Dawn should she have been kept as 11 ?

[Btvs fan]

OK so Dawn was originally meant to be 11. It was meant to make Buffy a mother figure without getting her pregnant. But with Michelle Tractenberg cast they bumped her age up to 14.
Now given the early scripts had already been written, she's still acting like an 11 Yr old. The whole thing with the Cereal and Stehascope in OOMM are both noticeable.
So here's the question, should they have simply kept her age as 11 ?
Either recast her or simply have MT play and 11yr old which was what she was doing for those early episodes anyway ?

 

[NotASlayer]

I don't think that having Michelle playing an 11 year old would have worked; that was part of the problem with her early performance. She looked old enough that her behaviour came across as immature. Having that continue for the rest of the season would probably not work.

It would have been better if they'd altered the earlier scripts to reflect that she was 14. I mean, didn't they normally alter scripts even during filming anyway? Surely it wouldn't have been that big a problem to just alter them before filming?

 

[Btvs fan]

I don't think that having Michelle playing an 11 year old would have worked; that was part of the problem with her early performance. She looked old enough that her behaviour came across as immature. Having that continue for the rest of the season would probably not work.

It would have been better if they'd altered the earlier scripts to reflect that she was 14. I mean, didn't they normally alter scripts even during filming anyway? Surely it wouldn't have been that big a problem to just alter them before filming?

Im guessing by then it was to late and theyd gone into production. Plus the whole Dawn plays with the Drs Stethascope (14yr old dont do this) is a key reveal of something wrong with Riley. You can't just write that out

 

[hoponlilmama]

I think it could've been an easy pivot script wise to then put her age at 14.

@Btvs fan - I'm shrugging my shoulders too. They should've. Of course, not the first time the writers have been a bit lazy with script writing, or made errors.

 

[AlphaFoxtrot]

An adorable prepubescent Dawnie-chan?

But, outside of S5, it would be harder to fit her into teen stories.

 

[NotASlayer]

Im guessing by then it was to late and theyd gone into production. Plus the whole Dawn plays with the Drs Stethascope (14yr old dont do this) is a key reveal of something wrong with Riley. You can't just write that out

I think it could've been an easy pivot script wise to then put her age at 14.

Although it's true that the stethoscope thing was important, as @hoponlilmama says, there are easy script pivots. With that scene, have Riley showing somewhat obvious symptoms and then have Ben (what am I forgetting there?) comment and check him out.

 

[Btvs fan]

I don't think that having Michelle playing an 11 year old would have worked; that was part of the problem with her early performance. She looked old enough that her behaviour came across as immature. Having that continue for the rest of the season would probably not work.

It would have been better if they'd altered the earlier scripts to reflect that she was 14. I mean, didn't they normally alter scripts even during filming anyway? Surely it wouldn't have been that big a problem to just alter them before filming?

Here's a question then, should MT have been cast ?
Now I know how she got the role as shed worked with SMG previously and she was a decent actress but fundamentally having to change a character because of her, maybe they should've used a younger actress ?

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

I don't think that having Michelle playing an 11 year old would have worked; that was part of the problem with her early performance. She looked old enough that her behaviour came across as immature. Having that continue for the rest of the season would probably not work.

It would have been better if they'd altered the earlier scripts to reflect that she was 14. I mean, didn't they normally alter scripts even during filming anyway? Surely it wouldn't have been that big a problem to just alter them before filming?

I agree with you. They should have altered the scripts.

Michelle was a perfect fit and I wouldn't have wanted her recast.

I think it worked well for Dawn to be a young teen than as a preteen. We see Buffy's protective side with her, but as Dawn matures, she doesn't need to be babied anymore, and can help out the team. If she had been younger, I don't think it would have worked. I don't think of Buffy as "motherly" at all...thank god they didn't make her pregnant.

 

[NotASlayer]

Here's a question then, should MT have been cast ?
Now I know how she got the role as shed worked with SMG previously and she was a decent actress but fundamentally having to change a character because of her, maybe they should've used a younger actress ?

I agree with @Joan the Vampire Slayer that Michelle was the way to go and that they should have altered the scripts. Given that they did after the first few episodes, I really can't see any reason not to do the fairly minor tweaks to the first few. Would they really have been fundamental changes to the character?

 

[BuffyElevated]

I think Michelle was perfect for the role, but they should have changed the scripts to make her actions a little more believable for a 14-year-old kid. As for me, I just chalked it up to Joyce babying Dawn because of Buffy's role as the Slayer. Joyce had one daughter who was in danger constantly, so maybe she babied Dawn so much to protect her and keep her "safe" that it made her immature for her age.

 

[Btvs fan]

I agree with you. They should have altered the scripts.

Michelle was a perfect fit and I wouldn't have wanted her recast.

I think it worked well for Dawn to be a young teen than as a preteen. We see Buffy's protective side with her, but as Dawn matures, she doesn't need to be babied anymore, and can help out the team. If she had been younger, I don't think it would have worked. I don't think of Buffy as "motherly" at all...thank god they didn't make her pregnant.

She was never gonna be pregnant (Joss Whedon wasn't fond of Pregnant women) but Buffy was meant to be the mother or mother figure. Its why Hank was written out because it would've taken away Buffy from that role