James Marsters, actor, “Spike” from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (CPR Insight) (Interview Transcript)

James Marsters, actor, “Spike” from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (CPR Insight)

Listen to James Marsters

James Marsters If you see an excessive number of people donning capes and super hero costumes this weekend there’s no need for fear. Sacramento’s Comic Con is here! It’s the inaugural Wizard World Sacramento Comic Con to be precise, and it’s bringing an abundance of pop culture sci-fi icons to the convention center this weekend. One of those icons is Modesto’s James Marsters, a cult favorite who’s best known for his role as Spike, the platinum blonde vampire on hit shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Marsters joins us ahead of the convention to talk about his acting, his music and his appearance in Sacramento this weekend.

From the show:

Beth Ruyak: I want to skip back to something in your past. Our intern, Cody Drabble, wondered: at the time you went to Juilliard, after two years you ended up leaving. And somewhere along the way you were called a punk. What happened back then?

James Marsters: What happened at Juilliard? They kicked my ass out! I shouldn’t probably cuss… But yeah, they told me I’d never be an actor, and I stopped before I got bitter, because I basically stood up during our first play that we did in our freshman year. It was really horrible. It was a play called “Troilus and Cressida,” a Shakespeare play, but not his best play. They called it a difficult play, because it kind of sucks but you’re not supposed to say that about Shakespeare, just every play that he wrote was awesome. Some of them are a little boring. So anyway, we’re doing a boring Shakespeare play. There’s only like three that are bad.

BR: And that’s what ended it for you?

JM: Well, I stood up and said so, ‘This is the worst play that I’ve done in my life. We’re going to be spending three and a half hours of their lives and we’re going to waste their time. On a very human level, they’re not going to forgive us. These people are going to be our teachers, and if we’re going to have a good experience we’re going to have to stop messing around and try to tell the story.’ And they did not appreciate that. They thought I was judging Juilliard, and I wasn’t judging Juilliard, I was judging my fellow students saying, ‘We’ve got to pick up our game to show that we deserve to be at Juilliard.’ They didn’t quite get that.

BR: So is all the bitterness gone from that experience?

JM: Hell no!

BR: Didn’t sound like it.

JM: It’s not quite so intense as it used to be.

BR: I’m glad we could diffuse a little bit of it, James.

JM: [Laughs] I remember I was shooting P.S. I Love You, in New York, which was a really good movie with Hilary Swank and Kathy Bates, Gerard Butler and stuff. They put me up in a hotel, a really swanky hotel, right across the street from the front door of Juilliard. And I got to drink my coffee and stare down at the front entrance of Juilliard, like, how you like me now, man?

BR: Yeah, you might need some therapy.

[Both laugh together.]