A Buffy The Vampire Slayer Star Had A Horrible Star Trek Audition With Patrick Stewart

Even actors may be starstruck. James Marsters proved that when auditioning for “Star Trek,” an expertise he does not look again on fondly. 

Marsters was and is most well-known for taking part in Spike, the bleach blond, leather-duster carrying vampire limey on “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.” Spike was the one vampire on the present who was too widespread for Buffy to slay. After debuting in season 2 as a villain, he caught round till the top, grew to become a hero and even love curiosity for Buffy, after which jumped ship for the ultimate season of spin-off “Angel.”

TV writers are nerds, and “Buffy” is the north star for a era of them. It is no shock that Marsters has parlayed his time as Spike right into a steady profession in style TV. He performed Brainiac on “Smallville,” the origin of Superman retold for the “Buffy” era. Jane Espenson, a “Buffy” author who showran “Caprica” (a “Battlestar Galactica” prequel) additionally recruited Marsters as a villain on that present.

Whereas “Buffy” was nonetheless occurring, he tried to make the soar to the massive leagues; he auditioned for the villain position within the new “Star Trek” film. That movie was “Star Trek: Nemesis” (launched in 2002), the place the Enterprise-E is menaced by Shinzon, a Romulan-created clone of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart).

Marsters instructed the story to SYFY in 2017: he learn for Shinzon alongside Sir Stewart, however as a result of he was “fanboying out” to be in the identical room as Captain Picard, he stumbled and failed the audition. Shinzon was as a substitute performed by a younger Tom Hardy. 

Apparently, even Stewart gave Marsters a glance that instructed he was unimpressed. I can solely think about how withering it might be to disappoint Captain Picard.

Marsters stated the a part of Shinzon was “mainly mine” till he blew the audition. I am unable to assist however surprise if him taking part in a British character is why he bought known as to play “younger Patrick Stewart.” Spike is English, however James Marsters is American.

To play Spike, Marsters bought accent teaching from Anthony Head (who performed Buffy’s mentor Giles). Apparently Head, who is as English as his character is, was apprehensive about embarrassment by affiliation again dwelling ought to Spike’s voice not be as much as snuff. In consequence, Spike’s accent was apparently ok that individuals are nonetheless stunned to be taught that James Marsters is from California, not Liverpool.

Whereas James Marster is a faux Englishman, he is a real nerd. “I have been coming to conventions since I used to be 13-years-old dressed as Spock,” he stated in that aforementioned Syfy interview. He later performed Lord Piccolo within the reviled “Dragonball Evolution,” and was evidently the one particular person concerned who did his homework in regards to the supply materials. That earned him an opportunity at redemption through an element within the English dub of the anime “Dragon Ball Tremendous.”

Equally, “Nemesis” is commonly thought-about one of many worst “Star Trek” motion pictures, at the least neck and neck with “The Ultimate Frontier.” Perhaps Marsters ought to be completely satisfied that he bombed that audition and did not get his Trekkie goals tainted by affiliation. Even so, the period of “Star Trek” TV is again. If “The Vampire Diaries” star Paul Wesley can play Captain Kirk, certainly there is a visitor half for an previous “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” alum in there.