CosmoGIRL! Loves... Marc Blucas
We staked out Buffy's
boyfriend and discovered that he's had death-defying experiences offscreen
too. By Jeffrey Epstein. Photographs by Stephen Stickler
We never thought that
Buffy would be able to find anyone hot enough to replace Angel.
Enter Riley (a.k.a. Marc Blucas), who, faster than you can say "washboard
abs," slayed the Buffster (and us!) with his cute-but-awkward charm.
Here's the lowdown on TV's hottest new kicker of vampire butt.
Q: When Riley first
met Buffy, he got so nervous he acted like a dork. Can you tell us
about a time that you totally made a fool out of yourself in front
of a girl?
A: Could I tell you about
a time when I didn't make a fool out of myself in front of a girl?!
There was one time when my best friend and I were on a double date with
a couple of girls. Everyone came over to my house and were trying
to decide what to do. I got the girls something to drink, and as
I handed the cup to the girl I was with, I looked down and saw a gross
bug swimming in it! That turned out to be the most memorable part
of the evening- for both of us. Our relationship didn't go much further.
I like to tell myself it was because of the bug.
Q: So many bizarre
things happen in Sunnydale. Have you ever had a supernatural experience
in real life?
A: The closest I ever
got to "supernatural" was the time I had a near-death experience.
It was my first year in L.A. and I went bodysurfing in conditions that
I should not have been out in, especially considering that I'm from
landlocked Pennsylvania. I got turned upside down underwater.
I didn't think I was gonna make it because I started to actually inhale
water! That's when I went from completely panicking to feeling strangely
calm, and the calm feeling was actually scarier than the panic: I thought
my life was over. I've barely been in the water since.
Q: It sounds like you
should stick to dry land! Speaking of which, before you became an
actor, you were a total basketball star- you played for Wake Forest and
in Europe. Was it tough for you when you didn't make it into the
NBA?
A: Yeah, it was a drag.
Until then, I'd dedicated my life to basketball. I was good,
but playing in the NBA is a hard gig to get, and I didn't make it.
That was the hardest truth I've ever had to face.
Q: Now you're slaying
vampires on TV. How different is that?
A: Very. For one
thing, I have never even been in a fistfight in real life.
I'm the kind of guy who believes you can talk your way out of any situation.
I don't think there's ever a call for violence- short of someone doing
something totally insane like punching my mom. But come to
think of it, I did push someone in third grade because they wanted
to date my girlfriend. I wasn't gonna have it! I laid down
the law!
Q: So you've been known
to fight for a girl's affection?
A: Totally. Keeping
a girl's affection is a constant battle. I know, because
three of my girlfriends- including the girl I'm dating now- were going
out with someone else when I met them. It's not like I set
out to win them over- I just kind of put on the charm and tried to impress
them, and it worked. But I know that if I could take someone
else's girlfriend, then another guy could take mine. So even when
you think you've won a girl's heart, you still have to keep her interested.
Q: Can you think of
anything else that's so important to you that you'd fight for it?
A: I would fight for
my relationships, be it my family or my friends, because that's the most
important part of my life. And I would fight for the right to express
my opinion. I mean, I'm the first to shut up and listen to what someone
else has to say, but I should be able to have my opinion, too. Oh!
And red velvet cake. It's delicious. I would definitely
fight for that.