On the 15th of each month a new question and answer session with James is posted online. Please submit your questions using the email address to the right.
Before submitting please have a look through previous Q&As to see if your question has been answered.

June 2008

Unfortunately, with James still working hard overseas, we will not have a supply of new questions this month. However, in order to have something of interest, please enjoy a few soundclips of his answers from previous sessions. His sessions are normally not taped, but we do have a small number of taped answers on hand and will use them as "fillers" for occasions like this when he is unavailable, or at least, until we run out of them.

From July 2007 - (Sound Clip) What is the hardest thing about guitar playing for you?
Being comfortable with the fact that the guitar is a very sloppy instrument. Guitar, by its nature, never hits the right note ever. If you go for a G, you're gonna get a G sharp or a G flat, period. There's no way you're gonna get a clean note on a guitar because there's the bending of the strings and there's so many variables. On a keyboard, you hit an E and you're gonna get an E. But, a friend of mine told me that perfection in music is not pleasurable and the proof of that is those irritating Christmas ornaments that will sing you the Christmas songs (imitates tinny melody). It's soooo bad, but it's perfect. It is in imperfection that the artist shines, that's where the expression comes in. So, the artist is always kind of sharp or flat, that's the expression - and that's what's so frustrating about the guitar but also so exciting - it never will be perfect.

From July 2007 - (Sound Clip) What's the secret to starting an interesting conversation with a complete stranger?
Connect with them as a human being. We're all the same. Whether we're black or white, or rich or poor, Muslim or Christian, man or woman, 95% of our impulses, and dreams, hopes and fears are the same. We all want love - we all fear isolation. We all want better for our children than we had. Everyone. I watched something on the History channel about this. Apparently, there are ten dreams that comprise 90% of everyone's dream-life and what that means is on a VERY deep level, on the deepest of levels, we're the same. So, when you meet somebody that's a stranger, that seems different from you, just realize that they're not different from you. You can connect with that person based on the deepest of truths about yourself. Just because you grew up with a popsicle in your mouth and they grew up in the desert trying to find water - well, talk about music, talk about your hopes for your children, talk about loving some girl who doesn't love you; and you'll find that they're just like you.

From September 2007 - (Sound Clip) How do you react to criticism, professionally and personally?
If I wrote it, criticism is hard. I feel like anyone who is writing their inner life is doing something very brave and, in a way, is beyond criticism. How can you criticize someone for telling you how they feel? I have a hard time criticizing most artists who write their own material actually because of that reason. If they've been honest and brave and set it out there, if it's ugly or beautiful - if I don't think of it as worthy, it's probably my fault. So it's very hard for me when my own work is dissed. It's less hard, more mechanical, if I'm working on a playwright and I feel like a play can work but I get a bad review, I kind of feel like I'm a mechanic working on a carburetor, thinking I just need to add 3cm to that "whatever" and the thing will start on time and run like I want it to run. So it becomes less personal. If you write it yourself, it's very personal.

May 2008 - Vacation Break

Even though a full Q&A was promised for May, with James just having finished an incredibly busy and stressful year of steady,and sometimes grueling, work, and with his new project just ahead to prepare for, we have decided to give him a little bit of well-deserved vacation. The Q&A's will resume as soon as James' schedule permits.

 

APRIL 2008

Are you more of a city person or a country (nature) person? 
I love both and refuse to choose. I love to relax in the country and work in the city.

Who do you see when you watch Buffy, James or Spike? Do you see just Spike so you can enjoy the show, or do you see yourself and judge your acting?
I see Spike and I’m happy when my acting is simple - that is when Spike is most potent, when the words come out.

Name two random things you would never do and two things you hope to do.
I'd never run a marathon or eat squid. I hope to act with Meryl Streep and buy a hybrid. You know, actually I might eat squid!

Who was the actor/actress that you felt made you come out fully in your acting even more than before, giving as good as you got or better, and why do you think that is?
Too many people to name; Kathy Bates, Lisa Kudrow, Hilary Swank and Holly Hunter for all the obvious reasons.

Favorites:
NFL Team - The Bears
Character you've played, other than Spike - Segismundo from “Life is a Dream” by Calderon at the Bailiwick Theatre in Chicago.

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Due to a busy Mr. Marsters, this month's Q&A is shorter than normal sessions. However, we should definitely be back to a fuller session next month.

