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Articles & Interviews
"I'm Coming to Australia"
by Carolyn Stewart

Big Hit: Hello James, how are you?

James Marsters: (The voice down the phone line comes back with an American accent - being from California, he doesn't actually sound like Spike at all) Hello Carolyn. I'm doing very well. Let me turn down [legendary jazz saxophonist] Charlie Parker, OK? (he runs to the other side of his house and turns down the CD) Good Afternoon or evening or middle-of-the-night or whatever.....

Big Hit: It's early morning here, actually

James Marsters: It's early morning for me too but I just can't get into that! (laughs hysterically)

Big Hit: Isn't it about midday over there?!

James Marsters: You know, you get off work late and you sleep eight hours and then you get up. I never sleep in the same eight-hour period in my life. I just get eight hours when I can. No, never routine and that's the problem but, hey, other people have to dig ditches.

Big Hit: Are you at work at the moment?

James Marsters: No, I was just coming back from the Valley doing voice over for a cartoon called Baby Blues. I'll be playing Prince William and a guest.

Big Hit: You just can't get away from those "William" characters can you?

James Marsters: Yeah. The Brit's actually! But I got to play upper-crust....like I have a plum in my mouth. (puts on English accent) Also, apparently they're going to draw me very handsome.

Big Hit: What made you decide to come to Australia and New Zealand?

James Marsters: Never been. I heard it was beautiful and I had many people tell me that it's just gorgeous and people are going to pay money to come over so I thought, "Hey...."

Big Hit: You'll appear at the Friends of Science Fiction conventions in May, what are you expecting from your Australian Fans?

James Marsters: Well, I know, um, I don't know (laughs) Pandemonium.....I hope! In general, Buffy fans in America tend to be fairly low-key. They tend to be mostly into the writing, you know. The American fans are mostly fans of Joss Whedon, the guy who thought all this stuff up. Most of my comments are, "Great line" and "You did that line really well" but they're all aware that it's really Joss calling the shots. Whereas in Britain they more want to pinch my butt and stuff. I'm serious! I had a 65 year old woman who wanted to grab me there....and I let her!

Big Hit: So you prefer that?

James Marsters: Older women? Right! No, I thought you know, when in Rome.....God! I felt like such a Puritan. I thought I was kinda a liberated guy, but dang! In Australia, I have no idea. I'll keep my eyes open.

Big Hit: Do you get a lot of fan mail from Australia and New Zealand?

James Marsters: A lot of fan mail? Yes. They ask if I have a girlfriend. "How old am I?" "How tall am I?" If the accent's real and "Can you come to Australia?" (laughs)

Big Hit: Seeing as how you're coming to Australia, I have to ask: Do you have a girlfriend?

James Marsters: No. I have people that I have in my life, but not a girlfriend. (laughs)

Big Hit: What do you talk about at a convention?

James Marsters: Pretty much anything they want to know, mostly about the show. Gosh, like, "How long does it take to put on the make-up?" "Is that your real hair colour?" There are long question and answer sessions and there were many good questions, I just don't remember them!

Big Hit: What three things do you think of when you hear the word Australia?

James Marsters: Sydney, the Outback with those weird-ass pipes and sharks. No, that's terrible. Make that "and blue water." That's better. Man, that's a really dicey question.

Big Hit: Nobody ever says that's a dicey question!

James Marsters: (laughs) Did I say the wrong thing? I'm gonna offend Sydney. I'll get off the plane and I'm gonna get stoned. (srcastically) "Get out hell spawn!"

Big Hit: We know what type of show you come from!

James Marsters: (laughs) Oh great!

Big Hit: Have you worked with any Aussies apart from Geoffrey Rush in House on Haunted Hill?

James Marsters: He was fabulous, by the way. An absolute gentleman. I expected him to be incredible but he was also just completely natural. I went out to lunch with him. He's just a great guy.

Big Hit: Did you ask him for any advice?

James Marsters: (laughs) No! I had four lines so I wasn't going to ask him. If I had a long speech then maybe I would have. I didn't try to make up excuses to talk to him!

Big Hit: Have you crossed paths with any other Australians?

James Marsters: Umm, Russell Cr...Cru...Cro....What is his name?

Big Hit: Crowe.

James Marsters: I'm just kidding (bursts out laughing). Mel? Mel Hib? Hibson? (continues laughing). Whoever that guy is. No. I haven't. I mean, maybe I have but they've hidden their accents well. Or, the other thing is, my brain is like Swiss cheese.

Big Hit: What did Alyson Hannigan and Sarah Michelle Gellar tell you about their trips to Australia?

James Marsters: Those were two of the people who convinced me to come to you! They both had an absolutely fabulous time. I think Alyson might have gone to the sex clubs, but I don't know. Just kidding! She's not like that. I get to be bad because I'm Spike! (laughs) No, basically they just told me that the weather was wonderful and the people were wonderful and that the accommodations were great. That the food was great. That basically, everything is like what Disneyland wishes it was like.

Big Hit: Is there anything you want to check out in Sydney?

James Marsters: I have not looked at the brochures! (laughs) I would like to see the natural countryside, frankly. I mean, I know that it's very dry but I'm always interested in the land. I don't know why! Uh-oh. I need a Pez. I have a new Inspector Clouseau dispenser. I have a Hulk, I have a Spider-Man, Boba Fett which is the coolest pez. I also have, Yoda. Couldn't go on with the Princess Leia. Couldn't get the Luke Skywalker. (gets sad) I don't have Han Solo.

