Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Tom Lenk reveals how Sarah Michelle Gellar stood up for him during the filming of a tense scene. Lenk joined the game-changing supernatural drama in its final two seasons as Andrew Wells. Though he’d previously made a guest appearance as another character in Buffy season 5, it was with Andrew that Lenk became a memorable part of the Buffy fandom by adding a bit of levity to the more somber tone of the show’s last years.
While viewers have been debating the best Buffy episode and their preferred season for decades, recent developments have caused the fandom to interrogate the atmosphere behind the camera, as well more closely. Several former Buffy cast members accused series creator Joss Whedon of abusive behavior and fostering a toxic work environment. This includes pitting the cast against one another and playing favorites, leading to a tense and challenging atmosphere.
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In an interview with Metro.co.uk, Lenk recalled an instance where Gellar stood for him. Though he doesn’t mention the specific scene, the Andrew actor discusses filming tense moments with Gellar’s Buffy Summers. Lenk recalled that the lead star insisted they should both feel comfortable and prepared, which he says was significant because he’d worked on other shows where the leads did not even acknowledge guest performers:
She stuck up for me. She said, “Hey, we’ll attempt this, but if he doesn’t feel comfortable, if I don’t feel comfortable, because you haven’t given us time to memorize our lines, then we’ll come back to it because it’s an important scene.” And I thought it was very cool… sometimes they don’t want to talk to you, they don’t want to acknowledge you, they don’t want to look you in the eyes. So, to me, she really set the tone of how I want to treat other people when I’m working with them. It was just a cool moment.
Lenk also says that he never witnessed any of the on-set tension between the Buffy cast, noting that his experience was very positive. In recent years, several of the show’s actors and crew have similarly spoken out to commend Gellar for her professionalism. James Marsters, who played Spike, praised his frequent scene-partner for her hard work and how she would stick her neck out to make sure that others felt at ease while working. Marsters noted that this had to have been difficult since Gellar spent a lot of time on-set in most scenes and during most episodes.
It’s an indication of the way perception can shift over time. At one point, Gellar had been labeled “difficult” for making certain requests. But as the allegations around Whedon demonstrate, she worked in an often uneasy environment and tried to make it better when she could. It doesn’t change the status of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as an iconic and influential show, but it does point to the importance of remembering that its success is owed to many more people than just Whedon at the very top.
