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Death Becomes Him

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
WB, Tuesdays, 8 to 9 p.m. ET

By Len P. Feldman

As the bitingly sarcastic British bloodsucker Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, James Marsters is known by fans of the show as the Sid Vicious of vampires. "But I keep hearing that I look more like Billy Idol," says the Modesto, CA-born actor with no trace of the British accent he uses on the series. But no matter which musician he resembles, Marsters admits "it's fun being bad."

Of course, as all Buffy fans know, Spike is not the murderous "mate" he used to be. That's because a mysterious underground organization called "The Initiative" implanted a computer chip in his brain this season, quelling his desire to kill. It's a dramatic move about which Marsters had his doubts: "I thought that the character was rather defined by his violence. And I thought it would be dangerous to take that away."

But Marsters, 30, who had had a recurring role as a vampire since season two, realizes that his evil counterpart had to be muzzled if he was to become a Buffy regular, as he did this year, in the middle of season four.

"He can't kill Buffy [Sarah Michelle Gellar], because we'd all be out of work. That would be bad. But he can't try too many times and fail or he becomes ineffectual and bumbling and stupid. So I think it's imperative that they find a way for him to stop trying."

Though he finds playing a Spike who's more dependent on Buffy and her friends "very interesting," the Shakespearean-trained actor misses being completely evil. "I'd like to find something that I could hit," he admits. "But if they return the character to what he was last year, they would have to kill him eventually."

And Marsters wouldn't want that. This is the first steady job of his career. (Until now the only television he'd done was guest spots on such shows as Northern Exposure and Maloney.) Unlike Sarah Michelle Gellar, no one's beating down his door with film roles. (He had a bit part in the awful 1999 House on Haunted Hill remake). "I'm not in the place in my career where people are coming to me," Marsters admits. "I'm a small fry. I'm new."

But all that could change with the rising popularity of his undead alter ego. Spike collectible toys will soon hit the market, though apparently Marsters will get only a tiny bit of that action. "But that's not the point. The point is getting your own action figure. That's every boy's dream. I can go kick Superman's butt now."

Marsters also enjoys the attention he's been getting from fans, though he has to think about it for a moment. "Yeah.... I have not had a bad experience with a fan at all. They seem to know the boundary very well."

Some fans wouldn't mind Marsters crossing that boundary. "They want me to bite 'em or lick 'em or taste 'em or something like that."

Has he ever granted such a wish? "No. I got a girl, man. Have you seen my girlfriend?" asks Marsters, referring to the lovely actress Liz Stauber (Three Kings), whom he met doing The Tempest at the Shakespeare Festival in Los Angeles three years ago. "I don't need to go biting anybody.... I ain't no fool."

For more on James Marsters, check out the Buffy FanClub.

Photos courtesy of WB