In honour of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s return to TV (Wolf Pack) and in context of her recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter, here are examples of her protecting her cast members-like Buffy Summers!
I vaguely Pedro Pascal saying nice things about SMG from when he was on Buffy. He was only on one episode, as a guest star. He was looking mopey. SMG came up to him, invited him in to her trailer and gave him an ice pop. While it's a little act of human kindness, it's goes a long way. Star of the show, in an intense and reportedly toxic work environment trying to make everyone feel comfortable. To think she would have been in her early twenties and celebrity. Humble AF.
There's even more to this story. Apparently extras and actors playing small bit parts were not allowed craft services (i.e. food and drinks) that the regular cast and main crew were provided with, esp during night shoots. SMG took it upon herself to show some kindness to Pedro who was still relatively new to the industry.
At Whedoncon I met Dagney Kerr who played Buffy’s evil roommate and she told us the story of when she had to wear contacts for her role and they were so painful she was crying and hiding out in her assigned trailer space and SMG found her and went absolutely feral demanding Dagney get help, took her back to her own trailer and got her eyes flushed. I’m paraphrasing obvs but Dagney was SO CLEAR that SMG went out of her way to make sure she was taken care of and was the most kind and professional person ever. I have always loved and respected SMG. She is the real deal.
DC and Marvel should be scrambling to cast her first and in the best role. Star Wars and Star Trek, too. And Knives Out. The Muppets. Fast & Furious. All the franchises. She was a powerhouse on Buffy and has really been underutilized outside of that.
It’s actually really cool to hear a bunch of her male colleagues hype her up, bc frankly men often view women like that as “difficult,” not as helpful or professional. That’s really lovely.
@@natechenry the "rules" of professionalism were created by men, so often men will consider women problematic if they arent doing what they are told and not "staying in their place." Your perception of whether something is an issue or not doesnt negate the lived experiences of a group of people.
One was missed. Charisma Carpenter said Sarah literally gave her impromptu acting lessons and that she credits her for helping her have such a long career because she was such a great example to follow *Edit (thanks chat): (Charisma is a few years her senior btw).
@Astrid Mocha I can't find it because now when you Google bothe their names the Joss whedon drama is the only thing that comes up. I did find one interview where she praised Sarah's work ethic. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oy_3ZD-WIzs.html
I had often heard stories about SMG being "difficult" but always assumed it was more like Shannen Dougherty "difficult" and not in this manner. This makes her twice my favorite heroine ❤❤ We need more people like her in not just in Hollywood, but in the world. These people are just too difficult to find.
@@natalialeon849 She was habitually late and indifferent; she would apparently show up to the set inebriated in one form or another; she was constantly brawling with cast-members and occasionally turned into physical confrontations; she had this "bad girl" attitude and reputation. She even had a "I Hate Brenda" sort of "club" during her days on 90210. She was fired by Aaron Spelling twice.
It's wonderful to know the person who plays a heroic character is also a hero in real life. Buffy has always been an empowering female icon for me since childhood, and so is SMG
Nice to hear this wholesome stories. I have heard about her being "difficult" for many years. I have actually been rewatching Buffy (currently in the middle of Season 3)!
This makes me love her so much more holy crap. Wolf Pack is here, baybeee! Since the Buffy reboot is apparently on hold forever I'm calling Wolf Pack Buffy Pt 2 haha
This explains why Joss Whedon was jealous and threatened by her. I didn’t get why he would be since she was the star of HIS show but now I understand. She was a “threat” because she had amazing morals and did more to protect her costars than he ever did.
So glad after all these years she is finally being seen for the awesome human she is, instead of 'difficult' (because she dared to be an assertive woman...and actually a total nerd for her job).
@@chrissy2356 sure.. I was 18 and a HUGE fan of the show. I had just graduated HS and I knew that acting was a profession I wanted to pursue. I was hired as an extra on buffy season 7 episode sleeper.. we were told not to engage in conversation with her or eye contact for that matter. Needless to say I was starstruck.. She wasn’t unfriendly but I wouldn’t say she was friendly either. I do remember her saying once “Sarah is the boss of me and I say when I’m ready.” Or something to that effect. She also made a witty retort which made me laugh out loud and she turned to look but didn’t smile… but I’ll tell you James marsters (spike) was the FRIENDLIEST person on that set. And I wasn’t even a fan of his character.. but on set he was called to do a scene and I yell “good luck James!” And he turned with a big humble smile and laughed and said “thank you!” I will tell you this one scene she did when buffy was tailing spike and went back to the night club and she told the bouncer“actually billy idol stole his look from him.” I stood right behind the camera man while she was doing that scene every take and no one told me to go away haha. Every time I watch that scene now i always think to myself im right next to the camera man…. Over the years I’ve actually come to know sooo many buffy actor alumni through being in the industry. It’s crazy to look back when I was a child I was such a fun of the show and to now have so many personal connections of that show. My only regret is that I didn’t get to work on it as an actor.
