UPDATE, 1:19 PM:The tide of misconduct allegations against Joss Whedon from Bully the Vampire Slayer actresses is turning into a tsunami.
Minutes after Sarah Michelle Gellar responded to Charisma Carpenter’s claims of abuse by the Avengers director by saying that she stands “with all survivors of abuse and am proud of them for speaking out,” Michelle Trachtenberg has made startling accusations against Whedon.
“Thank you @sarahmgellar for saying this,” said the actress who played Gellar’s on-screen little sister in the 1997-2003 SoCal supernatural series. “I am brave enough now as a 35 year old woman….To repost this. Because. This must. Be known. As a teenager. With his not appropriate behavior….very. Not. Appropriate.”
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‘Buffy’ Actress Charisma Carpenter Says Joss Whedon Was Abusive And Harassing On Set: ‘Joss Was The Vampire’
Trachtenberg added to the online post: “What he did was very bad. But we win. By surviving!”
PREVIOUSLY, 12:12 PM: Mere hours after Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s Charisma Carpenter went public with allegations of abuse against Joss Whedon, Buffy herself has stepped forth to support her co-star.
Posting on social media, the usually quite private Sarah Michelle Gellar pushed way from the series creator and Avengers director in concise but pointed remarks. “I stand with all survivors of abuse and am proud of them for speaking out,” the Cruel Intentions actress added, as you can see below:
Earlier Wednesday, Carpenter herself took to Instagram to declare that Whedon “abuse his power on numerous occasions while working together on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.” Detailing her claims, Carpenter bluntly said of the 1997-2003 show and its 1999-2004 spinoff: Joss was the vampire.”
With his behavior already in the spotlight after a series of ongoing allegations by Justice League actor Ray Fisher last year, Whedon has been radio silent on Carpenter’s claims.
However, another Buffy regular was quick today to back up the actress who portrayed Cordelia Chase on both the supernatural drama and its Angel spinoff. Amber Benson, who played Tara Maclay on Buffy said the show was a “toxic environment” and Carpenter “is speaking truth”:
Buffy was a toxic environment and it starts at the top. @AllCharisma is speaking truth and I support her 100%. There was a lot of damage done during that time and many of us are still processing it twenty plus years later. #IStandWithRayFisher #IStandWithCharismaCarpenter https://t.co/WJAmDGm76C
— Amber Benson (@amber_benson) February 10, 2021
Carpenter made clear today that Fisher’s situation was part of why she decided to speak out now. “Joss has a history of being casually cruel,” she said.
The actor who played Cyborg in JL has been in a war of words with Warner Bros. since last summer. Fisher accused Whedon of abuse and “problematic behavior during the reshoots of the superteam flick after Zack Snyder exited to deal with a family tragedy. After a back and forth volley of claims, the matter came to a conclusion of sorts on December 11 when the AT&T-owned studio put out a statement cryptically asserting their “investigation into the Justice League movie has concluded and remedial action has been taken.”
Even with a Fisher-starring Snyder cut of Justice League set for later this year on HBO Max, that was actually not the end of the matter. Reiterating numerous claims of misconduct by DC Entertainment President Walter Hamada and his predecessor Geoff Johns, Fisher found himself facing the corporate axe and was cut loose from the forthcoming Flash flick last month.
Whedon himself had an exit in recent months
Set to also co-write and direct the Victorian-set The Nevers, which he created, for HBO, Whedon left the show in November. “This year of unprecedented challenges has impacted my life and perspective in ways I could never have imagined …I am genuinely exhausted, and am stepping back to martial my energy towards my own life, which is also at the brink of exciting change,” Whedon said in a long statement.
HBO were more succinct.
“We have parted ways with Joss Whedon. We remain excited about the future of The Nevers and look forward to its premiere in the summer of 2021,” a spokesperson for the premium cabler noted.
This article is auto-generated by Algorithm Source: deadline.com
