Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Actresses Who Almost Played Buffy Summers – Screen Rant

Before Sarah Michelle Gellar brought new life into the titular character of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, several other actresses were considered for the role. The supernatural series was created by Joss Whedonand was based on his 1992 film about a cheerleader who hunts vampires. Kristy Swanson played Buffy Summers in the original film ,but the TV series served as a reinvention of sorts. Playing Buffy for six years became Gellar's defining role, but that nearly wasn't the case.

Buffy was the main protagonist of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as the series followed her journey after being called upon to fight demons, vampires, and other dark creatures. Buffy was the "Chosen One,"more commonlyknown as a Slayer, giving her special abilities to protect the realm. She was guided by Giles, her Watcher, and sought assistance from her loyal group of friends from Sunnydale High - who were affectionately known as the Scooby Gang.

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The film version of Buffy was shallow and reluctant to train as a Slayer, whereas the TV version learnedto embrace her important destiny. Whedon wanted a chance to reinvent the character and better subvert the usualtropes that come with women in horror. When casting for Buffy the Vampire Slayer was underway, Katie Holmes and Selma Blair were two notable names in the running for the lead role. Whedon had a clear vision for what he wanted this new Buffy to embody,and so he kept searching.

Before Gellar became the frontrunner for the role of Buffy, a few other actresses auditioned but wound up acquiring other roles in the series. Julie Benz ended up playing the vampire Darla, whereas Elizabeth Anne Allen portrayed Amy Madison, a witch from Sunnydale and enemy of the Scooby Gang. Mercedes McNab and Julia Lee also auditioned for the role of Buffy and later played Harmony Kendall and Anne Steele, respectively.

Charisma Carpenter auditioned for Buffy before being hired to play Cordelia Chase. The character ended up becoming the embodiment of Buffy's firstincarnation, by being the self-centered popular cheerleader.Interestingly enough, Gellar tried out for the role of Cordelia but Whedon realized she would make a better Buffy, so the actresses traded the roles they first auditioned for.

Before Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gellar's biggest role to date was her time on All My Children, which she won a Daytime Emmy for. 1997 turned out to be a major monumental year for Gellar, since she also appeared inI Know What You Did Last Summerand Scream 2. Following the end of the hit-series, Gellar reprised her role on Angel but moved on to other projects in TV and film. With interest still high in the franchiseand talk of a reboot, there's always a chance that Gellar's time with the Buffyverse isn't over just yet.

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Kara Hedash is a features writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world's most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara's not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty. Kara can be found on Twitter @thekaraverse.

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Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Actresses Who Almost Played Buffy Summers - Screen Rant

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