Set in 2013, a decade after the events of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer finale, every potential Slayer was given access to their powers. While the bad guys are having a rough time as more and more Slayers appear, the vampire Spike is secretly a thorn in their side as well. With his pal Clem, the pair are working undercover in the dark underworld of Los Angeles, where they meet an extremely new Slayer, Indira. Looking for a mentor, she latches onto Spike quickly, much to his annoyance. However, things become even more complicated when an alternate universe's Cordelia Chase seeks out Spike for help in defeating her greatest enemy, his ex, Drusilla.

Slayers: A Buffyverse Story brings together cast members who haven't worked together in twenty years, including James Marsters, Charisma Carpenter, Anthony Head, Juliet Landau, Emma Caulfield Ford, Amber Benson, James Charles Leary, Danny Strong, and Laya DeLeon Hayes. Original cast member, Amber Benson, co-wrote the Audible original with Christopher Golden. They also directed Slayers: A Buffyverse Story with Kc Wayland.

Related: 6 Major Characters & Actors Missing From Buffy The Vampire Slayer's New Sequel

Screen Rant spoke with Laya DeLeon Hayes and James Charles Leary about their roles in Slayers: A Buffy Story. Hayes shared her excitement about joining the Buffyverse, working with this cast, and how her Slayer, Indira, stands out from others. Leary discussed working with Hayes, collaborating with original cast members he hasn't had the opportunity to work with before, and how much it means to him to return to this world. Note: This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, and the union has shared very clear guidelines that audiobooks and podcasts are not impacted by the strike.

Laya DeLeon Hayes & James Charles Leary Talk Slayers: A Buffyverse Story

Screen Rant: Layla, how does it feel to join this Buffyverse?

Laya DeLeon Hayes: It's so incredible. I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of it, especially being young and not really knowing too much about Buffy and the Buffyverse before even starting this project. And again, these people have worked with each other, these castmates have worked with each other for over 20 years. The fact that they were so welcoming and so generous and kind in welcoming me into this bond that they have was just so special and really impactful for me just as a person and an actor.

I definitely had nerves starting the show and starting the podcast because like I said, it was a little bit before my time and I wasn't very well versed on the show and also everything that it entailed and what was going to come with it. But immediately after talking with Amber Benson and Christopher Golden, Kc Wayland, I had one phone call with them before recording and they immediately took away all my nerves. They gave me suggestions for episodes to watch.

They answered every single question that I had and they put an emphasis on having a good time in the booth, not putting any pressure on it. And that was the most wonderful thing for me to walk into the recording booth on the first day and just feel like all the weight was lifted off my shoulders. And then on top of that, working with this wonderful cast was the cherry on top to an already great experience. I just feel very lucky, I have a lot of gratitude.

James Charles Leary: I'm so sorry, I don't mean to interrupt other than to layer onto Layla, she came in that first day and from line one killed it. And so the rest of us, Masters, myself, I forget who else was there, was like, "Wait a minute, hold on. We got to bring our A game because this actor is bringing it."

And she immediately fit right in. She was so gracious and generous, especially because ... How old are you?

Laya DeLeon Hayes: I'm 19.

James Charles Leary: 19. Yeah, she's 19 years old. And the professionalism and just everything was ... God, I don't want to sound pedantic, I'm 50. It was incredible. We all felt it and it brought our game up. As much as she felt she was coming into a group, we felt when she came into our group we had to raise our game. That's what I have to say.

Laya DeLeon Hayes: Thank you, James. Thank you.

James Charles Leary: Oh, my God. You're welcome.

Laya DeLeon Hayes: Sweetest dude ever. And I mean that.

James Charles Leary: I'm not being sweet.

Laya DeLeon Hayes: Thank you.

That is phenomenal. And then can you both tell me about your character's relationships with Spike?

James Charles Leary: He's my best friend and I love him forever. And I would do anything for him. Clem would, Clem would, darn it.

Laya DeLeon Hayes: Yeah. I guess, for Indira, she's coming at this entire slayer world, Buffyverse's fan. She's huge fan girl with all of this stuff. Of course, at first she's very aggressive until she realizes who she's talking to. But I think she's looking at Spike, one, as a mentor. I think there's a lot of things she wants to learn from him.

I think she admires him and is inspired by him and also at the same time gets a little kick out of him in the same way that a younger sister would to an older brother. And I feel like you can see that dynamic as the episodes progress. There's this brotherly-sister bond that they have while also that of teacher and also helping this young slayer out. It's one of my favorite dynamics on the podcast and I'm excited for people to see it.

I loved Indira being a huge fan girl, that was one of my favorite parts of the show. Especially as she meets these people that she's known about for so long but are just completely thrown off by her.

Laya DeLeon Hayes: Yeah, it's incredible. It's a dream come true for Indira. I could definitely relate to that feeling of being a fan and what ... Because I'm an actor obviously but even getting into this industry, I started because I loved the shows that I was watching and I loved movies. And then as you go down the line, you end up meeting certain people or being on certain sets that you didn't think you were ever going to be able to touch.

And maybe certain cast members are looking at you like, "Girl, this is every day for us." But for me, it's just the most amazing thing ever. To tap into that through Indira, it was a lot of fun. I felt like I was 12 years old again.