 

March 2008

How territorial are you?
I don’t like to admit this but I am extremely territorial.  I never really thought about that.  I must have people knock on my trailer, my bedroom is my sanctum sanctorum and if anyone kisses my girl I’ll kill them (not literally). I like to pretend that I’m a peaceful man.  My peaceful act has worked for the past fifteen years.

What do you think the biggest all around human fault is?
That we see patterns that are not there.  One of the best things about humans is we recognize patterns, so we get things like science, music, philosophy.   One of the worst things is that we see patterns that are not there so we get things like racism, homophobia and Jerry Falwell.

Does theater allow for a lot of spontaneity, or do you find yourself hampered by the blocking in that regard?
There is a freedom in structure.  Structure can seem like a straightjacket at first, blocking, beats, etc., but like a dancer or gymnast, once you master that structure you become free and can really fly.

I've noticed many of your songs have water/ocean references in your lyrics. Is this a subconsious thing that you're not that aware of, or is it a purposeful theme that represents something to you?
I noticed two years ago that I used the ocean as a metaphor a lot.  In a weird way, I think of it as home.

If you could go back in time, what question would you most want to ask William Shakespeare?
(long silence)  I don’t have any questions for Shakespeare.  I think he lays it all out.  He was so prolific and I think he explains himself well.  I may be a bit too confident in this but I think I get the man.  I think every play is saying that we as human beings all have a lot in common.

Do you ever feel that Buffy and Spike's relationship was somewhat unfinished? Needed closure?
I think thematically it did get closure. Spike really wasn't reformed after what happened in the bathroom - he seemed unworthy of her.  By the end of the series they made him again worthy, but dead, trying for some tragic epic sweep I suppose.  The problem I think, is that they didn’t want to spend much time on that - they needed the time to tell the story of the potentials so instead of doing something active I got to wear a jewel on a chain and blow up. It was the most time effective way to do it, but it lost something.

Either/Or
Paper or plastic? Plastic –it’s better for the environment surprisingly.
Professional or college football?  I must say I enjoy professional - the violence factor is much higher in professional.
What would tempt you back the most, a favourite playwright or a good paycheck?
Playwright — without a good playwright, it’s worse then flipping burgers.

 

February 2008

What makes you sentimental?
My kids.

The handicap of our youth is the missing insight we gain in our later years. Shakespeare, though, lets younger characters hold monologues in which his own wisdom shines through. Man on a mission or vanity, what do you think?
I don’t think so. I think Shakespeare’s young people are impetuous and rash and maybe a reflection of his earlier self. We think of them as geniuses but that’s just because Shakespeare writes so damn well and you can’t ask him to stop doing that. But he doesn't look down on young people - some young people are quite smart.

How do you feel about luck?
Luck is everything, as the Chinese know. We think we control our destiny but it is horrifyingly random. Luck is everything, everything, everything. To get here, everyone of your ancestors had to survive long enough to mate – that’s lucky. 99% of the species born on this planet are extinct. You are part of the privileged lucky few that have survived.

What is the best thing and the worst thing about acting?
The worst thing is to have to wait around for people to create a job for you. Creatively that’s deadly. The best thing is getting all the credit for all the hard work that’s done on the set that you never even knew about when they finally do give you a job.

If you had to gain 30 pounds for a role, you'd eat…
Ice cream, fried chicken, pork ribs, chocolate.

Have you owned any pets since Zachary died? If so, what?
No I haven’t. I’m just not home very much. Maybe I'd get a cat.

Do you think your age influenced the way you handled the pressures of Hollywood? Do you think you would have handled things the same way had you gone straight from giving Juilliard the finger to LA?
I would be in a morgue if I would have come to LA straight from Juilliard. I would have made Lindsay Lohan look like Dakota Fanning.

It has been told that you molded/transformed the original, scripted character of Spike into what he is now. Did you in any way change or enhance the character of Milton Fine and if so, how?
The story arc of Milton Fine was never told to me and I still don’t know what it was. I was not as much in the loop on Smallville so I didn't have the occasion to present my ideas.

Favorites:
Actor when you were growing up: Robert DeNiro and John Savage
Comedian: Lenny Bruce

Either/Or:
Xbox 360 or Playstation 3? Playstation 3.
Jetsons or Flintstones? I’m sorry if I offend you but neither one of those shows was very funny. Life for me began with The Simpsons and then got better with South Park, Robot Chicken, and Ren and Stimpy!

 

January 2008