I just realized something really weird...

[Hale Caesar]

Has anyone ever noticed that Joss Whedon hasn't collaborated with ANY of the main cast of BtVS twice?

The reason I find this so weird is because Buffy is probably the project he was most passionate about and successful with (well one of the most successful 😛). And it's even more weird considering Joss has a tendency to work with actors he likes,so Nathan Fillion, Amy Acker, Alan Tudyk, etc.

 

[dexeded]

I know he wrote the role of Mal for Nick Brendon. He also wanted a Faith spinoff for Eliza Dushku, and a Ripper movie for ASH. All of those just didn't work out, I suppose.

 

[Groge]

Oh yeah. I never actually noticed that before! On the Wikipedia page for Joss theres a huge table of all the actors/actresses hes used more than once. Never noticed though that none of them were main BtvS characters. Maybe its because that actor/actress is that character and would be weird using them again. Eg, SMG is Buffy! Be silly to try and squeeze her into Firefly. I dunno 😛

 

[Ripper666]

I just read once somewhere that Joss likes to keep in contact with (famous) actors he used to get in contact once.

Just have a look at the actor who played Caleb!

 

[Skytteflickan88]

Alexis appeared in Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse and The Avengers(as the villain at the end of the movie, so hopefully we will see him again).

 

[VisionGirl]

Maybe it's because he worked with that cast for so long (7 years for Buffy with an additional year for Angel). A lot of the actors that he recasts are ones he didn't work with as long (Firefly), or had smaller roles & didn't appear in all seasons of Buffy/Angel. And sometimes, it's just time to move on!

 

[Robb Stark]

I've kind of wondered that as well. He's used Alexis Denisoff and Amy Acker quite a bit (and Tom Lenk), but the main Buffy cast, especially from the first few seasons, haven't been used all that much. I think one of the posts above rings true, he did work with them for seven seasons (David Boreanaz for even more), but the actors in Firefly and Dollhouse didn't have anywhere near that long to get established with him.

 

[Skytteflickan88]

Hale Caesar agrees: Alexis Denisof was never a main character on Buffy

I didn't think about that. So you mean people in the credits? That's not very many people. If you take into account that those people might not have been interested, or available for roles in other Whedon productions, and the fact that they might simply not have been the right people for the parts, it's not very weird. I can't do the math, but it doesn't sound very likely.

 

[BuffyElevated]

I know he wrote the role of Mal for Nick Brendon.

God I would have LOVED to have had Nick on "Firefly"!!! That would have been epic!!

 

[prophecygrrl]

Mal was for Nick Brendon? I never knew that. I don't really see it though...I know Mal was originally supposed to be darker and less goofy and I don't think Nick Brendon was ever good with the drama part of Buffy. My two cents though, obvs.

Anyway, I thought the main reason why he hasn't really worked with much of the Buffy/Angel cast (or been seen hanging out with them, like he does a lot with the Firefly crew) is because they didn't get along very well towards the end. SMG, David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Emma Caulfield, etc. Seems like the only people he really keeps in touch with from the Buffyverse are the Denisofs.

eta- Oh, and Eliza, of course! i forgot about her, oops. I know he also uses Amy a lot, but MAN he really needs to stop typecasting her as the "beautiful scientist/doctor chick". I went to a Cabin in the Woods Q&A and Amy Acker has another scientist role and when someone asked her how she got the gig, her only answer was that Joss thought she could do it? Such a waste of fantastic talent.
[MENTION=8356]HisMrs[/MENTION] I don't watch Private Practice, unfortunately. I know he played a rapist or something though?

 

[BuffyElevated]

I think a lot of the cast were really upset over the fact that the show ended sooner than it was supposed to. I remember reading how Aly was really pissed at Sarah and Joss for not telling them she was getting out of her contract, because they all read about it in Entertainment Weekly when she did that big interview back when. Maybe the fact that they were kinda forced out of their jobs put a damper on their relationships with Joss?

 

[prophecygrrl]

I think a lot of the cast were really upset over the fact that the show ended sooner than it was supposed to. I remember reading how Aly was really pissed at Sarah and Joss for not telling them she was getting out of her contract, because they all read about it in Entertainment Weekly when she did that big interview back when. Maybe the fact that they were kinda forced out of their jobs put a damper on their relationships with Joss?

Yeah, that might've been it. Maybe the actors have different experiences from show to show? Like, all the Firefly people seem to adore Joss for some odd reason, and you hear about tensions running high on Buffy far more often than you hear about that kind of thing on Angel.

I remember in the Paleyfest video a lot of them said they'd work with Joss again given the opportunity. Including David Greenwalt, who Joss apparently had some huge fight with in the past? I have to wonder if that's because he was sitting right there though, lol. 😉

 

[Tome]

I think a lot of the cast were really upset over the fact that the show ended sooner than it was supposed to. I remember reading how Aly was really pissed at Sarah and Joss for not telling them she was getting out of her contract, because they all read about it in Entertainment Weekly when she did that big interview back when. Maybe the fact that they were kinda forced out of their jobs put a damper on their relationships with Joss?

Huh 😱 The show was supposed to continue on? In Cleveland? 😉

 

[Skytteflickan88]

Huh 😱 The show was supposed to continue on? In Cleveland? 😉

I suppose destroying Sunnydale was thought of after they found out Sarah wanted to quit.

