over the weekend, Marsters offered his take on the series finale, stating unequivocally that Spike died knowing Buffy never loved him, but deeply appreciative of the fact she said she did.

"It's true," Marsters insisted. "It's the truth and he shows his manhood by saying so. Yeah. I thought that what the final episode did very well was admit that Buffy really is in love with Angel. That the sexual relationship she had with Spike was unhealthy. That it was unwise.

"It was fun to watch, but it wasn't good for Buffy and that Buffy was discovering a level of respect newly for Spike that she hadn't felt before and as a friend, she knew he loved her and she wanted to give him something because he's about to die and he shows the strength to say: 'Well, no. That's very kind of you to say, but that's not true' and I'm comfortable with that. I don't need to be Buffy's one. I think that would have been really strange. Thematically, it would have been really difficult. Spike was evil. They never really played Spike as the boyfriend you ever really want to have... The truth is, if a guy is a jerk to the rest of the world, he's going to be a jerk to his girl or his lady or his woman. Nice guys rule!"

The handsome 40-year-old California native also said he found it disturbing that although he kept trying to reveal Spike's evil side to the show's viewers, his all-too-forgiving fans stood by their vamp. Therefore, in order to turn people against Spike, he said, the show's writers added a shocking scene where he tries to rape Buffy at the end of the series' penultimate season.

"(Attacking) Buffy to prove my love? Hello!" he remarked, incredulous. "So, I started to get uncomfortable because people still wanted Buffy and Spike to be together, the same way I was uncomfortable with smoking too much because a lot of young kids watch and I didn't want to make that cool."

Asked what it was like to film that infamous scene, the nice-guy actor grimaced, "That was the hardest day of my life."

"I have turned roles down because they are rapists," he confessed. "It's something I don't even want to watch. If I even click on it on TV, I have to click it off or I'll put my foot through the screen... What you see on that screen is just my terror at having to do that scene. There's not really any acting going on and I haven't watched the scene. I've seen little clips. You know, 'previously on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."' They show it sometimes and I'm always like, 'Oh, God.' I hope that since Spike has a soul he's not capable anymore of doing anything like that. That's what I really hope. That they won't bring him back in that state of mind... The writers are fabulous, but when I showed up on set that day I told them: 'Sometimes you guys just don't know what you do. You just do not know what you're asking us...' I'm proud of it artistically, but as a human being I never, never, never want to do a scene like that again and I will always refuse because I know what it does to me."

Marsters is set to reprise the role of Spike next season on the WB's "Buffy" spin-off, "Angel," but the actor hinted that he and the show's namesake probably won't be battling evil saide-by-side.

"I really hope that Spike and Angel don't get along at all," he admitted, a touch of mischief in his voice.

Noting that series creator Joss Whedon skillfully pit the two rehabilitated vampires against each other in the last episode of "Buffy" a few weeks ago, the actor quipped: "I said, 'Angel wears lifts.' So, I don't think we're going to become allies. Hopefully, I don't know what it's going to be, but I want to make life as tough as possible for Angel and, of course, everyone knows Joss always listens to me."

Marsters also took the opportunity to dismiss rumors that Spike, the vampire with a soul, would return from the dead as a human.

"Spike become a human?" he mused in mock horror. "How boring is that? No, he's not going to do that. That's just misinformation. God help me."

Marsters is currently touring Europe with his rock band Ghost of the Robot and is expected to start filming "Italian Heat" with Derek Jacobi and Sean Bean in September.

"It's from a hit play on the West End of London called 'Italian Heat,'" he said, "and being that there's a lot of sex in it, I think that's the wrong title. It sounds like soft-core porn... It is about a gay man, who I play, who is in a marriage in fascist Italy and he's got a horrible marriage and two refugees come into the house that he lives in --- one's gay and one's not -- one takes to the wife, one takes to the guy."

Marsters revealed that he drew on the pain of one of his own failed relationships to prepare for the role.

"The thing is that in fascist Italy, people were being hung for being gay and the thing that I responded to in the script was --God, let's get personal --I was in a long-term relationship. In fact, I was married to a woman who didn't really love me... Anyway, God..." he candidly acknowledged, drawing a breath. "I know what it's like to live a lie without even knowing you're living a lie and in my experience there was a sexual component to it and so what I responded to in the script was that a scene could be about how important it is to be yourself no matter what that is and how high a price you have to pay or should be willing to pay to be yourself."

