10 Unpleasant Facts About The Making Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer
2. Multiple Cast Members Have Spoken Out Against Whedon's On-Set Behaviour
This is a tough one for the fanbase to discuss because it’s hard to know exactly what happened. But based on the accusations of the people he worked with, Joss Whedon wasn’t always pleasant to be around.
Last year, Charisma Carpenter accused Whedon of fostering a “hostile and toxic” work environment due to his passive-aggressive attitude. In response, Amber Benson also described the working environment as “toxic”, while Sarah Michelle Gellar said she didn’t want to be “forever associated with Joss Whedon”. Michelle Trachtenberg agreed with these statements, saying Whedon’s behaviour was “not appropriate”.
Other cast members, such as James Marsters, David Boreanaz, and Eliza Dushku, offered their support to Carpenter but didn’t accuse Whedon of acting inappropriately themselves. Anthony Stewart Head even said he was completely unaware of any aggressive behaviour.
But it wasn’t just the cast who got involved. Jeff Pruitt, the stunt coordinator, agreed with Carpenter’s comments, calling the Buffy creator a “real egomaniac who believed his own hype”.
Whedon himself has said he’s a bit of a “control-freak guy”, and has attempted to dismiss these claims. Still, there’s no getting away from the fact some of his colleagues thought he was too aggressive and created an unpleasant working environment.