from fire fly to Buffy For Marvel in DC, fans of Joss Whedon’s film and television generation have had a hard time avoiding media reports in recent months about the alleged indiscretion on stage of the prolific creator / director. Starting with Whedon’s creation Buffy Vampire Slayer and its TV spinoff Angel in the 1990s, and moving on to Warner Bros. ‘ Justice League In 2017, actors, both men and women, issued a series of public criticisms, highlighting their anecdotal accounts of Whedon’s alleged misconduct.
Although neither Whedon nor his management have so far commented on the allegations against him, a new report to variety aims to examine Whedon’s controversy from the perspective of several actors and crew members who have worked with him on both recent and more distant projects in the past. The resulting report, which again does not mention Whedon as a direct source, suggests a “pattern of inappropriate, imperious, and contemptuous behavior toward those who worked for him,” including a rupture reported to Whedon. Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar, who comes from the oldest days of the small screen of the iconic series.
Gellar was among 40 actors and crew members known to Whedon who declined to comment directly. varietyhis report. But a couple of sources “familiar with [Buffy] the production says that, quite early on, Gellar had an interrupted relationship with Whedon, as he did not want his name to be said around her. ”
Buffy premiered on The WB until 1997 – more than 20 years before Cyborg actor Ray Fisher appeared in the summer of 2020 with painful convictions over what Fisher perceived as “rude, abusive, unprofessional.” of Whedon, and completely unacceptable ”the treatment of the actors on the set Justice League. These remarks would ultimately support Fisher from his colleagues Justice League actors, Jason Momoa offering the most vocal support. But there were also additional charges against Whedon from actors he worked with back in Buffy and Angel days – including recent complaints of misconduct from Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase on both series) and Michelle Trachtenberg (BuffyDawn Summers).
Trachtenberg recently posted on Instagram a statement that “There was a rule” on Buffy established that Whedon “was not allowed in a single room with Michelle [Trachtenberg] again. “And Carpenter went public earlier this month with a pair from Twitter posts claiming that Whedon “abused his power on numerous occasions while working together on Buffy Vampire Slayer and Angel. Carpenter accused Whedon of convincing actors to compete for his attention and made derogatory remarks about his own task at the time – including how it might affect his future in the series.
“The person who worked closely with Carpenter while she played Buffy and Angel remembers the actor who frequently describes Whedon as “mean” and “verbally abusive” to her. variety, “Making it clear to her that she has favorites – and she wasn’t one of them. “This was his game,” the source told the press.
Specifications regarding any alleged Whedon-Gellar interactions that could have led to their reporting Buffy the fracture is not mentioned in varietyThe report, although Gellar’s recent remarks on social media, suggest that she is sympathetic to other actors and their Whedon-centered complaints. “Although I’m proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be associated forever with the name Joss Whedon,” Gellar said recently in an Instagram post, reacting to Carpenter’s accusations.
Sources for varietyThe report suggested that Buffy’s early filming low-budget environment, far from the daily surveillance of studios and populated by a multitude of relatively inexperienced young actors, could have provided the kind of atmosphere that helped stimulate a socially devoid of dynamics. professionalism, “high school” among his talented cast and creative leader.
It is supposed to operate “just like an independent film,” The Buffy the set would have worked “like in high school, with Whedon making everyone aware of who he was and who was out,” he said. variety. The same sources, all speaking anonymously, described the set-set culture of both Buffy and Angel as “a cult of personality” centered around Whedon: “Those within Whedon’s circle relied on his attention, praise, and friendship; those on the outside had the opposite: contempt, ridicule and insensitivity “, the report shows.
Whedon’s creative resume is a legendary film and television affair, featuring sci-fi treasures revered forever on the small screen, such as fire fly, Buffy, and Angel. On the big screen, Whedon helped build the Marvel MCU into a box office box as director of Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), before entering a late directing role in Warner Bros. ‘ Justice League after director Zack Snyder left the project due to a family tragedy.
Most recently, Whedon went upstairs and later left Nevers, a supernatural sci-fi drama in which Whedon and HBO collaborated. Announced in 2018, Nevers he initially put Whedon’s creative talent at the forefront and as a writer, director, executive producer and showrunner. However, in November last year, HBO revealed that Whedon had left the project. Nevers is still on its way to its April 11 debut on HBO, with Philippa Goslett replacing Whedon as showrunner.
Amid the still heated controversy over other plaintiffs’ allegations against Whedon, HBO content chief Casey Bloys told The Wrap earlier this month that the network had received “no complaints or reports of misconduct.” at Whedon during his truncated period of creation with Nevers.