Marsters recalled how thrilled he was when he first heard about the project since two of his favorite actors were also starring in it.

"It was a big deal!" he exclaimed. "And I was all excited about it and I went to my manager and said, 'Do I have to kiss a guy?' And he's like, 'Oh, yeah.' And I was like, 'Argggh!' And then I read the script and there was so much more than kissing that I froze up for a while and I just put the script away and I started making my own personal connection to it and so I feel like I can play that role.

He added: "I know what it's like to have that bottled-up anger. You think you know what the problem is, but it's really not... So, I'm started to get excited about it and I'm less terrified than I was two months ago. Two months ago, I probably wouldn't have wanted to talk about it, but you don't refuse a film like that. It's a really great script and I'm looking forward to it."

Copyright © 2001-2003 United Press International

[Epiphany]

Very interesting article! I love reading/listening to James talk. He's got so much energy, and his run-on sentences are worse than mine!

Here are my random musings regarding said article. Keep in mind that I've been a Buffy fan for less than a year and have spent most of that time watching the show or reading fanfiction. I have no idea what discussions have already been made on the following topics. Please forgive any naive comments!

I liked what James had to say in regards to the Buffy/Angel/Spike triangle - that Buffy was truly in love with Angel, not Spike. As much as I love Spike, and as much as I would love for them to get with the Spuffyness, I have to agree with James. Spike was not designed to be Buffy's lover. Don't get me wrong - they definitely have major sparkage (why is it I use words like that when talking about BtVS?) - but, in James' own words, Spike is evil. What's worse, he knows he's evil. Moreover, before the soul (or should I say the attempted rape?), he didn't really care.

Washboard abs, sexy accent, and baby blues aside, is that really the type of guy our heroine should be in a relationship with? Masochism much? (There I go, talking like that again! DOH!) While I believe Buffy could derive a certain amount of pleasure/pain from Spike, I don't believe she was capable of loving him as he was, evil and soulless, especially after her experiences with soulless Angelus. I think Buffy hit it on the head when she said, "I could never trust you enough" (in the bathroom, before the attempted rape).

- HOWEVER -

There is something to be said for redemption. And there is something to be said for a love that would go to the ends of the earth to become a better "man." If Spike's redemption was enough to win Buffy's trust in him, who's to say she couldn't have fallen in love with him? She admitted to Angel that Spike was in her heart. She trusted him enough to hold her all night. Perhaps Spike simply couldn't admit to himself that Buffy had developed true feelings for him. He said himself: "Yeah...I hear you say it, but..."


Getting a little off-topic here, but...

Here are some interesting discussion questions: 1) Did Spike really love Buffy before he received the soul? In other words, are vampires truly capable of love - or just obsession? 2) Was Spike in love with Buffy after the soul? If not, did he grow to love her? 3) Was Spike still evil AFTER he got the soul? 4) Did Spike know he was going to die (before the final battle)? 5) Did Buffy know Spike was going to die (before the final battle)?


Moving on...

Back to the article...

James was married? I didn't know that. He sounds very sad and reluctant to talk about it. Well, who wouldn't be? I'm actually really surprised that he said what he did in an interview. Anyone know anything about the marriage?

In the article, James mentioned something about "bottled-up" anger. I read in another article that he has a very bad temper (this was James speaking about his own temper...not anyone else's observation). He said he never lost his temper on the set but would retreat to his trailer and smash mirrors and other things. This surprised me. I don't know why, but it really did. Any speculation as to the origin of his anger, aside from his broken marriage?

Not really sure how I feel about the "gay" thing. James certainly has a lot of guts for taking on such a role, particularly when it appears as though he does not -um- "swing?" that way. How does everyone feel about seeing James in a sexual scene with another man?

All right...I think I've rambled enough.

Night folks,

- Epiphany -

[LeeHollins]

I was just getting ready to post this but I'm glad to see there are others a little bit faster than me.

Very interesting article! Would discuss more but I must go catch up on last night's posts....

[SpringSummers]

Nan - Thanks for posting that article. Very interesting.

