Actor David Boreanaz as Angel and actress Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy. Photo / Getty Images
Actor David Boreanaz as Angel and actress Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy. Photo / Getty Images
When female cast members from the hit 90s show Buffy The Vampire Slayer spoke up last week with allegations against creator Joss Whedon, there was a noticeable silence from the show's male cast.
Buffy and Angel star Charisma Carpenter was the first to speak, issuing a detailed public statement accusing Whedon of abusive on-set behaviour that she said "traumatised me to this day".
Within hours, others followed – Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar, announced she didn't "want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon".
Joss Whedon, creator and director of Buffy has been slammed by the show's cast for nurturing a "toxic" working environment during the show's seven-season run. Photo / Getty Images
Co-star Michelle Trachtenberg, who joined the show in her teens, claimed that "what (Whedon) did was very bad" and accused the director of "not appropriate behaviour," alleging that an on-set rule was implemented barring him from being in the same room with her alone. Other Buffy actresses also voiced their support.
But nothing from the show's male cast – a silence that was met with widespread criticism from fans. Several days on, that's now changed.
The Buffy and Angel star David Boreanaz has spoken up in support of Carpenter, who co-starred with him across both TV shows.
"I am here for you to listen and support you. Proud of your strength," he wrote underneath Carpenter's original post yesterday, four days after she posted it. Carpenter's response suggested more has been going on behind the scenes that fans haven't been privy to.
"I know you're there for me, David. I appreciate all you've done to demonstrate that support privately as well. Especially since Wednesday. Thank you so much," she wrote.
Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Photo / Getty Images
Anthony Stewart Head, who played Buffy's mentor Rupert Giles throughout the show, said he was "gutted" to learn of the allegations during an emotional appearance on UK chat show This Morning on Friday, explaining that he had no idea during his years on the programme.
"I have been up most of the night just running through my memories thinking, 'What did I miss?'" he told the hosts.
"This is not a man saying: 'I didn't see it so it didn't happen.' I am gutted, I'm seriously gutted, because one of my memories, my fondest memory was the fact that it was so empowering. Not just with the words in the script, but the family feel of the show … I am really sad if people went through these experiences.
"I was a sort of father figure. I would hope that someone would come to me and say, 'I'm struggling, I just had a horrible conversation,'" he continued.
"There are other posts which subsequently are making me think, 'How on Earth did I not know this was going on?'
"I mean, there are always ups and downs and highs and lows of a show if you're all there for a long time."
Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander in the series, gave quite an unusual initial public statement last week, explaining he was about to undergo surgery and would like more time to collect his thoughts.
"It's a big part of my life, a very emotional part of my life and I want to give it the proper respect and time that it deserves," he said, before explaining his health situation.
"My anus is kinda paralysed and so is my penis, which is weird. I gotta sit down to **** because I don't know if I'm ****ting or ****ing."
The cast of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Photo / Supplied
Well. In a follow-up video, Brendon explained his own complicated relationship with Whedon.
"I mean, were there transgressions? Yeah, there were. To me as well, you know what I mean? It's like, I had my relationship with Joss as well. And I love him. You know, you take… I mean for me, I took the good, I took the bad… but that's not everybody.
"I love and support [Charisma Carpenter] very much and I know that story, and it's not a kind story. I know my relationship with Joss and it… there's a lot of kindness. But also not, you know? So it's kinda hard to give a statement when things are like that. It's like, 'Hey, make a statement.' My thoughts and prayers are with the victim's families. I don't do that ****."
"While I will always be honoured to have played the character of Spike, the Buffy set was not without challenges," James Marsters tweeted on February 11.
"I do not support abuse of any kind, and I'm heartbroken to learn of the experiences of some of the cast. I send my love and support to all involved."
One star who hasn't yet spoken up publicly about the scandal is perhaps Buffy's most successful former cast member, American Pie and How I Met Your Mother star Alyson Hannigan. Whedon himself has also yet to publicly address the allegations against him.
