Who did a better job?

[Airam]

In the switcheroo episode "Who are You," who, in your opinion, did a better job acting as the other: Sarah Michelle Gellar as Faith or Eliza Dushku as Buffy? And why?

I think they both pulled out an excellent performance but I have to say I think SMG pulled off Faith better than Eliza pulled off Buffy. Its hard to really pinpoint why exactly, but watching the episode and watching SMG's performance I can SO easily suspend disbelief, its like SMG's face completely becomes a none issue for me and all I see is Faith. With Eliza, maybe its just cause... actually I really can't articulate why too well, I'm just constantly aware that its Eliza's face acting like Buffy... like its Faith walking around trying to pretend to be Buffy and not like Buffy is actually living in there... well maybe not constantly, but enough to where my vote has to go to SMG.

How about ya'll?

 

[November]

I think SMG did a better at acting as Faith too. I was totally convinced that it she was Faith. Good acting by both of them but I personally thing SMG was a bit better.

 

[charmingslayer]

SMG totally though Eliza was great to I think she was to innocent in her role as Buffy

 

[ItMustBeBunnies]

I think that they both did a good job but SMG was definately better. Airam is right (as usual, lol) it is a bit hard to articulate just why, but after discussing it with her a bit, we both seem to think that Eliza was playing it to wide-eyed and innocent, it was at times a bit like Faith's view of Buffy's goody-two shoes persona, and her playing up to that. I couldn't actually suspend my disbelief completely with either of them but SMG just had a better handle on Faith/Eliza's body language, way of speaking etc.

 

[caitaintdead]

Sarah Michelle Gellar was amazing as Faith. She really played it well and always enjoy watching it just to see how well acted it is. Eliza's performance was a bit to sweet and innocent for me as well. Buffy should be quick talking, that snappy way that she has of talking.

 

[Cordelia Chase*]

I think Faith(Eliza) did a great job. I thought it was hard to switch your normal character.....rough, hard, violent,...........to the role of BUffy. But she did seem like a punk though.

Of course SMG's gonna look good. Shes the star!!! lol

 

[white avenger]

As the script was written, I think that Eliza had a considerably harder job to do because the changes she portrayed were more subtle and for the most part she never really had to portray as many "Buffy-isms," as she did just a character completely lost, desperate, confused, and frightened. She did that and STILL made us believe that it really was Buffy in there instead of Faith.

Sarah's played Faith well, but in my opinion, she laid it on just a bit too thick. The real Faith was never quite THAT big a slut, nor was she stupid enough as to think that Buffy ever could be. Remember, she was supposedly trying to portray "Miss Tightly Wound." Certainly, she was trying, subconsciously or intentionally, to destroy Buffy's reputation and damage her relationships with family, friends, and lover, and she played that quite well, but she was just too obviously NOT Buffy. I'm surprised that Tara was the only one to notice.

This was a really good arc, and no doubt my favorite crossover story, but it was Eliza's episode, not really Sarah's. I would have loved to have seen it played out for at least another episode or so in Sunnydale while Eliza/Buffy and Sarah/Faith begin to understand and come to a more sympathetic realization of what it really is like to walk a mile in the shoes of their fellow Slayer. THEN they could have had the crossover to "Angel" and gone on pretty much the same way as they did.

 

[Nix]

i think smg was better but only cause of her scenes she had been given.

 

[sk]

Voted that they both rocked it!

I agree with white avenger that Eliza had a harder job since Buffy in Faiths body was very confused and she couldn't just do so much typical Buffy stuff.
But I absolutely love SMG as Faith... so therefore the can't choose option.

Always smile at the "Because its wrong" mirror scene, just brilliant. 🙂

/SK

 

[atticus]

I think SMG did the better job, it's just little things that sell it for me. I always noticed there's a certain way, Faith pronounces the word 'about'. Gellar kinda copies it when she says 'what are you talking about"- Love that. Yes i'm aware of the sadness that I notice things like this.

 

[Dancing man]

I thought they were both brilliant.

 

[Perny]

I'll say Eliza.
Cos seeing her as Faith meant, you always expected her to be badass. Then she turns around and gives a performance as a desperate Buffy. I was amazed. Brilliant

 

[Schillaci]

My blood says Eliza, but everything else says SMG. SMG is a better actor(than miss Dushku), and this was proof of that. Not to belittle Eliza though, she was great in this, but realistically, she was outacted.

 

[Crazy Flakes]

I don't really know if it's fair to choose. After all, we saw a lot more of SMG as Faith than Eliza as Buffy. Still, judging from what we did see, I'm gonna go with Sarah. They both put on wonderful performances, don't get me wrong, but I just think Faith was a much easier character to capture than Buffy...while Eliza sort of plays Faith as the stereotypical bad girl (and that is not, in any way, an insult. That's just how the character was written.), Sarah has a very distinct way of speaking when in the Buffy persona, and I don't think any actress could completely match it.

 

[Urgent Power]

SMG was better. She went all the way. With Eliza it felt to me as if she wasn't trying hard enough. It's like she thought: "Oh, okay, I need to be a good girl now. So I'll just be a good girl". With Sarah, it's not only that she was acting the bad girl. She was playing Faith, and did a good job at it.

 

[JenniferAlice]

My blood says Eliza, but everything else says SMG. SMG is a better actor(than miss Dushku), and this was proof of that. Not to belittle Eliza though, she was great in this, but realistically, she was outacted.

I agree, I think SMG is a better actress than Eliza, but Eliza does really suit the role as Faith, I think she did a good job as Buffy but not nearly as good as SMG, but like you say Crazy Flakes, "Sarah has a very distinct way of speaking when in the Buffy persona, and I don't think any actress could completely match it"..I completely agree, but that annoys me about SMG, sometimes I want to punch her.

 

[SpikedBuffy]

I'd say SMG did a better job as Faith. Totally believable.

I did like Eliza and she was believable too, but there was just something off. I always thought it was the eyes. Her expressions with her eyes were just never right.

 

[fly on the wall]

I think SMG did better.
Even how she said "about" was totally Faith. It was incredible to watch, really. I kept forgetting that body-switches can't really happen. 😛
Still, I think it's easier to act as Faith...badass, slutty, wild woman, than it is to act like Buffy, who's character is more mellow all-around. So that should be mentioned.

 

[Librarian Giles]

Yeah i would have to agree with the lot of the group and say SMG did a better job, but not to knock Eliza, she also did a good job as well. Especially her interaction with Giles, when she was telling him about how she is really Buffy, lol.

 

[Blair Waldorf-Bass]

I think that SMG did a better job. However, if she'd had more scenes, I think I would've ranked her better then I thought she could've done. But Sarah did such a good job and I instantly believed her as Faith after thirty seconds.