Yes, Epiphany (and hey, WELCOME!) I feel . . . I don't know . . . strange about the idea of going to see James in this flick. It sounds like it will include gay sex scenes, and while I admire him for taking the role, and he's no doubt great in it, he's such a . . . well, symbol of heterosexual sex for me, that I don't think I could be OK with it on that level.

I was surprised by the reference to his marriage also, and such a personal, painful reference too - being married to a woman who didn't love him, living a lie - geez.

I'm always fascinated to learn more about James, but everytime I do, I get this feeling like it's more than I want to know. I think because he always add his feelings in there. It's not just "yeah, I was married once, it didn't work, we divorced."

I don't' know how he does it exactly, but he seems so private in way one, and so "out there" in another.

[Julie A]

Nan said:

Thanks to Mare for pointing this out to us.



Marsters also took the opportunity to dismiss rumors that Spike, the vampire with a soul, would return from the dead as a human.

"Spike become a human?" he mused in mock horror. "How boring is that? No, he's not going to do that. That's just misinformation. God help me."

Copyright © 2001-2003 United Press International

I wonder if he really knows that. He didn't know that he was going to get a soul, after all.

I"ll be happy as long as he comes back corporeal.

[Epiphany]

Oh geez! What if he didn't come back corporeal! How horrid!

[Patti - S'cubie Cutie]

Nan said:

Thanks to Mare for pointing this out to us.

James Marsters on Life After Buffy

By Karen Butler
United Press International
Published 6/11/2003 12:45 PM
View printer-friendly version

CATSKILL, N.Y., June 11 (UPI) -- The final episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" left rabid fans debating several burning questions, among them: did Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) mean it when she told reformed vamp Spike (James Marsters) she loved him?

Talking to more than 800 spellbound fans at a Moonlight Rising "Buffy" convention over the weekend, Marsters offered his take on the series finale, stating unequivocally that Spike died knowing Buffy never loved him, but deeply appreciative of the fact she said she did.

"It's true," Marsters insisted. "It's the truth and he shows his manhood by saying so. Yeah. I thought that what the final episode did very well was admit that Buffy really is in love with Angel. That the sexual relationship she had with Spike was unhealthy. That it was unwise.

"It was fun to watch, but it wasn't good for Buffy and that Buffy was discovering a level of respect newly for Spike that she hadn't felt before and as a friend, she knew he loved her and she wanted to give him something because he's about to die and he shows the strength to say: 'Well, no. That's very kind of you to say, but that's not true' and I'm comfortable with that. I don't need to be Buffy's one. I think that would have been really strange. Thematically, it would have been really difficult. Spike was evil. They never really played Spike as the boyfriend you ever really want to have... The truth is, if a guy is a jerk to the rest of the world, he's going to be a jerk to his girl or his lady or his woman. Nice guys rule!"

The handsome 40-year-old California native also said he found it disturbing that although he kept trying to reveal Spike's evil side to the show's viewers, his all-too-forgiving fans stood by their vamp. Therefore, in order to turn people against Spike, he said, the show's writers added a shocking scene where he tries to rape Buffy at the end of the series' penultimate season.

"(Attacking) Buffy to prove my love? Hello!" he remarked, incredulous. "So, I started to get uncomfortable because people still wanted Buffy and Spike to be together, the same way I was uncomfortable with smoking too much because a lot of young kids watch and I didn't want to make that cool."

Asked what it was like to film that infamous scene, the nice-guy actor grimaced, "That was the hardest day of my life."

"I have turned roles down because they are rapists," he confessed. "It's something I don't even want to watch. If I even click on it on TV, I have to click it off or I'll put my foot through the screen... What you see on that screen is just my terror at having to do that scene. There's not really any acting going on and I haven't watched the scene. I've seen little clips. You know, 'previously on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."' They show it sometimes and I'm always like, 'Oh, God.' I hope that since Spike has a soul he's not capable anymore of doing anything like that. That's what I really hope. That they won't bring him back in that state of mind... The writers are fabulous, but when I showed up on set that day I told them: 'Sometimes you guys just don't know what you do. You just do not know what you're asking us...' I'm proud of it artistically, but as a human being I never, never, never want to do a scene like that again and I will always refuse because I know what it does to me."