Read a great quote that when someone (often women) are labeled difficult it really means difficult to control. And Whedon is an a-hole. The cast dealt w a lot of toxic crap. SMG is a class act.
Oh yes: he enlisted one of the first female TV showrunners of history (Marti, 2001) and one of the first Asian female of history (Mo, Agents of Shield 2013), and MANY of his crews were women (and they still followed him until The Nevers, including editor Lisa Lassek). But yeah, so toxic. Maybe the problem was with some divas and B actors. Maybe.
@@evanfront6252 simply because he did some nice things doesn’t mean he’s not possible or doing terrible things. Look into how he treated Charisma Carpenter. And how he was on the set of the marvel movie. Food for thought.
Erm. No. Some women are just difficult, and it means difficult. A man can be a donkey at the same time as a woman he's called difficult is in fact difficult. One doesn't cancel the other out.
@@mydogeatspuke dude please watch the movie She Said or Any Documentaries about Hollywood. Women who were abused were blackballed and told by anyone and their mother the woman was difficult. Also women are certainly provided less opportunities (as seen by women even nominated for director).
@@PlaceForAnEcho what does that have to do with what I said? Women aren't all perfect and faultless and incapable of being or doing bad, nor are they "provided less opportunities," lmao. That some women were unjustly criticised does not mean that all women who are criticised are being abused. That's some wacky feminist logic that belongs in a psych ward.
I used to love Seth Green. And Joss Whedon. Gutted when allegations came out. Sarah always came and still does come across as one of the authentic human being, and is talented, ("Cruel Intentions" and more) and beautiful.
Oh yeah! I remember that back in the day. Jeff Pruitt wrote a parable and posted it online. It’s strange because with recent interviews they’ve changed their tunes to like “sarah was so nice”. I imagine egos from all parties involved made things awkward. 🤷🏻♀️
Oh wow I knew she was a good human being and I heard the label “difficult” but I didn’t know the backstory. Love her even more. I think it says a lot about her the way she takes care of the guest stars. The people who aren’t the big stars of the show.
The April-Bot story resonated with me. I remember getting a waitress job at a pool hall - super busy, money flowing, let's say...snazzy....outfits... I had to man the door one winter night and I was freezing. But, being new I just bit the bullet. Senior bartender (shamefully forget her name) left work to Wal-Mart, comes back with leggings and a cute long sleeve top for me. No questions, no shames...just drops it for me and goes back to work. 'Women hate women'? Nope.
I've seen people come for her on social media when she had an opinion about Kim Kardashian being on the cover of a particularly famous magazine and those Kim fans tried to come for her and ask how is she relevant? If this woman never works again a day of her life, she has already made herself a pop culture icon and proven that she has more talent in her pinky than most newbies trying to make a name for themselves today. She's amazing in front of and apparently behind the scenes.
How is she relevant? -strong female character -manages to have human moments despite literally being a tank -90’s/00’s icon -Cares about her costars -down to earth -has a wholesome relationship that unproblematic with Freddie prince junior Has played MULTIPLE iconic roles Kim kardashian -famous from a porn tape -famous for being naked frequently -divorced from her husband -will probably fade into obscurity 10 years down the line after her body implants pop Not having a go at you specifically you’re defend smg and have also pointed out her good points
How were the Kardashians relevant? They totally suck ass 😆 I never really watched Buffy but I still grew up on Sarah Michelle Gellar and that'll never fade 😊
@@RomanSionis85 Trust me when I say that watching the Buffyverse is a whole experience and a mood, and you will not want to stop until you're finished. Use the Buffy watch guide after season 4 though. It's so worth the time. And after that, jump into the rest of the Whedonverse: Firefly, Dollhouse and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Lots of great entertainment.
Reminds me of a less extreme example of what happened to Katherine Heigl. Both women ahead of the times in their industry. They were advocates for themselves and others and thus got labeled as difficult, or divas, or hard to work with. Hollywood in the 90s and early 00s must have been horrible.
