Since he's such a fan of the show, I ask James how he think Scully and Mulder would react to the wisecracking, hipper-than-thou Spike. He starts cackling like a madman. "Oh, God," he says. "I think that Scully would have one eyebrow permanently cocked. They would just think that he was a little rat. And then he would just screw them, and that'd be it."

Such ratty qualities are not apparent in James, who's about as different from Spike as you can imagine...which is not to say that he's not cool. James is very, very cool. But he's cool like James, and Spike is cool like Spike. And I suppose you want me to better explain that. Very well.

When he calls up for the interview, James apologizes for his scratchy voice. Spike's excuse for such a thing would be that he a) just finished berating the Scooby Gang, b) was screaming at the TV during Passions, or c) got really, really excited over some new additions to his all-black wardrobe. For James, however, it's none of the above. "I've been singing Bob Dylan for the last half hour," he explains. "Why? Oh, I don't know. My own edification! The delight of my neighbors, I'm sure."

And speaking of his voice, one should note that James (to the surprise of many Buffy Buffs everywhere) does not speak in the snarky British cadences his character demands -- he was raised in Modesto, CA. "I'm such a fake!" he laughs. "When I first came on the show, in the second season, the accent really [wasn't] as good. It's been, more than anything, Tony Head [Giles], who actually sounds a lot more like Spike in real life than Giles, he helps me. And just hanging around him and picking up stuff. But he's very helpful, like I remember he said recently [here, James affects the refined "Tony Head" voice], 'James, we don't say 'arse.' We say 'ass' like the rest of the world.' OK, sorry."

As we talk, James continues to reveal his coolness. Though he's done tons of theater (he studied acting at Juilliard), as well as TV appearances (Northern Exposure, Millennium) and a small movie part (House on Haunted Hill), he remains a modest, unassuming sort of guy. We veer off on tangents about the X-Men movie and his hair color (James Glamour Tip: Add four packets of Sweet 'n' Low to the bleaching solution -- it lessens the pain)...but all roads lead back to Spike. And no, I don't tell him about my massive crush on the character. I just don't, OK?

IGN Sci-Fi: So, can you give us any hints about what Spike's role is going to be next season? You're sort of playing this on-the-fence thing.

James: Yeah, well, with respect to being on the fence, I think it would be tough to keep Spike as a full-throttle villain, and not have to kill him off. A villain becomes pathetic if they don't catch their prey. So, they have to stop trying if they're not going to become pathetic. Actually, this is the first time Joss [Whedon, Buffy mastermind] has told me what he's going to do with Spike, or at least what he's thinking of now. And I can't...oh, God. I'm in fear of spilling anything, frankly, because what he's doing is, like, beyond my wildest dreams. It's really good. And he's always said, "If something really good is going to happen, and you leak it, I'll change it." And he's so creative, he could do it. It's a great idea, but he's like, "Oh, forget it. We'll put you in a tutu instead."

IGN Sci-Fi: [Suddenly distracted by the image of Spike performing Swan Lake] That's kind of how he keeps you in check, then.

James: Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah. Buffy's been a rat. Xander's been in a bra. I'm just waitin', you know? I've only had an Hawaiian shirt so far, Marc Blucas [Riley] got in a full cowboy outfit!

IGN Sci-Fi: Yeah, and you only had, like, the shorts. Marc Blucas had the full-on crazy pants...

James: Yeah, he was great about that! [Still chuckling at the various humiliations his co-stars have endured] Mercedes McNab [Harmony] had to be a milk maid... IGN Sci-Fi: Yeah, you've really avoided that so far. But speaking of Harmony and love interests, is Drusilla ever gonna come back?

James: I hope so. I really hope so. I think one of the things that I missed about doing this season with Spike was that there was less romance for him, and I thought that's what probably made him a more interesting villain than the stock villain. And yeah, I would love to get a little more Drusilla! They have tried before, [Juliet Landau]'s been busy with features, actually. And the way television moves, they have a slot open and they have an idea, but they can't really switch it around that much. They have tried, and it hasn't worked out so far, but I think it's just about scheduling. I think both sides would very much like to do it.

IGN Sci-Fi: So will you get a new love interest, then?

James: I don't know. I hope so! I mean, he was such a romantic at first. That was the thing that set him apart, was that he actually seemed to have a heart. He really loved her. He's all bitter now. [Laughs]

IGN Sci-Fi: He really is. And the only little flash we got of anything like that was Harmony, then Buffy...

James: I think Harmony was the exact antithesis of Drusilla. He was just totally using her. And just didn't care for her. [Laughs] And 'cause Mercedes is so good, I thought, "You know, they're gonna hate Spike now. That's it, it's over."

IGN Sci-Fi: That's sort of the irony of Spike, though, is that he's totally evil, but people love him...

James: Yeah. Well, Joss tells them to. [Laughs] I'm cool 'cause Joss [says so]. IGN Sci-Fi: So I understand you have a guitar in your trailer. Do you jam in between shoots?

James: Yeah, there's a lot of waiting around, so... Everyone else plays frisbee and stuff. Those of us who are about to take our shirts off, jog. [Laughs]

IGN Sci-Fi: Is it true that you and Marc Blucas compare abs?