Marsters is set to reprise the role of Spike next season on the WB's "Buffy" spin-off, "Angel," but the actor hinted that he and the show's namesake probably won't be battling evil saide-by-side.

"I really hope that Spike and Angel don't get along at all," he admitted, a touch of mischief in his voice.

Noting that series creator Joss Whedon skillfully pit the two rehabilitated vampires against each other in the last episode of "Buffy" a few weeks ago, the actor quipped: "I said, 'Angel wears lifts.' So, I don't think we're going to become allies. Hopefully, I don't know what it's going to be, but I want to make life as tough as possible for Angel and, of course, everyone knows Joss always listens to me."

Marsters also took the opportunity to dismiss rumors that Spike, the vampire with a soul, would return from the dead as a human.

"Spike become a human?" he mused in mock horror. "How boring is that? No, he's not going to do that. That's just misinformation. God help me."

Marsters is currently touring Europe with his rock band Ghost of the Robot and is expected to start filming "Italian Heat" with Derek Jacobi and Sean Bean in September.

"It's from a hit play on the West End of London called 'Italian Heat,'" he said, "and being that there's a lot of sex in it, I think that's the wrong title. It sounds like soft-core porn... It is about a gay man, who I play, who is in a marriage in fascist Italy and he's got a horrible marriage and two refugees come into the house that he lives in --- one's gay and one's not -- one takes to the wife, one takes to the guy."

Marsters revealed that he drew on the pain of one of his own failed relationships to prepare for the role.

"The thing is that in fascist Italy, people were being hung for being gay and the thing that I responded to in the script was --God, let's get personal --I was in a long-term relationship. In fact, I was married to a woman who didn't really love me... Anyway, God..." he candidly acknowledged, drawing a breath. "I know what it's like to live a lie without even knowing you're living a lie and in my experience there was a sexual component to it and so what I responded to in the script was that a scene could be about how important it is to be yourself no matter what that is and how high a price you have to pay or should be willing to pay to be yourself."

Marsters recalled how thrilled he was when he first heard about the project since two of his favorite actors were also starring in it.

"It was a big deal!" he exclaimed. "And I was all excited about it and I went to my manager and said, 'Do I have to kiss a guy?' And he's like, 'Oh, yeah.' And I was like, 'Argggh!' And then I read the script and there was so much more than kissing that I froze up for a while and I just put the script away and I started making my own personal connection to it and so I feel like I can play that role.

He added: "I know what it's like to have that bottled-up anger. You think you know what the problem is, but it's really not... So, I'm started to get excited about it and I'm less terrified than I was two months ago. Two months ago, I probably wouldn't have wanted to talk about it, but you don't refuse a film like that. It's a really great script and I'm looking forward to it."

Copyright © 2001-2003 United Press International

Do you know, I just looked up who Derek Jacobi and Sean Bean are, and no I am excited about this film for James! My gosh - I,Claudius! and Boromir! WOW, no wonder he is thrilled to be in this movie with them - they are really good actors, and its wonderful that he was chosen to star alongside them. I don't even care now that he plays a gay guy (well, I don't care as much), this has to be a good movie!

[deborah]

The day before I read the interview Barb Cummings posted her reaction to what she'd heard about JM's remarks at Moonlight Rising in her Live Journal (entry dated 6/10/03). A number of people, myself included, added comments of their own, some of which she responded to.

I won't quote Barb here, I'll just include the URL to the relevant page in her journal for any who wish to see what she had to say concerning JM's reported views on Spike: towermountain.net/barb/buffyfic.htm

But I would like to save the comments I posted to her Live Journal in response to her remarks here on the S3 board as they do relate to our recent discussions following the interview (btw, I'm identified as "Anonymous" just because I'm not a member in her group) :

#1

JM's Perspective on Spuffy, Spike, and Spike's Redemption
(Anonymous)
2003-06-10 17:28 (link)
Hi Barb,

I haven't seen any details yet about JM's appearance of comments at Moonlight Rising, although I am looking forward to reading a report a member of my posting board (Soulful Spike Society www.geocities.com/scubiefan/ who was there is in the process of preparing. However, I was at the Chicago Flashback Weekend convention last month and from what you say in your LJ entry he probably said much the same thing in the Catskills last weekend. Even though, like you, I'd heard him voice harsh opinions about his character before on TV and in interviews, I found his comments in Chicago most distressing. Distressing because it made me feel as if he must think me and thousands of others misguided, gullible, shallow fools for believing that he could have been a good boyfriend for Buffy and for believing that there was any good to Spike before he got a soul.