James Charles Leary: That is so awesome because that's how I've felt since I started this ride, going to conventions and getting to meet people like Lou Ferrigno and some of the cast of Battlestar Galactica. And I met the dude who was R2-D2 and my head just explodes. Yes, it's such a treat and an honor. Anyway, sorry, didn't mean to jump into your question.

Laya DeLeon Hayes: No, it's true. And the thing is, you're in the same room with them. They're looking at you and ...

James Charles Leary: You're both eating the same crappy pasta.

Laya DeLeon Hayes: Exactly, exactly. And in a weird way, it's even more incredible, but also at the same time, it completely humbles everything too. It's very funny.

I did want to ask James, what were some of the dynamics you were really excited to explore with Clem in Slayers?

James Charles Leary: In Slayers, every actor I never got to work with. Charisma, Anthony Stewart had Emma. I worked with Emma a brief bit. James, whatever. God. No, just getting to work with people I really admire as artists, and Emma and Juliet and Charisma, Tony, these really incredible artists and actors, and being able to be in a room, even if it's from London, being able to perform with them, it was incredible.

And that's always what I've loved about what I do, is just working with other people. And so for me, this project, that's what this was about, is because I never got to work with Tony. Until doing conventions, I never even met Charisma but now I have scenes with her and she's amazing. Yes, that's the best part of this for me, is just getting to play, for lack of a better term, in the sandbox.

Laya, how does Indira stand out from other Slayers that we see or hear?

Laya DeLeon Hayes: Certainly she's different from other Slayers because she's from a place of true love for other Slayers. She's coming at it from the perspective of a true diehard fan. And when you love something so much where it almost feels unattainable, you're unable to touch it and then it does, you're going to do everything in your power to make sure that that specific thing does not slip away from you.

And especially with her being a teenage girl as well, she's extremely passionate and impulsive at times, extremely fiery, maybe doesn't fully understand the stakes that come with being a slayer. And with that just shows her passion for it, that passion and intensity is coming from a place of just love, of true pure love of Slayers and of the Buffyverse as a whole.

And then on top of that, compared to some of the more experienced layers, of course that experience she does not have, this is her first day out the gate with a lot of these powers. But with that, comes this refreshing perspective and this innocent outlook on what it is that maybe some of the more experienced layers have lost or haven't been aware of in a very long time.

She gets to add this fresh, very young perspective that maybe audience members and also the other Slayers haven't seen before. Again, I'm really excited. That's one of the things I'm most excited about, is for people to see how truly loving and much heart this character really has.

James, what were you excited to explore with Clem in Slayers?

James Charles Leary: I think just more, just more. I always loved the relationship of Clem and Spike and I loved seeing how that plays out and also how this character interacts with other people. I can't really talk about it. I just loved being able to do more because I always felt that Clem had a lot more to give.

Whether it be part of the Scoobies or babysitting or whatever, that character created by Jane Espenson and Drew Greenberg, had a lot more to do. And I really felt that Chris and Amber took that and ran with it. I loved the fact that Clem got to be a main character, and it was so much fun to be that, to embody that and to get to work with everyone. It was so much fun.

That's so great. And then what was the most surprising part of this process of creating Slayers and bringing this to life?

Laya DeLeon Hayes: The most surprising part ... I think for me because again, going into prep for the project and for Indira was ... I wanted to watch episodes and I wanted to at least catch up on the Buffyverse. I think what was so not necessarily surprising but just really exciting was getting into the booth on that first day and seeing these cast members who had been playing these characters for a very long time, just be so quick to tap into it.

Even without cameras around or the original format of what the past show was before, seeing how on top of it they were even with it just being audio, even with it being a different format like voiceover it's the most beautiful thing to see, I think. It's always a beautiful thing to witness actors who don't limit themselves and are just open to play and feel free to play.

And to see people who had obviously been in this world for over 20 years now step into this new format and fully embrace it, that was a joy to witness and of course, even more of a joy to be a part of. But I really do feel like I learned so much, even from spending time watching them for that week that I did.

I'm not sure I was aware of how impactful the experience was going to be for me before going into it. And by the end of it, and I can still say this looking back in retrospect, it was truly magical and their energy was just infectious and very impactful onto me. Yeah, two surprising things, I guess.

James, was there anything that surprised you stepping back in?

James Charles Leary: I have to talk? I'm crying. Yeah, every bit of this has been impactful for me. I've said it a bunch of times and now it sounds rote but it's not. This show changed my life. I was a huge fan when I moved to Los Angeles in 1998, it was of the shows I wanted to work on, it was in the top five. And it's the only one I did work on. And I was only supposed to have one episode for five lines. I only did eight episodes of the show.

And here I am 22 years later, working still with these amazing people and getting to explore, just having fun, doing crazy stuff and meeting amazing people like Layla. I never would've met her. The show changed my life and I just had a small part. And I'm so thankful to still be a part of it. And I'm so thankful that fans still love it and that I can make people laugh. That's it.

About Slayers: A Buffyverse Story

With new Slayers constantly emerging, things are looking grim for the bad guys. Rebellious vampire Spike (James Marsters) is working undercover in Los Angeles with his old pal Clem (James Charles Leary) when he meets feisty, rookie Slayer, Indira (Laya DeLeon Hayes), who wants Spike to be her mentor.

Check out our other Slayers: A Buffyverse Story interview with Emma Caulfield Ford.

All 9 episodes of Slayers: A Buffyverse Story are available now on Audible