Spike and I are both romantics. We both have a pretty good temper, but mine tends not to be so funny as Spike's. Maybe my anger and Joss' humor is the combination where Spike lives. (...) And we both have bitchin blond hair.

Yeah. We both have tempers, although I'm not really funny when I get really mad. We're both romantics. We both fall hard for our girls. We both like to cause trouble for the fun of it. We both have blond hair...

ET: So with all these scary dreams, do you ever get a story idea for Spike that you pass on to JOSS WHEDON?

JAMES: I am not paid for my writing skills. I am not Spike. I just play him on TV. Spike is Joss Whedon. Joss likes to stir it up. He likes a little chaos. He likes to piss people off. He likes to deny them what they want. He is just the whole Willow terror thing. He loves it. He loves making people feel afraid. I have done writing myself. I have adapted from the stage a lot. I am good enough at writing to understand that the people I am working with are vastly better than I am, so it is not really in my interest to try to affect what they're doing. They're doing just fine without me. So, I've studiously avoided giving any of it. You ask an actor what he wants to do and he will come up with the same two ideas. He will be baggin' the babe, or kickin' butt with the guys.
ETOnline.Com This Vampire Rocks! "I love being scared." April 27, 2001

Q:James do you get any say in what happenes to Spike as a character? by DogProfit

JM: None. Zero. Goose egg. Nada. I am not paid for my writing skills. I'm hired to wear the hair and a smirk in the right way. And to have fun.

Casting

"It was [one] of 100 auditions. They had been casting around for a long time looking at a lot more actors more famous than myself and luckily did not find what they were looking for. They had to scrape the bottom of the barrel where they found me." JM

Q:How did you get the role of spike? How can you relate that to yourself? by TwirlnSocerBabe
JM: It was one of a 100 auditions that you go on as an actor in LA. 99.5% of the time you don't get it. Usually you get it when you're right for it. And for some reason, I just decided to unleash at the audition. They made me do it in a Southern accent and in an English accent. Later when I auditioned with Juliet who was precast I just climbed all over her And they loved it. Spike and I are both romantics. We both have a pretty good temper, but mine tends not to be so funny as Spike's. Maybe my anger and Joss' humor is the combination where Spike lives. But by far, most of the affects of the character, comes from the writing. Spike is very clearly Spike on the page, before I ever touch him. And we both have bitchin blond hair.