At one point he said something about how if a guy is not nice to others, or is a killer or a sociopath (can't remember) he's NOT going to make a good boyfriend. HELLO, what was he to Drusilla then, chopped liver? And I do recall him saying in the past that he (Spike) was a great boyfriend. So either he's changed his opinion or is just contradicting himself in different contexts.

As far as the bathroom scene goes, he justified that it was necessary to remind people what Spike was, that he was evil and NOT good for Buffy and he was GLAD that they did it. He said that it was only the impact of losing control and hurting the woman he loved that gave Spike the motivation to seek his soul (I'm probably really butchering his words but this is what I'm remembering off the top of my head- it's been a month now since the event and I have a hard time remembering what someone may have said yesterday)and that brought him to a point from which the writers could set him on a path to redemption.

At one point he did seem to contradict himself a bit when he said that he thought it would have been an interesting direction for the show to take if they had NOT given Spike his soul but rather continued to explore his efforts to be *good* without one (wish I could remember exactly how he put it - maybe I can find the relevant place and make out his exact words on my garbled tape. Note: as he was saying this all I could think of was that it HAS been thoroughly explored in NE, DL and other fine fanfiction and how I wished he would read them!)

So as I said, I can remember sitting there listening to him and feeling embarrassed and ashamed. He must think we're all idiots. So, what the f**k were we all doing there?

I agree, to hear him talk he certainly sounds a lot more aligned with the Spike Bashers then those who always recognized his worth and potential for redemption. But I disagree with you that he appears to at least have given this a lot of thought. My impression is, and I know I could be WAY OFF here but my impression is that David Fury or Marti Noxon might as well be speaking out of his mouth. I can't help wondering just how much independent thought he has given this character.

I KNOW that he stays off the internet because he doesn't want to expose himself to all the JM/Spike sites lest he should lose his own soul and go all Barbara Streisand (is how I think he put it). But I really wanted to ask him if that self imposed prohibition of the internet applied to character essays and analyses as well. I really can't see how these could violate his sanction against the Spike/JM internet love fest. Because God, how I'd love to hear his response to your Season Six In Review.

Sorry to have rambled in so long. Your comments about Moonlight Rising were the first I'd heard of any audience being disgruntled by what he has to say about Spike. I related to their discontent and all my frustrations just came bubbling to the surface.

BTW, would you have any objection to my posting an excerpt of your comments on the Soulful Spike Society message board?

deborah cohen
[e-mail]

#2

Re: JM's Perspective on Spuffy, Spike, and Spike's Redemption
(Anonymous)
2003-06-11 08:35 (link)
I'd said:

But I disagree with you that he appears to at least have given this a lot of thought. My impression is, and I know I could be WAY OFF here but my impression is that David Fury or Marti Noxon might as well be speaking out of his mouth.

Rahira said:
//Well, I try to avoid assuming that someone who doesn't agree with me hasn't thought out their position. Since I've never spoken to JM and probably never will I doubt I'll ever know for sure--but he does strike me as someone who's thought about the implications of his character's actions. He just came to a different conclusion than I did.//

James certainly comes across as a highly intelligent and thoughtful person. As far as what he had to say about Spike, I wasn't assuming that he hadn't given him a lot of independent thought so much as just stating my impression, along with the caveat that I know I could be totally wrong. My impression was based not only on his opinions which, of course he could have arrived at independently, but on my understanding that those opinions are very similar to that of the writers/ME and on my assumption that he has formulated his view of Spike based largely upon how the writers' have written and interpreted him. After all, he has said he does not go on the internet and while I can't know for sure this suggests to me that he is unlikely to have seen the character analyses and essays found there. Would he think any differently about Spike if he did expose himself to other well reasoned and argued perspectives such as those presented in (your? Not sure if I'm addressing Barb here) essay Season Six In Review? Not necessarily. But he did sound very much as if he were *towing the company line* and that doesn't surprise me if he has insulated himself from any input or perspectives on his character other than that of the writers/ME.

