Marc Blucas Interview on SkyOne (UK channel)

Transcribed by Helen for the Buffy Posting Board

Marc Blucas was born in a small Pennsylvanian town and whilst growing up he discovered he had passion as well as outstanding talent for basketball. After spending a year as a professional basketball player, he ëfellí into acting and went off to concentrate on becoming a movie star. He talks to Patrizia Mazzuoccolo about vampires, being ëmobbedí by teenage school-girls and what itís really like to kiss the ëslayerí on screenÖ

WHATíS IT LIKE TO PLAY ëRILEYí?
M.B.: It has been a great role to play, especially this year. Last year was a lot of fun but it was a feeling-out process by both the writers of the show and by me trying to find exactly what they wanted with the character and also getting to know Mark as a person and starting incorporating that in. Not that I am Jim Carrey but this season theyíve given Riley a little better personality. He is a little more socially comfortable.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT FOLLOWING ON IN DAVID BOREANAZíS SHOES?
M.B.: To be honest with you, I never really looked at it as filling his shoes because I knew on a certain level that was impossible. My character is completely opposite from Angel and David and I are completely different actors with very different energies and personalities. The most pressure I felt was the pressure I put on myself to perform and make it good. I wanted to make sure the writers were happy with their decision of casting me.

DID YOU USE TO BE A FAN OF THE SHOW BEFORE YOU GOT THE PART?
M.B.: Iím going to be dead honest with you. As an actor going out auditioning you try and watch every single show in town just to get a sense of what theyíre all about, so Iíd only seen the show once or twice. My audition process was about 6 weeks and as that process went on and I was getting closer to it, I kept asking my agent for back-up just to refamiliarise myself with the tone of the show and so I got hooked on the show. After watching 3 episodes I knew what the tone of the show was, but I kept asking for all these episodes. I must have watched at least 50 of them. Thatís the way the show is.

HOW DID YOU REACT WHEN YOU GOT THE PART AND REALISED YOU WERE GOING TO WORK WITH SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR?
M.B.: I was honestly thrilled to work with Sarah but even bigger than that, Buffy The Vampire Slayer is a show thatís respected world-wide, especially in this business and weíre kind of a criticsí darling, so to be a part of that was a thrill for me. The truth of it is that so many times as an up and coming actor you have to take jobs just for the experience and to pay rent. Itís not often that you come across a project that you believe in, you think itís so well done and youíd do anything to be a part of!

ÖAND YOU GET TO KISS THE ëSLAYERí!
M.B.: You know what? Itís better than a sharp stick in the eye (laughs)! I gotta tell you, even if I try to be professional and say ëItís just actingí, letís face it (laughs) thatís a pretty good job!

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO NOW BE EVERY TEENAGERíS FANTASY?
M.B.: (laughs) You know, Iíd have to ask somebody (laughs). I donít consider myself a celebrity and certainly not anyoneís fantasy but I got to say that it is shockingÖMy dadís a superintendent at a school in this little town in Pennsylvania and his office is in the middle of the school and Iíve been going back there and walking to his office ever since I left the town to go and play basketball at a major level in college and professionally so, in a weird way, Iíve always been a little celebrity in a small town. But now that Iím on this showÖI went home for Easter and as I was walking through the same school, out of the cafeteria during lunch, that was such a mistake! I felt like John Lennon, teachers had to grab me and throw me into the staff room and they said ëYou canít walk through here!í. It was mind-boggling, cos 1) I was just shocked at the response and 2) thatís the one place you donít want to change. You want your hometown and everything stay the same cos your life changes so much when youíre on a show. You just want home to be home and that just took me back.

HAVE YOU GOT A GIRLFRIEND?
M.B.: I do have a girlfriend and I donít know what she thinks about thatÖ (laughs).

ARE YOU FOND OF VAMPIRES?
M.B.: In real life I canít say Iíve ever had an encounter, but as to whether or not they realistically exist on the planet I donít know and I canít say that I really want confirmation on it either (laughs). In terms of the show, weíre doing these scenes that are hilarious but theyíre so real, so intense. Often they yell ëcut!í and you break for lunch and youíre walking down the hall with ëSpikeí in full make-up gear and some demon thatís 6í8î with hair and prosthetics and youíre sitting there ëhey whatís going on this weekendí or ëI went to a movie last nightí. Youíre having these kind of regular conversations with them but they are with make-up and blood and teeth and everything. Itís very bizarre (laughs).

HAVE YOU TIED ANY CLOSE FRIENDSHIPS WITH ANY OF THE CAST?
M.B.: You spend so much time with everyone that you canít help, whether you like people or not, to ultimately know everything about them. Iíve developed a special relationship with both Sarah (Michelle Gellar) and James (Marsters), where weíll see each other at the weekend as well as with probably 8 or 10 crew members. Iím the blue-collar crew guy at heart so while we have those 15 minutes in between scenes that theyíre lighting, Iím usually in there helping out and talking with the crew, then weíd get together with them and their families, have dinner. Iíve really made some great friends and they will always be that way regardless of how long Iíll be on the show.

IF YOU EVER HAD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN BASKETBALL AND ACTING IN THE FUTURE, WHICH WOULD IT BE?
M.B.: Without question, acting. Before I committed to being an actor, if someone said actors worked hard, Iíd probably have laughed in your face because, like anyone else, unless youíve grown up in that environment, you think that itís 10 people, some light and a camera. The hardest part of it is getting material at the last minute because itís not like a feature film where youíve had the script 6 months. We could get a script 24 hours prior to film beginning sometimes, so you work a 14-hour day and then have to go home to memorise 8 pages of dialogue for the next day. Thatís kind of the hardest part for me, but I have to admit itís a high class problem. If you love what you do, you donít mind how much time you put into it. The day that passion has gone is the day I quit!

IS IT TRUE THAT ëWHITE MEN CANíT JUMPí?
M.B.: (laughs) Well Iíve got to be honest with you, Iím not blowing my own horn here, but Iím only 6í2î and I can dunk it!

WHAT DO YOUR FUTURE PROJECTS INCLUDE ASIDE 'BUFFY'?
M.B.: Iím doing a role in a movie starting in January, called 'A View From The Top'. Itís with Gwyneth Paltrow, Joey Preston, Christina Applegate, Rob Lowe, a really fine cast. And after that I really donít know. I want to be a part of 'Buffy' for as long as theyíll have me. Even if you are killed off in that show itís not a bad thing cos you can come back (laughs)!