James: [Laughing] No, we don't compare abs. We were in a mutual support society. I kind of alerted him: "You are mackin' on Buffy, they're gonna take you naked, dude." He's like a basketball guy, he knows about being in shape, but I was just letting him know. He's like "Oh, s****." And then they sprung it on Seth [Green], man! They didn't tell him he was going down, and then he's like [makes incoherent yelling noises]. Of course, he's ripped, anyway...

IGN Sci-Fi: Oh, yeah. I mean, he had to be pretty naked. But getting back to the music thing, would you ever consider joining Giles and Oz in a Buffy jam?

James: [Laughs uproariously] Spike sings! Well...yeah. That would be great. If Joss and Company decide to bring that off, they could probably do that without being too cheesy. One would fear that. Yeah, I would love to. I use to play with a rock band when I was in high school. I wasn't a member of the band, but I kind of stepped in every once in awhile. I don't know, man! I don't really sing in front of people much.

IGN Sci-Fi: Only Bob Dylan for the joy of your neighbors.

James: [Laughing] Yeah!

IGN Sci-Fi: Besides X-Files, are there any other shows you'd like to cross over to?

James: Yeah, I'd like to play a normal person on Friends.

IGN Sci-Fi: [Giggling at the thought of Spike kicking David Schwimmer's ass] Who would you play on Friends?

James: The guy who gets to kiss Jennifer Aniston. [Laughs] Whoever that guy is. Phoebe would be OK, too. Any of 'em.

IGN Sci-Fi: What about other WB shows?

James: I'd like to go over to Roswell, if nothing else, just to work with Jason [Behr] again. He actually did an episode on Buffy, and he was really good. It'd be fun to go over and see what they're doing on Charmed. [Pause] Angel, Angel, Angel, Angel...forever.

IGN Sci-Fi: You've been on Angel!

James: I know! I want to be there again! I want at least one more chance to kick David [Boreanaz]' butt. You never get to do that, though, he always beats you.

IGN Sci-Fi: Well, the show is named after him...

James: I know, Marc and I were talking about that. He's like, "I just fought Angel, I just got my butt kicked!" I was like, "Dude, you're fighting Angel! It's gonna happen. Just get a couple of good blows in, that's all you can hope for."

IGN Sci-Fi: Speaking of the fights, do you do your own stunts?

James: As much as they let me. I know the basics of stunt work from stage, so as far as what I like to call "waving my arms around while other people do the real work." Like punching and taking punches, whipping your head, I can do all that stuff, so it's good for close-ups. But the moment my feet leave the ground, like if I do a really fancy thing, that's not me. That's Steve Tartalia. He's one of the working actors over in Hong Kong, and he's wild. He's a maniac! They wanted him just to jump off a two-story window, take a fall into a bush, [and] he took it headfirst! And no one's expecting this! It's nothing to him! It gave me a heart attack. He's great. He's probably the main reason I'm in as much as I'm in, because he teaches me all the moves. The stunt coordinator doesn't really have time to babysit actors, so Steve takes time out of what he's learning and working on to teach me, so they can use more footage [of] me.

IGN Sci-Fi: Well, it must be working, 'cause your fights are very convincing...

James: God, that's the [most fun] part of the job. That's when the boy comes out, you know? The big fire effects, grenades...oh, I love it.

IGN Sci-Fi: So I take it you really enjoyed that episode right before the finale ["Primeval"] with all the explosions and stuff...

James: [Makes vaguely orgasmic noise] Ohhhh, that was art. That's why we're all in it. We're all in it for that. [Laughs]

IGN Sci-Fi: Are you looking forward to the summer movie season, all the big budget flashy action movies coming out, then?

James: Yeah, I remember there was a commercial for some investment company, and the beginning of it was an advertisement for "Blow 'Em Up Good!" and it was supposed to be this stupid action movie. I was actually hoping this movie was going to come out. [Laughs] "That looks really good!"

IGN Sci-Fi: And have you ever had offers to actually be in any of these big action movies?

James: No, man, I'm not a big cheese. I'm just another guy trying to get a job.

IGN Sci-Fi: Well, I don't know about that -- do you ever check out any of the tons of fan sites dedicated to you?

James: You know I don't, because I don't have a computer...

IGN Sci-Fi: [Incredulous] You don't have a computer?

James: No, I need to get one. [Laughs] I am a fan of the show, so I completely understand that people are completely into it. And I've met a lot of fans doing autograph signings and stuff. But I've got to get a computer...

IGN Sci-Fi: Most definitely, if only to check out...

James: Me! [Laughs]

IGN Sci-Fi: Yes, some of the Spike shrines out there.

James: Someone told me there's, like, 500 websites on Spike, and that was kind of overwhelming. I was caught for words there. Wow. Because really, there are 500 people working on Spike. And I'm just one of them. And I feel good about the part that I do, but it really is not the whole thing. For every shot in television, there are 50 people standing one inch outside of the frame. So the effect of Spike being cool or being funny is only a small amount me.