As far as quoting you Barb?, I was only referring to the comments concerning what JM apparently said at Moonlight Rising, audience reaction, and your musings on same. But if I do decide to post something about this on my group's message board, rather than quote any excerpts I will just include the URL for the Live Journal entry in question. That's what I did when I sent an Email last night to my friend who the one working on a report of the Moonlight Rising con' for our group, so that I could draw her attention to this aspect of James' talk and encourage her to include her perspective on it in her report.

deborah cohen
[e-mail]

#3


(Anonymous)
2003-06-11 17:38 (link)
Queen of Thorns wrote:

// If he hates the character so much, why does he think we'd want to watch him for another year?//

JM has never given me the impression that he hates the character of Spike. On the contrary, I believe he loves playing Spike in all his shades of grey and is very appreciative of his good fortune at having landed such a signature role for himself.

But his attitude toward his character's character seems always to have been come down on the harsh side, as has ME's.

What's confusing to me is that he's the one who played Spike so sympathetically. He's the one who portrayed him as being so conflicted. But instead of giving him points for capacity to love, conflict, guilt, remorse, efforts to change - misguided and stumbling as they often were- his opinion of (pre-souled) Spike just doesn't seem to acknowledge or consider these things. Like Barb pointed out in her S6 Review, it's as if they were showing us one thing and telling us quite another. He says Spike was evil, Spike was a bad choice for Buffy, a bad boyfriend. But I've never heard him address how Buffy treated Spike. If he has I've not heard about it.

I've heard him talk about the bathroom scene and read enough interviews where he discusses it to know that it was very painful for him to get through, it almost sounds as if it was genuinely traumatic for him. He seems to have given it a great deal of thought. But I've never understood why he and ME blamed the soulless demon inside Spike for what happened when to me his actions would have been entirely plausible for any human who had been subjected to same stresses of that relationship. But JM and ME seem to agree that it was the fault of the monster in Spike. I am just dense, I guess. Spike apparently takes the view that his soul would prevent him from ever doing anything like that again, but humans lose control every day. I don't get it.

But now I'm really rambling on and I've strayed far beyond my original intention for this post. All I'd intended to say was that if my previous comments gave you the impression that JM hated Spike I certainly didn't mean to because I don't think that at all.

Deborah Cohen
[e-mail]
(

[Mare]

These were my brief comments from my original post where I pointed out this article".

"What he said didn't bother me much. He's clearly of the mind that B/S do not belong together -- which is fine, 'cause he's got a character to carry on without Buffy.

Someone did ask the question "Do you think S/B made love the night before the final battle?" and he paused, gave it some thought and said "No, I don't think so. But it was left open."

Also, what he says about the movie being filmed in Italy is just great. Especially since he revealed (in connection to the movie), in person, indisputable, it's out there now, that he had been married (did my homework, to a woman named Liane Davidson, they have a son, Sullivan). Being present for it, it did seem to be a very candid admission that of course, endeared his fans to him even more -- if that is at all possible. This man can speak to an audience of 800--and you still feel as if he is speaking to you alone.

Enjoy!"

[Karen]

Mare said:

These were my brief comments from my original post where I pointed out this article".


Someone did ask the question "Do you think S/B made love the night before the final battle?" and he paused, gave it some thought and said "No, I don't think so. But it was left open."

It's fun to speculate, but I read a JW interview by Dark Horse Comics something about how they were fully clothed the next morning - implying that they didn't make love. (But what does *he* know, anyway - they did, they did, they did!)

[Julie A]

Epiphany said:

Oh geez! What if he didn't come back corporeal! How horrid!

Totally horrid.

Apparently that was the plan for the Faith spin off that Eliza rejected. Faith motorcycling around the country with the ghost of Spike. I have to say, I'm actually glad that spin off didn't happen. No wonder she rejected it.

I just hope they realize it was a bad idea.

[ellie]

It is interesting that JM seems to feel his comments have to offer a necessaary corrective to how the audience perceives Spike-


On the one hand- Spike was a monster- his depiction of the fairly twisted relationship between Spike and Drusilla made for compelling viewing.



I guess the idea of making the character too sweet might be disturbing to a character actor b/c it could seem to rob his performance of the lustre it gained from the spark of evil that imbued his characterization.


