‘Buffy’ actresses bring abuse charges against Joss Whedon
Prominent television and film director Joss whedon was accused of abuse by actresses who worked with him on the set of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. Representatives for Whedon did not immediately respond to a request from CBS News on Friday.
Actress Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase, was the first person in the series to make the allegations. She tweeted a long Said Wednesday that Whedon had “abused his power on numerous occasions while working together on the sets of Buffy and Vampire Slayer and Angel.”
“Although he found his misconduct funny, it only served to heighten my performance anxiety, deprive me of power and distance me from my peers,” she added. “The disturbing incidents triggered a chronic physical condition from which I still suffer.”
Among the allegations, Carpenter said he called her “fat” when she was four months pregnant and asked if she would keep the child. Carpenter said she decided to come forward after actor Ray Fisher alleged misconduct against Whedon and other officers of Warner Bros. – and he was pulled from the cast of “The Flash” last month.
Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s younger sister on the show, also brought charges against Whedon, saying he did not post “Appropriate behavior” around her as a teenager. She said on Instagram that there was a rule saying he “was no longer allowed in a room alone with Michelle”.
Other cast members came in support. Gellar, the star of the series, released a statement Thursday while proud to be associated with Buffy Summers, stated that she “didn’t want to be associated with Joss Whedon’s name forever”.
“I’m more focused on educating my family and surviving a pandemic right now, so I won’t be making any further statements at this time,” she said. “But I support all abuse survivors and I am proud that they have spoken.”
Citing Carpenter’s accusations on Twitter, Amber Benson called the set of Buffy a “toxic environment and it starts at the top”.
“There has been a lot of damage during that time and a lot of us are still dealing with it over twenty years later,” she said.
Eliza Dushku, who worked with Whedon on “Buffy,” her spin-off “Angel” and Whedon’s series “Dollhouse,” said Carpenter’s post was “powerful” and said she was unaware of his accusations before.
“CC, my heart hurts for you and I’m sorry you’ve been holding this for so long,” she said.
So far none of their former male co-stars on the show have spoken about the accusations of Carpenter or Trachtenberg, but James Marsters, who played Spike, remembers a clash he had with Whedon. He allegedly supported Marsters against a wall and said, “I don’t care how popular you are, kid, you’re dead.”
Whedon has been a part of several pop culture hits including “Agents of SHIELD”, “The Cabin in the Woods”, “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”, two “Avengers” and “Justice League” movies. While working on the latter, “Wonder Woman” actress Gal Gadot hinted at the Los Angeles Times that she didn’t have the “best” experience with Whedon and complained to senior management.
