15 Behind The Scenes Facts About Buffy The Vampire Slayer – TheThings

Sincethe premiere in the winter of 1997,Buffy The Vampire Slayerboasted a rabid and devout fanbase. Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as the titular sixteen-year-old, cursed with the fate of the world on her shoulders when she faces off against the vampire. Anthony Stewart Head plays her watcher, Giles, moonlighting as the Sunnydale High School librarian. Her best friends Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Willow (Alyson Hannigan) help her fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer,ran for seven seasons until 2004 and led to the successful spinoff,Angel.While on-air, the show gained widespread attention and acclaim, which has only intensified since it made its way onto streaming services. Universities have dedicated entire courses to Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Read on for15 behind the scenes facts about Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

It's surprising how few people know that the show came before the 1992 filmBuffy the Vampire Slayerstarring Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry. Joss Whedon wrote the script but left the project after disputes with the studio. It's all for the best because five years later, executives green-lit the series with Whedon at the helm.

Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayeroften point out that Xander Harrisutters some of the series' best lines. Is it a coincidence that creator Joss Whedon based the character, portrayed by Nicholas Brendon on himself. Part of the original Scooby Gang, Xander reigns with his dry, sarcastic wit.

Buffy the Vampire Slayerpremiered in 1997, so it's unsurprising that several A-list actors from that time were offered and turned down roles in the now-iconic series. Ryan Reynolds refused the part of Xander because he didn't have positive high school experiences. Among the actresses considered to play Buffy were Selma Blair, Christina Applegate, and Katie Holmes.

Over seven seasons, there are only seven episodes ofBuffy the Vampire Slayerthat don't include vampires. Sometimes they're fighting alongside her. Buffy faces off against all kinds of demons, witches werewolves, and other forces of darkness.One of the scariest antagonists isthe Gentlemen, subjects of season five's Emmy winning episode, "Hush."

Related: 15 Surprising Facts About Sarah Michelle Gellar's Time On Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Wesley, Buffy's new watcher, played by Alexis Denisof, was introduced in episode seventeen of season three after the Council fires Giles (Anthony Stewart Head). Denisof stuck around onBuffyuntil the end of the season before spinning-off with David Boreanaz and Charisma Carpenter for Angel. Alyson Hannigan and Denisof married in 2003.

It is common for actors to love the showswhich employ them, which was the case for James Marsters, the actor who played Spike from season two until the series finale. In different interviews, Marsters revealed he only read scenes he appeared in to preserve his watching experience.

Part of the charm forBuffy the Vampire Slayeris watching a tiny blonde with superpowers take on the evil forces of darkness. In the early 90s, when Joss Whedon conceived of the character, he wanted something girlish to offset her intimidating title, and settled on Buffy, a nickname for Elizabeth.

"Oh yeah. Miles to go. Little Miss Muffet, counting down, 7-3-0," says Faith (Eliza Dushku) to Buffy in a dream during the season three finale, "Graduation Day Part II." In season five, Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg)appears,with several references to Little Miss Muffet, as well as her curds and whey.

While the cemetery scenes in season one look phenomenal, there are undeniable challenges with the constant scheduling of night shoots. Buffy appeared at school during the day and fought vampires at night, meaning Sarah Michelle Gellar filmed around the clock.The production team constructed a massive set to film season two forward.

Related:15 Fun Facts Most Fans Don't Know About Community

In the sixteenth episode of season two, "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," the writers needed to come up with a way to write Buffy out of the episode. Sarah Michelle Gellar needed out of filming for a few days to prepare for and host Saturday Night Live, part of the promotion for the show.

While it's commonplace in Hollywood for adults to play teenagers, it's wild that Charisma Carpenter was nearly thirty in the first season ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer playing the character of sophomore Cordelia Chase. Cordy becomes a member of the Scooby Gang before leaving after season three to start inAngel.

David Boreanaz is known for his trademark brooding as the tortured vampire with a soul, Angelus, or Angel, Buffy's main love interest over the first three seasons. But in interviews, costars shared that Boreanaz liked to moon cast-mates and played other pranks that don't align with the audience's expectations of Angel.

BeforeTwilightsplit the world between lovers of vampiresor werewolves, Teams Edward and Jacob,Buffy the Vampire Slayerdividedhearts between two vampire heart-throbs, Angel (David Boreanaz) and Spike (James Marsters). Fans argue to this day which man was better for the Slayer, including the lead and show-runner.

In addition to university courses and dissertations dedicated toBuffy the Vampire Slayer, a book released in 2003 breaks down all the examples of "slanguage" created by the show.

"If the apocalypse comes, beep me." Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered at a different time in television historyand aired 1997 to 2003. A devoted computer nerd, Willow (Alyson Hannigan), keeps the show on the cutting edge of technology. She is one of the first characters to use the verb "google it."

Next:Every Popular Couple From Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Officially Ranked

NextThat '70s Show: 13 Fan Theories About Eric Forman We Can't Ignore

Maki Zatychies graduated from the University of Guelph with an honours degree in English, minor in Creative Writing and a master's in creative non-fiction. All things out of her mouth connect back to pop culture, literature and media. Jeopardy! is the gospel and Alex Trebek her lord and saviour. She can be found at home, in her hobbit hole, sipping tea and demanding writing support from her Rex rabbit, Sawyer.

Read more from the original source:
15 Behind The Scenes Facts About Buffy The Vampire Slayer - TheThings

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero