Spike from Buffy doesn’t look like this anymore! 1990s cult hero James Marsters is unrecognizable when he resurfaces for radio appearances
He is best known as the feisty bad boy vampire from the 1990s TV classic, Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
But James Marsters is almost unrecognizable these days from the iconic character he played on the hit series.
The California-born actor, 60, gained cult status with his role as Spike, an English “punk vampire” on the hugely popular show, starring blonde bombshell Sarah Michelle Gellar.
James got a chance to look back on his days as a cult hero during an interview on Thursday’s episode of KIIS FM’s Kyle and Jackie O Show.
The former heartthrob took part in the show’s “Remember Me” segment, where hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson try to guess the identity of a celebrity caller.
Spike from Buffy doesn’t look like this anymore! 1990s cult hero James Marsters is unrecognizable today as he resurfaced Thursday for a radio appearance on The Kyle and Jackie O Show
The 60-year-old Marsters photographed on the red carpet in Los Angeles in May
At first, Kyle and Jackie both struggled with trying to call James, until the star started speaking in a thick “London” accent that fans would remember from the beloved Buffy TV show.
“Now you should get it,” James said in his Spike voice, adding, “It might be a little easier now that I’m talking like the guy I played on television, right?”
James finally revealed who he was after Kyle remembered being a fan of both Buffy and its spin-off Angel.
“I was on both,” an excited James told his hosts.
Since starring in Buffy, James has appeared as Captain John Hart in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood.
The popular role was written especially for him by showrunner Russell T Davies.
Host Kyle Sandilands struggled to identify James as he’s changed so much since his ’90s heyday as the feisty vampire on the cult TV show
Pictured: James and co-star Sarah Michelle-Gellar in a scene from Buffy
He also starred in the crime drama Hawaii Five-0, playing mastermind Victor Hesse and in the HBO series The Devil You Know, which focuses on the Salem witch trials.
James hit the red carpet in Los Angeles this week to reunite with his Buffy co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar at the launch of her new series Wolf Pack.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a supernatural comedy-drama television show that debuted in 1997.
The show starred Sarah Michelle-Gellar as a teenage vampire slayer.
All episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are now available to stream on Disney+