Callace

Yeah, he seems to have gone back to his 'living in the moment' style. Like in the S5 finale, where he broke down over seeing Buffys corpse.

mojojojo21

He really got invested in Spike That moment always hits me pretty hard.

Callace

Yeah. He's said that it hit him hard at the time too. "Right then I was really Spike, and Buffy was really dead, and it wasn't hard to break down at all. It was devastating."

mojojojo21

Aww

Callace

Well, I'm guessing he was alright again as soon as he snapped out of the acting bubble, but it seems to have been really intense.

Berengaria

Well, that scene where Buffy is dead wasn't all acting. He said that he was just so beyond exhausted and they shot over and over that by the time they got the shot he was falling apart. I'm sure he did bounce back...but not until after a good night's sleep.

mojojojo21

Some nice comments about James' work from reviews of this episode.

“Two Fathers” · The X-Files · TV Review The X-Files: “Two Fathers” / Millennium:“Collateral Damage” · TV Club Classic · The A.V. Club

One of the best things about it is a guest star performance from William the Bloody himself, James Marsters... I’m impressed by Marsters’ ability to make Swan—who has no real redeeming features, if you think about it, outside of the fact that he was used by his country—into this deeply sympathetic figure. You want him to pay, but you also want the people who twisted him into this person to pay. It’s a tricky thing to pull off, yet Marsters manages it ably.

https://them0vieblog.com/2015/07/17/...damage-review/

Eric Swan is rather under-developed as guest characters go, with the script generally treating him as a thematic mirror for both Frank and Peter. Still, Marsters finds a surprising amount of humanity and vulnerability in the former soldier, creating the sense of a truly conflicted man feeling incredible guilt over what he was ordered to do. It is not a particularly showy part. Swan is much more restrained and less showy that Spike. Still, Marsters gives the character a quiet dignity and poise that really works.

Comments from the DVD commentary(found at the James Marsters Database)

(8-05 Millenium DVD commentary) [Director] Thomas J. Wright said,"James . . . he's terrific." Other comments were, "very professional, very good, very well focused" and "they [guest stars] gotta walk in like this guy did [referring to James] and go. He nailed it.

Callace

Those are really nice comments. Good to know they all recognized how good he is

mojojojo21

Yep it's great

banane

Of course he would ace it
Yes, he is great

And I am glad of those reviews and that is aknowledged

Callace

Yeah. We're happy for everyone who sees that

banane

I found the link to the episode in another thread here so I downloaded.

This seems to be some good role so I can't wait to see him.

(Actually I was too curious so I already checked a bit. The guy on the scrubs and the mask ^^)

Callace

So, did you actually get to see the whole thing?

banane

You know, at first I did the stupid thing. I have never watched the show so I decided just to check James' scenes first so I go fast and decide I will stop as soon as I see him. No sound even
Well, after that I checked the whole thing anyway so I could understand better.

I liked it. He did a great job, from torturer guy until the moment when he leaves the phone and just sits down. He does a great villain ^^

Callace

This is a role that really lets him shine in that "sympathy for the devil" way. What he's doing is wrong, but you still really feel for him, and understand and identify with the pain he's in, and his idea that he's the good guy.