Charisma Carpenter Hopes For A Cultural Reset On Buffy’s 24th Anniversary

Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Charisma Carpenter hopes for a cultural reset, calling for more empathy and accountability on the show’s 24th anniversary. Carpenter portrayed Cordelia Chase, who was initially introduced as somewhat of an antagonistic figure on Buffy. But, over time, Cordelia would gradually become a fan favorite thanks to Carpenter’s layered performance and dynamic with the show’s protagonists.

Cordelia grew so popular, in fact, that she joined the spinoff Angel. But the character’s arc on the spinoff came to a strange and abrupt end with season 4, when Carpenter was removed as a regular cast member. The actress would later come forward with allegations against series creator Joss Whedon, confirming rumors which have long been whispered about. In a statement, Carpenter detailed how Whedon regularly targeted her for bullying and responding with intense emotional abuse upon learning of her pregnancy.

Responding to a tweet that commemorated the premiere of Buffy’s first episode 24 years ago, Carpenter hoped that the her statement and others would help to reset the culture for a second time. Elaborating further, she called for more empathy and accountability in the workplace. You can check out Carpenter’s tweet below.

Ever since Carpenter came forward with her experiences on the sets of Buffy and Angel, along with others like Michelle Trachtenberg and Amber Benson, fans have been reckoning with their feelings on Whedon’s work. Part of this process has been related to examining the stories that Whedon put forth in his series and films. But much of it has to do with their perception of Whedon beyond his professional output, as someone who presented himself as a feminist and a champion of women. This image, bolstered by Whedon himself, has been slowly eroding over the past years. But it was Carpenter’s unflinching recollections, in which she confirmed and detailed Whedon’s abuses, that helped to open the floodgates.

An encouraging result could be that, as Carpenter’s remarks indicate, fans are more openly recognizing that the success of his series was the result of many individuals and many of those that he targeted. Whedon loomed large, essentially popularizing the idea of a showrunner or an auteur for the small screen, but Buffy the Vampire Slayerdidn’t belong to him alone. It was the portrayal of Carpenter as Cordelia, in addition to other actors, and the collaboration of many writers, which helped the show to resonate. Hopefully, moving forward, the reset will lead more equity and understanding between showrunners and the people that help to bring those shows to life.

Source: Charisma Carpenter

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Abdullah Al-Ghamdi
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Abdullah Al-Ghamdi joined Screen Rant in August 2019, focusing on movie and television news. In January of the same year, he wrote a 3500+ word piece on why Primo Colón is underrated. He considers it his finest work. When he’s not arguing for the merits of his favorite wrestler, he can be reached at: [email protected].

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