 

[JCoatsworth]

I think a lot of the cast were really upset over the fact that the show ended sooner than it was supposed to. I remember reading how Aly was really pissed at Sarah and Joss for not telling them she was getting out of her contract, because they all read about it in Entertainment Weekly when she did that big interview back when. Maybe the fact that they were kinda forced out of their jobs put a damper on their relationships with Joss?

I don't think that was it. I think there was a thread about this a while ago. The whole cast probably knew that it was the show's last season long before it ended. And I don't think they were pissed at Joss at all. I guess he was the last person who wanted the show to end.



Maybe it's just a coincidence. Joss said, to revive Firefly he would have to pull all of the cast out of their current roles. Nathan is in Castle, Adam in Chuck. Joss wanted to have Anthony Head as Leonato, but Anthony was unavailable because of a job in the UK, so the role went to Clark Gregg. Alyson Hannigan signed for How I met Your Mother one year after Buffy ended. Anyway, I don't know about Nick Brendon.

 

[Bluebird]

I know he also uses Amy a lot, but MAN he really needs to stop typecasting her as the "beautiful scientist/doctor chick". I went to a Cabin in the Woods Q&A and Amy Acker has another scientist role and when someone asked her how she got the gig, her only answer was that Joss thought she could do it? Such a waste of fantastic talent.

I gotta disagree with this. These were just the framing for the characters - the doctor/scientist role. And technically she played another role altogether in Illyria. If you compare Fred to Saunders, they're vastly different people, and tbh I barely recognise it's the same actress playing the parts at all. They might have a similar job or role in the series, but their character as a human being and what they have to deal with within themselves are so intricate and exact to that character, that it doesn't matter that they're both doctors/scientists. Fred was a bubbly and cheerful person (who went through hell in Pylea and came out of it stronger) whereas Saunders was a deeply troubled person (if you can call her a person) who had to deal with her own psychological issues and understanding who she is and find her own sense of self.

Not trying to nitpick, but I just don't think it's as black and white as straight typecasting. 🙂

 

[Hale Caesar]

I didn't think about that. So you mean people in the credits? That's not very many people. If you take into account that those people might not have been interested, or available for roles in other Whedon productions, and the fact that they might simply not have been the right people for the parts, it's not very weird. I can't do the math, but it doesn't sound very likely.

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendan, Anthony Stewart Head, Charisma Carpenter, David Boreanaz, Seth Green, James Marsters, Marc Blucas, Emma Caulfield and Michelle Tratchtenberg were all main characters on Buffy and Joss has never worked with any of them twice...this is weird.

And you can throw Amber Benson in that list if you want too

 

[BlessedLunatic]

I don't think it's a lack of want to, just that things never lined up right. Either the actors were busy with something else or the projects never got going.

Of course, maybe there's some residual tension in some cases. I do know that as far as Anthony Head goes, he thinks Joss is a genius and practically worships the ground the man walks on...so those two have definitely wanted to work together again, it just hasn't worked out so far.

It IS a little odd though! Never thought of that!

 

[prophecygrrl]

I gotta disagree with this. These were just the framing for the characters - the doctor/scientist role. And technically she played another role altogether in Illyria. If you compare Fred to Saunders, they're vastly different people, and tbh I barely recognise it's the same actress playing the parts at all. They might have a similar job or role in the series, but their character as a human being and what they have to deal with within themselves are so intricate and exact to that character, that it doesn't matter that they're both doctors/scientists. Fred was a bubbly and cheerful person (who went through hell in Pylea and came out of it stronger) whereas Saunders was a deeply troubled person (if you can call her a person) who had to deal with her own psychological issues and understanding who she is and find her own sense of self.

Not trying to nitpick, but I just don't think it's as black and white as straight typecasting. 🙂

eep, i was going to just reply really quick in a reputation comment but I ended up typing too much, whoops. 🙂

It didn't occur to me to call the scientist/doctor thing "typecasting" until I saw her in a similar role yet again in Cabin in the Woods. The way the scientist character was written, it felt like anyone could've played it since it wasn't really necessary to the story. I mean, I'm speculating here obviously, but why cast such a familiar face/established actress to play a one dimensional role like that? It felt like Whedon chose to work with Acker again just because she's played it so many times on a superficial level. According to Amy Acker and Drew Goddard, they literally just called her up and asked her to do it. Which is guess is common for actors you've worked with before, but for a character whose image is strikingly similar to her two previous (and most well-known) roles, it felt like typecasting.

IMO I was disappointed in the writing for both Fred and Dr. Saunders because I'm really interested in how these women function as trauma survivors, but I didn't feel like it was developed very well for either character. But that's another topic. I guess I'm just a little tired of seeing Amy Acker in white coats. Maybe Much Ado will be a breath of fresh air.

 

[Tueuse de Vampires]

Has anyone ever noticed that Joss Whedon hasn't collaborated with ANY of the main cast of BtVS twice?

I don't know how you all define 'twice', but 3 main cast actors, David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter and James Marsters, were all main cast in Buffy AND Angel, that's two shows, thus two collaborations in my book! Not to speak of all the other cameos multiple other actors had...
Just because they played the same characters doesn't mean it shouldn't be counted, I think. Joss Whedon didn't have to make a Buffy spin-off, but the fact that he did shows a lot of dedication to certain actors and the storyline.