He has spoken of his struggle to assimilate the wimpiness of William into the overall picture of Spike the chipped/triggered/ensouled blonde vampire. He had to embrace the probably still wince worthy memories of the rather shunned teen JM has spoken of being.

So making that element of Spike appealing could seem (in his eyes) to be overshadowed if the audience too readily embraces the wholistic version of a redeemed Spike.

[Joshua Adams]

Julie said:

Totally horrid.

Apparently that was the plan for the Faith spin off that Eliza rejected. Faith motorcycling around the country with the ghost of Spike. I have to say, I'm actually glad that spin off didn't happen. No wonder she rejected it.

I just hope they realize it was a bad idea.

Are you kidding me? Faith biking around the country with Spike would have been a fine and dandy idea, but why on earth would anyone want Spike to be non coporeal.

[deborah]

Joshua said:

Are you kidding me? Faith biking around the country with Spike would have been a fine and dandy idea, but why on earth would anyone want Spike to be non coporeal.

I'm thinking no one here (would want a non-corporeal Spike). What Joss and his writers want is quite another matter.

If James dismisses the idea of Spike coming back as a human because it's so boring how much more boring would it be to have a Spike who couldn't touch anyone or anything. A Spike who couldn't fight, can you imagine?

Here's what I can imagine all too well. Joss thinking to himself, 'They want Spike, I'll give them Spike. Mwawww Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha." And then presenting us with a Spike no more corporeal than was TF in any of its guises to our unending torment.

I'd not put it past him.

Bitter at Joss much?

[RAKSHA]

Nan said:

Thanks to Mare for pointing this out to us.

James Marsters on Life After Buffy

By Karen Butler
United Press International
Published 6/11/2003 12:45 PM
View printer-friendly version

CATSKILL, N.Y., June 11 (UPI) --


The handsome 40-year-old California native also said he found it disturbing that although he kept trying to reveal Spike's evil side to the show's viewers, his all-too-forgiving fans stood by their vamp. Therefore, in order to turn people against Spike, he said, the show's writers added a shocking scene where he tries to rape Buffy at the end of the series' penultimate season.

"(Attacking) Buffy to prove my love? Hello!" he remarked, incredulous. "So, I started to get uncomfortable because people still wanted Buffy and Spike to be together, the same way I was uncomfortable with smoking too much because a lot of young kids watch and I didn't want to make that cool."

Asked what it was like to film that infamous scene, the nice-guy actor grimaced, "That was the hardest day of my life."

"I have turned roles down because they are rapists," he confessed. "It's something I don't even want to watch. If I even click on it on TV, I have to click it off or I'll put my foot through the screen... What you see on that screen is just my terror at having to do that scene. There's not really any acting going on and I haven't watched the scene. I've seen little clips. You know, 'previously on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."' They show it sometimes and I'm always like, 'Oh, God.' I hope that since Spike has a soul he's not capable anymore of doing anything like that. That's what I really hope. That they won't bring him back in that state of mind... The writers are fabulous, but when I showed up on set that day I told them: 'Sometimes you guys just don't know what you do. You just do not know what you're asking us...' I'm proud of it artistically, but as a human being I never, never, never want to do a scene like that again and I will always refuse because I know what it does to me."

Copyright © 2001-2003 United Press International

Sorry, but this just sounds like such silliness. I admire Marsters for his considerable acting ability; but to say that he'll refuse to act in a rape scene because he knows what it does to me is kind of foolish for an ACTOR to say. Does he want to play nothing but nice guys and character bits for the rest of his life? And how come he had no problem playing a vampire who drained the blood from innocent people, but an attempted rape scene so damaged his psyche that he can never do such a scene again?
There is certainly nothing wrong with an actor saying that rape is a terrible unjustifiable act, or that playing a scene was difficult. I could see an actor saying he would never do a nude scene again, but saying he'll NEVER play a rape scene again strikes me as being a bit too over-sensitive. Actors are often called upon to play unpleasant or downright evil/deranged people. That's why we call them ACTORS. It doesn't validate the act of rape to play a rapist in a play, movie, or TV show; as long as one isn't romanticizing the act (which the bathroom scene with Spike and Buffy hardly did).

Gail