Encore Episode: Interview with Marc Blucas | A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Podcast
July 8, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readEncore Episode: Marc Blucas on Playing Riley, Learning on the Job, and the Kindness of Strangers
Marc Blucas joined the hosts of Buffering the Vampire Slayer for a wide-ranging conversation about his time playing Riley Finn on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Blucas came to the role with no formal acting training, having just finished playing professional basketball overseas and holding a scholarship to law school. He describes getting the part as an accident — one that happened because Joss Whedon gave him a second chance after a disastrous chemistry read with Sarah Michelle Gellar.
How Blucas Got the Job — and Why He Was So Green
Blucas had zero acting experience when he auditioned for Riley. He had been an extra in a movie shot in North Carolina, caught the bug, moved to New York, and then to Los Angeles. His very first audition was for the football player role in Jerry Maguire that went to Jerry O'Connell. He got close enough to be encouraged to move west.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Ad Break** - Insurance and sparkling water advertisements.
- 2 (01:25) **Encore Introduction** - Hosts Kristin and Jenny introduce the re-airing of their interview with Marc Blucas, recounting how they changed travel plans to meet him in Los Angeles.
- 3 (04:32) **Interview Begins: Marc's Arrival on Buffy** - Marc discusses getting the job, Joss Whedon's warning about fan reception, and his strategy of being "wallpaper" for the first seven episodes.
- 4 (08:55) **Defending Riley Finn** - Jenny presents her case for Riley as the best boyfriend, arguing he is unfairly maligned compared to the supernatural love interests.
- 5 (11:36) **The Audition Story: A Second Chance** - Marc shares the incredible story of bombing his chemistry read with Sarah Michelle Gellar and being given a rare second chance by Joss Whedon.
- 6 (14:59) **On-Set Experience and Learning the Craft** - Marc describes his greenness as an actor and the patience of the cast and crew, particularly Sarah Michelle Gellar.
- 7 (17:29) **The "Accidental" Career Path** - Marc details his unlikely journey from a basketball scholarship and law school plans to acting, sparked by a single movie role as an extra.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
The most butterscotch of all the hunks, and one of our favorite interviews EVER — Marc Blucas sat down with us to talk about all things Riley (and yes, also compared hand sizes with Jenny). No matter your feelings on Riley Finn, there is no way you can meet Mr. Blucas and not swoon?!?! Maybe he SHOULD take boots off slowly after all.
This month we're sharing some of our favorite Buffy cast interviews from the Buffering archives. This interview originally aired on February 11, 2020
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