Legacy of Buffy The Vampire Slayer has taken a serious hit in the past few years. The smart, original, genre-bending girl-power hour is a classic for a reason — but as its creators face accusations of bullying and creating a toxic environment on set, it’s getting harder and harder to look back through rose-colored glasses.
Joss Whedon not the only one with a bad reputation from that plane, though. In the beginning, the word came out of the star Sarah Michelle Gellar has been “difficult.” But what is that really about?
SMG opens up about his perceptions behind the scenes in a new profile for The Hollywood Reporter. But THR also talk to co-stars and show biz pro for life Seth Green. And not only does he have a good point, he can also explain how his bad reputation started! The actor, who played the werewolf Oz on the hit show, explained that he is also an on-screen hero!
“The show is just hard. We work crazy hours, and a lot of things we push are not always safe or in the best conditions. Sarah is always the first to say, ‘We agree that it’s a 13-hour day and a 15-hour day – we have to wrap up,’ or, ‘Hey, this picture looks unsafe,’ when no one else is there. It’s for the cast and crew.”
shit! His offense may have made him a thorn in the side of producers and directors who wanted to enforce it every day of production, but he was right. As the cast and crew work hard, watch out for downfalls and accidents.
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But trying to make sure that everything is professional and safe does nothing, as Seth remembers:
“I’ve seen her called a dog, a diva, all these things she’s not – just because she took up the mantle and did the right thing.”
wow He really is a hero. Too bad it didn’t work out! But Sarah says it’s a good thing:
“If people think you’re a dog, it’s almost better. It’s hopeless like that.”
He explains:
“There was a time when I had a reputation for being… ‘difficult.’ Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always 100 percent. I’ve never known someone who doesn’t. I’ve been a little weak [my expectations of others] – I think it’s because I’m on fire.”
As we’ve learned over the last few years, the #MeToo era, some women who are labeled “difficult” are really just sticking it out for themselves, something the higher-ups don’t like – sometimes for really silly reasons. To learn he stays for the whole crew? It’s really impressive.
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And he may have “mellowed” but he’s still looking out for everyone! He told me THR who is on the set of her upcoming show Wolf packspinoff from Teenage Wolf, he gave out his personal phone number to all the young cast members – along with a message to contact him if they ever made him uncomfortable! Considering he acted as an executive producer on Paramount+ show, he is in a position to help this time.
In fact, he told one story about a crew member giving back rubs to the cast, creeping out at least one girl. As soon as it was brought to his attention, this man was fired. He explains:
“I wish I had set up an infrastructure, a safety net for these actors that didn’t exist. My generation just didn’t have it.”
Well, you know what they’re saying. In every generation one is born, right? Sometimes they just have to grow into their powers…
[Image via 20th Television/YouTube.]