SPIKE'S ACCENT

"Originally Joss [Whedon, the show's creator] wanted us to be punk vampires - he wanted a Sid and Nancy. I auditioned with a British accent and a southern accent, which I thought was real sexy. But the British is dangerous, whereas the Southern was a little slow. When I got the audition, I was playing a role in The Tempest at a Shakespeare festival. The man playing Caliban was from North London and as soon as I got the audition I called him and said, 'Do a couple of these lines for me please.' And he did. I owe him a lot of money, I suppose!" JM

Joss was casting around for a punk rock vampire, and I guess I came in with the best accent. But he also had me do a Southern accent, a New Orleans kind of thing, which I thought would have been more sexy. But I don't think it's quite as dangerous as the North London accent. It's dangerous AND sexy. JM (TEXT)

"I patterned the accent after this guy I was in a play with, but that was three years ago. Now I'm listening to Tony Head (Giles in Buffy), who sounds kind of like Spike in real life. It's much more tough-guy talk in real life. His accent (as Giles) is just as fake as mine. His is nice and gritty, but it's not North London. I'm always afraid that I'm morphing over into Tony Head, wherever he's from." JM (TEXT)

"North London is not quite cockney, as a matter of fact if you ask someone from North London if they're a cockney they may get a little bit pissed at you."
- Juliet Landau or JM (hard to tell by the way the article is written)

Q: So, are you British or not? And if not, why is your character British? Is it to show the ancient ancestry of vampires? Or just because American chicks dig guys with an accent? by carey666

JM: Not British--I'm a Yank. I'm oversexed, overpaid, but still on the west side of the Atlantic. Ha! Fooled ya! Spike is British because Joss wanted a bit of punk rock. I was supposed to be like Sid Vicious (singer for the Sex Pistols).

Q: Does every interview with you begin with the words, 'I didn't know you weren't English?' by Lee Bradley, Cardiff.

JM:"Oh, yeah. I'm a big faker, man. People in England actually think I'm English, which I think is very cool. I thought I'd be able to fool Americans but I didn't dream I could fool the English."

Q: How long did it take for you to master the English accent? It had a lot of people I know fooled for a very long time. By Vikki Devine, Glasgow.

JM:"It's still not right. I get to practice my lines over and over for the show. Tony Head corrects me. He's saved me so many times - otherwise I'd be making a fool out of myself! He constantly gives me tips. There's always a few words I don't know. For instance, in the script the other day there was the word 'arse', and he was like 'James, we don't say arse, we say ass like the rest of the world.' He's very nice about it, but he probably doesn't want to be embarrassed by his cohorts back in England. In the beginning I came to him quite often, actually. There was a lot to learn in the beginning, but usually just nips and tucks."

Q: That accent of yours is pretty darn convincing. Are you sure you're American?

JM: I never get tired of fooling people. The acid test was when people in Britain thought I was British. But my accent has improved since I was first on the show. In the beginning, I had all the sounds right, but not the rhythm, which was too slow. I'm learning that the British flick off their sentences very quickly. (TEXT)

"Well, Monty Python first of all growing up, and then theater school. But specifically I was lucky -- the accent that they wanted was supposed to be like the Sex Pistols, who are from north London. And I was lucky to be doing a play with a guy from north London at the time. So I cornered him and made him read the lines for me. He wanted to know what the audition was and I told him to go blow off."

Q: How did you become such a good faker?

JM: Watching Monty Python as a kid -- seriously. And my training at Julliard. And Anthony Head (Rupert Giles) has been really helpful. In real life, he sounds pretty much like Spike. The plummy accent he uses on the show is as fake as mine. (TEXT)

Q: Where did you learn you great British accent? by SEPoulton

JM: Monty Python as a kid. Plus stage training. I can do most of the accents that I might be hired for. Like Russian. Russian, Irish, French. I don't do Chinese accents. I was doing a production of the Tempest with a guy from North London. And Tony Head gives me pointers all the time.

Monty Python's Flying Circus in Australia (unofficial site)

'Monty Python' isn't a person, but is the group name of six actors (5 British, 1 American) who performed their famous comedy programme Monty Python's Flying Circus for the BBC from 5th October, 1969 to 5th December, 1974.

Q: Was it hard to do a fake English accent doing a fake Midwestern accent when you were pretending to be Xander's friend in "Good-bye, Iowa"?

JM:"Do you know who I went to? Tony Head has a great American accent. I said 'What would one of your friends sound like if he had a bad American accent?'. He said, 'I don't know. I suppose you would go crazy with the letter r.'"

Q: Are there any Brit words or phrases that you really enjoy? - Joanne Marvin

JM:"Sodding git."

James Marsters on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Spike and Dru Dark Horse Comics (TEXT)

There's a great section about his accent, getting the role as Spike, bleaching and coloring his hair.