Buffy The Vampire Slayer actress Sarah Michelle Gellar recalls ‘toxic male set’
LOS ANGELES – American actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played the titular character on long-running television drama Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997 to 2003), has opened up about her experience being on a “extremely toxic male set”.
During an event in Los Angeles, the 45-year-old actress said: “For so long, I was on a set that I think was known for being an extremely toxic male set, and so that was ingrained in my head that that was what all sets were like, and that women were pitted against each other — that if women became friends, then we became too powerful, so you had to keep that down.”
Gellar, who is married to fellow actor Freddie Prinze Jr, reflected that it can still be difficult for women on set to speak up. “Now that I’ve had this opportunity to work with so many more women and men that support women as well, I realised how easy an experience it can be, but … unfortunately we’re still in that place where (a set needs to be staffed with enough) women for us to have a voice,” she added.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer, about a cheerleader and her friends who fought the supernatural, was a pop culture phenomenon, even leading to a successful spin-off, Angel (1999 to 2004).
Buffy actress Charisma Carpenter, who also starred on Angel, previously levelled allegations against showrunner Joss Whedon.
In February last year, the 52 year-old actress wrote on social media that Whedon “abused his power on numerous occasions while working together on the sets of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel”.
“He proceeded to attack my character, mock my religious beliefs, accuse me of sabotaging the show, and then unceremoniously fired me the following season once I gave birth,” Carpenter added.
“Back then, I felt powerless and alone. With no other option, I swallowed the mistreatment and carried on.”
At the time, Gellar supported Carpenter, writing on Instagram: “While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon.”
Carpenter’s own allegations followed those of actor Ray Fisher, who worked with Whedon on the Justice League (2017) film and later accused him of “gross, abusive, unprofessional and completely unacceptable” behaviour on set.
In an interview with New York Magazine in January this year, Whedon addressed the allegations, referring to Fisher as “a malevolent force” and “a bad actor in both senses”.
However, he did admit that he was “not mannerly” in his interactions with the cast of Buffy. “This was a very young cast and it was easy for everything to turn into a cocktail party,” he said by way of explanation.
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