It makes me so sad to think that years ago when I heard about Joss and Sarah having conflict I assumed that Sarah was the one being "difficult" because Joss was so much better at controlling the narrative with fans. What an incredible person to be standing up for others when she was probably struggling enough just standing up for herself.
It’s often mentioned in the commentaries that they would reshoot entire scenes days later because she would realize the direction was sloppy and she was committed to maintaining character integrity. Something Joss was often praised for yet Sarah was doing it since day one.
It’s absurd to get called difficult when you’re doing 3 jobs on set. Normally a runner or maybe a healthcare specialist should take care of all such needs. She clearly was a team player and wanted the project to succeed as well as just being a caring person too.
Those are nice stories, good on her. It's such a shame she was having to provide all that care for everyone when Joss was just there yelling at people, making people cry, making out with actors in the writers room while people were trying to work and so on. (I doubt all the issues on the Buffy set can be laid solely at his feet, but still.) Levels of professionalism and consideration for others clearly like night and day between them
He was the showrunner and arguably the biggest name outside of SMG so I am perfectly fine laying all the issues at his feet. If his subordinates see all the shady stuff he's doing and getting away with, some of them are going to do the same.
Sarah Michelle Gellar is to Buffy what Clark Kent is to Superman. She's been the superhero all along. Hearing that the actress playing Buffy is ACTUALLY A REAL LIFE Buffy, or rather, that Buffy is really just Sarah Michelle Gellar with super strength, well that about just made my day for the next ten years. Time for another rewatch!!
From something I'd reas years ago Susan Lucci was a bit of a mother hen on All My Children, kinda like it's creator Agnes Nixon was - protective of the cast and crew. Think SMG took that lesson to heart and was "paying it forward".
I have a feeling that if Sarah was around in Ats series when the Charisma's situation was going on, things would have been different for the queen Charisma.
Trust men in Hollywood to label a female leader as 'difficult' for demanding basic human rights and safety of the entire cast and crew. So glad lady karma bit Whedon in the ass
Knowing what we know now, I wonder if part of the reason she took up a caretakers roll, was because no one else did/could and she knew as the star, that she could get away with being “difficult” about it.
@@okayfloatstudios3097 So much stuff is coming out now about Joss Whedon's behavior on set. He was abusive and creepy to everyone, especially the women.
@@orboobleck5366 Oh we know about Joss. But the person made it seem like it was more people & Sarah kinda had to compensate for everyone’s terrible behavior. And look after her costars
Honestly I feel like you can see SMG's inherent decency IRL in interviews and whatnot - it's something you can't fake, even as an actor, you can just feel it coming from some people. And I feel like everyone she has worked with over the years (not just Buffy but her movies and other shows) have always seemed so full of praise and kind words about her - and that's not the sort of thing you see with all or even most actors. I just love her, she's an inspiration.
Wow. All this time I’ve heard terrible things, that she was a diva and stuff. But given how toxic the industry is, no wonder she wanted to be done with Buffy.
@@williama7124 It was just rumors 20 years ago. It seems like she was using her power to be a stickler for 15-hour shoots not turning into 18-hour ones, safety issues, etc etc. Like not at all 'ART FIRST'. Which nowadays seems very correct, you know?
@@Ttoby89 ah, I love that she did that. I always think if an individual wants to suffer for their art, that's their choice but its not right to make anyone else suffer for it.
I watched that show back in the day and have always been glad to see SMG in other work since, and glad she's back on TV. She sounds like she was a wonderful person and I expect still is.
There were moments where smg just couldn’t take it anymore which is understandable and behind the scenes she’d make sure that if any young fans saw her they didn’t see her doing anything considered bad like smoking she would do that away from the public eye so that the younger audience still had their idol to look up to without that image of buffy being tarnished. Growing up buffy was one of several of my female icons and role models who showed it was okay to be strong and badass but still be human and that she dealt with very real very human issues in a world full of supernatural creatures and magic, and there are some genuinely shocking or touching moments in the show. She also dealt with a lot of ptsd from a young age but had to stay strong for her friends and family and the world like that’s tough man
I remember constantly reading about how SMG was "difficult" and "bitchy" on the set of Buffy back when it was still airing. It sounded like bullshit even then, because every castmate she had always spoke incredibly highly of her. Now that I know more about Hollywood and Joss Whedon, it's obvious that he (and the other male executives) were most likely the source of those rumors.
