With an ensemble like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, fans are always hopeful that the on-screen friendships carried over off-screen. It’s almost like the fanbase doesn’t want that facade to be ruined for them because it somehow taints the integrity of the show. The fact of the matter is, everyone doesn’t always get along and now Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar, is opening up about tension between cast members on set while making the hit series.
There have always been rumors about the tension between co-stars on the Buffy The Vampire Slayer set but now the release of Evan Ross Katz’s book, “Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts,” is shining a light on it. The book features interviews with the cast and crew from the hit show and it perfectly coincided with the series’ 25th anniversary which was on March 7, 2022. Sarah Michelle Gellar was asked about getting along with co-stars and she was honest that everyone didn’t get along all the time but growth has certainly changed a lot of that:
“Look, we worked really hard hours. We were young, we had ups and downs. Everybody had arguments. There were times where David [Boreanaz] could be a handful. He never really was to me, but I’m sure [he was]. It wasn’t rosy. Nobody gets along all the time. And Alyson and I had moments. There’s no question. But you’re young. I think that unfortunately, the set we were on and the world we were in was pitting us against each other. I think it would have been different if it was today. It would have been a very different relationship. But we have a great relationship now.”
Given what we know about creator Joss Whedon now and how things on that set may have been run, it’s easy to understand what she means about the conditions of their work environment pitting them against each other. It doesn’t sound like things were 100 percent professional on that set thanks to the person that was running it and that may not have resulted in sunshine and roses all the time while making the show. Gellar’s pressure also came from headlining the series. While it may have gotten to her at times, she says she always held herself accountable during many of the tense situations on set:
“There are times where I wish I could have done things differently, but I didn’t know how to handle the stress that I was under. I was really young, and I didn’t have any outside life. I was the one that was always working, and sometimes I would be resentful of the fact that they didn’t have to work all the time. It ebbs and flows, and anyone that tells you they get along with everyone all the time, it’s just not true.”
Fans should be happy to know that a lot of that tension has now turned into respect and renewed friendship. I follow just about all of the cast members on Instagram and they engage in frequent friendly engages with each other. Some might be closer than others but it seems like maturity has made some of those issues from the past seem a bit silly now.
What are YOUR thoughts on the on-set tension between Sarah Michelle Gellar and co-stars on the set of Buffy The Vampire Slayer?