Big Hit: That's so what Buffy merchandise needs to move into.

James Marsters: Pez, man! Yeah, that's like the people who are doing the video games are all about my code. I went up to the Xbox [offices]. The people who are designing the new game are Xbox so it's going to have a lot of memory. They're like, "Dude, you're going to look so cool!" I'm going to go over and play games!

Big Hit: Has Sarah left for Australia yet to film Scooby-Doo?

James Marsters: I believe she's there now.

Big Hit: Cool. With Sarah Michelle Gellar in Australia filming Scooby-Doo, what does it mean for the Buffy gang's nickname The Scooby Gang?

James Marsters: I think we have a robot this year (laughs).

Big Hit: And Scrappy Doo's coming by, right?

James Marsters: Well, you know, the last time Sarah got out for a week to do something was for [US comedy show] Saturday Night Live and that episode was all about Buffy getting turned into a rat. So you know, Joss will let us out for side projects but, God help us, what happens. (laughs) What we'll be made to do.

Big Hit: In the new season, what happens now that Spike has a thing for Buffy?

James Marsters: I'm on a need-to-know basis about all this. Basically, I think it's a really interesting turn of events. The problem was always how to integrate Spike into the Scooby Gang. How to keep him from killing them all without taking away the edge. The chip was a good way to do that but the chip, you know, nothing ever stays the same on Buffy. I'm glad to think the chip may be going away. I would rather have Spike choose to be good than be forced to be good. I think it's a bit more interesting that way.

Big Hit: Can he choose to be good? Without a soul?

James Marsters: I think, for love. For love of Buffy, I think so. That's the one thing that Spike can do. The interesting thing about Spike is that he's a sociopath. He likes to kill people. He likes to hurt people. He derives pleasure from that but, at the same time, he's a very good boyfriend. That doesn't quite suss, you know, and that's why it's interesting. So, yes, I think he could be motivated by love to do almost anything, including give over evil. But I'm not saying that Buffy's gonna get involved with Spike. I haven't asked Joss and I won't ask Joss. Sarah hasn't asked Joss. We don't want to know.

Big Hit: One million people would murder me if I didn't ask, what's it like kissing Sarah?

James Marsters: If I answer that truthfully, Freddie Prinze Jnr will kick my ass! With a baseball bat... and he would have good reason to do so.

Big Hit: Freddie's not like that!

James Marsters: What?! If I was dating Sarah, I would be like that. God! Sarah is an absolute dream. A lead of a TV series has the power to make the set a nightmare or heaven. Sarah has chosen to use her powers to make it heaven. She's always on time. She always knows her lines. She's always wonderful to work with. She's always fresh. She's always jovial. You know, nobody really wants to push her around but other than that she's a dream. Truthfully. And kissing her was no chore!

Big Hit: Drusilla's also back for a bit which makes it interesting!

James Marsters: Also, no chore kissing her! Also, you know Harmony. So, you know, I'm not complaining. At the beginning of this season, they were asking me what I want from my character and I was like, "Two words. More tail." I want to kick it. (laughs) It's just, like, in spades man. My ass is kicked. My lips are raw. It's a good year! I'm saying this to the wrong magazine. You can change "ass" to "butt", if you like.

Big Hit: Do you ever do Spike-type things when you're not on set?

James Marsters: (whispers) What just, like, hurting people? (laughs) You know, I'm wearing more punk-rock jewellery... (ponders this for a minute) but then Spike doesn't wear punk-rock jewellery! I used to, when I was in high school, wear a lot of it, but I got away from that.

Big Hit: So you're regressing.

James Marsters: Yeah really, I know. I'm in Hollywood, it's OK to be a little tiny kid! No, you know, I've always had kind of a mean streak but that was before Spike. I don't know, man, because Spike sometimes feels like me but with a British accent. He likes a good fight but he also likes kissing.

Big Hit: How did you react when you read the script for the early episodes of the season - like, Buffy has a sister and we're not explaining it at all?

James Marsters: Oh yeah. What I will say about Dawn is that things are not always what they seem. That it will pan out into something incredibly interesting and that, as an actress, Michelle Trachtenberg kicks it. Fabulous. Absolutely fabulous. I've had three or four scenes with her and they've been just easy. Easy, fine and wonderful. You see Joss is always tricking you, leading you in the opposite direction. He's always a magician. He's always a trickster. He is telling you now not to like her. She's always in the way. She's always whining, right? But, just, trust us. (laughs) I'm just washing up my huge coffee mug.

Big Hit: OK. I can never find a name anywhere, what's your band called or do you just perform acoustically?

James Marsters: I don't have a band. I've performed with Four Star Mary. I just play with myself and a guitar at clubs. I call myself One F**ker With A Guitar, but you can't write that.

Big Hit: You're headed here next month, so what can a fan do to make your day?

James Marsters: Send a present. Or just say "Hi" on the street. "Good job".

Big Hit: Well, we look forward to you coming to Australia...

James Marsters: Oh, and send pictures, I like pictures.

Big Hit: OK. As I was saying, we look forward.....

James Marsters: And I would like a new guitar.

Big Hit: This is your whole christmas list isn't it?

James Marsters: (laughs) Well, you know.......

Big Hit: All your fans in Australia are looking forward to you getting here.

James Marsters: Thanks. I look forward to getting over there!

Big Hit #26, May 2001