May 01 2004
SMG Sunday Express Interview.
"We went out on a high. What if the movie was disappointing? Would that be what people remembered us by? It frightens me," she says rising to leave, but not before dropping a tantalising: "You never know though. Never say never. That’s my motto."
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Plus, I have a feeling these guys know the characters and the show well enough to be able to judge the quality at the scripting stage.
The Host | May 01, 18:45 CET
Firefly Flanatic | May 01, 19:10 CET
Funny thing is, when the first movie was a bomb, Joss still insisted the show had the same risky, childish-sounding name that turned many people off, because it was important to the point of the show. Yet with Firefly, he's more than willing to change it to 'Serenity' in the movie to give it a bigger chance with the mainstream audience. Makes me wonder if he'd be willing to give a new Buffy movie a different title as well.
Oh, and: "making sure they leave just enough poison to make your mouth tingle."
Ooookay.....sounds peachy! And, Sarah, even if the bites are well balanced, you DO realize that in your body it all adds up right? Ah well, she likes to eat. Brugers and what not. Good to hear. Didn't know she still ate;-)
EdDantes | May 01, 19:38 CET
norman | May 01, 20:36 CET
"making sure they leave just enough poison to make your mouth tingle."
She didn't mention how eating improperly-prepared fugu can kill you. Only professionally trained chefs are allowed to serve it in restaurants in Japan, otherwise one wrong bite and they might end up with a corpse on their hands. (Though I'm sure she went to the very best place possible to try it.)
Still, that shows she's got a gambler's nerve. For anyone who would eat two bowls of the stuff without sweating it, a Buffy movie shouldn't be any riskier. As long as JW is 'head chef', she oughta be in good hands. ;)
Wiseblood | May 01, 22:06 CET
I actually disagree with you a little bit Ed about if she became the next Julia Roberts she would most likely not do a Buffy movie. There has been a lot of speculation that she doesn't want to be stereotyped as Buffy but if she became that big a star she could more afford to revisit Buffy without worrying about being stereotyped.
Firefly Flanatic | May 02, 00:44 CET
marmoset | May 02, 01:06 CET
Will someone tell Sarah - and Joss, for that matter - that for many of us, far from going out on a high, season 7 hit an all-time low? I know season 7 has its devotees, but for me and a great many others the last season was a major letdown. This is a show I've followed and championed for years and, in my book, it got better with each season until we hit the drab, unimaginative final season. Personally, I found the last five episodes particularly disappointing. Obviously I'm not speaking for everyone, but I know a large number of Buffy fans would take issue with the proposition that season 7 went out on any kind of high. That makes the case for a Buffy movie all the more cogent, as in: here's a last chance to get it right!
whirligig | May 02, 02:05 CET
I dislike S7 but I'm happy with the end of the serie(Chosen). The end was very open and I liked that.
[ edited by Kate on 2004-05-02 00:20 ]
Katy | May 02, 02:14 CET
And I just did a quick search on the UK Amazon site for season 7 and it is getting 4.5 out of 5 stars on their site which indicates to me the majority of fans did like it. Can't check the US ratings yet because it isn't listed for us here yet.
[ edited by blwessels on 2004-05-02 00:21 ]
Firefly Flanatic | May 02, 02:20 CET
Gio | May 02, 02:30 CET
Of course, I realize it all comes down to a matter of opinion ultimately but my own feeling is that, while season 6 has improved with repeated viewing in many people's eyes, I don't believe the same will be true of the final season. For myself, I've watched season 7 through three times now, and for the first time in my years of Buffy viewing I find a season just get worse on repeat views.
Anyways, as long as Sarah really believes the show "went out on a high" the less likely she is to agree to a movie. Worth keeping in mind, whether you agree with my taste in seasons or not :)
whirligig | May 02, 02:58 CET
I won't say A WORD, blwessels... not one word. ;)
Willowy | May 02, 04:25 CET
Firefly Flanatic | May 02, 06:00 CET
Gio | May 02, 07:19 CET
Gio | May 02, 07:22 CET
And as for your comments about her having crap lined up for movies (and here comes my defense mode - you asked for it) I think she has some really promising movies coming out.
[ edited by blwessels on 2004-05-02 06:34 ]
Firefly Flanatic | May 02, 08:24 CET
And no one blames Sarah for ending Buffy. Joss was kinda done too which is well known. How Sarah lied to her coworkers and how that magazine came out was less than classy, and also far from tabloid gossip. But you know what? She's just a human being, and it's really okay to accept that your favorite actors can have character traits that are less nice. Like we ALL have. I don't get it. They're all just people. But look at the net. Sites and boards either show blind, gushing worship or utter contempt and bile.
Sarah doesn't need 'defending'. People can have their own conclusions about who we'd think we'd like if we knew them in real life. And we can disagree without anger and we can all acknowledge we could be dead wrong. I can understand it if posters'd go "Sarah SUKS! She's STOOPID!" but I've never seen that kind of behavior on this board. So saying "I don't think Sarah will do a Buffy movie" for example doesn't warrant pulling out the growlings and the fuckings.
Also, I think it's odd to suggest that if we rewatch a season we're bound to agree with your tastes and conclusions. Really, I won't. Like whirlgig, I like S6. I like dark drama and angsty stuff. And S6 took a lot of risks and went further than most of the show. Yes I had my problems with certain elements, but overall I enjoyed it. Believe it or not I also consider it one of the funniest seasons. And I've seen it plenty. Like whirlgig says, it's also a matter of taste.
I also enjoyed S7, but I agree that in plot, characterization and such, I feel it was the most flawed. I still wonder if they were trying to pave the way for a 'Slayer school' spin off and focused so much on Kennedy and the other SiTs for that reason. And Giles, Willow, Xander (and yes in my opinion even Spike), kinda suffered for it. Which is sad considering it was the last season.
And Blwessels, I could be wrong but if Sarah was as successful as Julia Roberts now, I really don't think she'd revisist Buffy. Through everything, I've gotten the impression she wants to leave it behind if she can. But I could be wrong, and even if I'm right, she could change her mind as time goes by.
EdDantes | May 02, 11:13 CET
Norman, this is the last time I'm going to ask you to use capitals in your post where they're appropriate.
Caroline | May 02, 13:32 CET
caroline, do you guys truly police capitalization/punctuation as a routine or is this something new to the site...? i've really never come across anything like that before, and i'm a tad gobsmacked as to the whys and wherefores of such a practice.
t r a c y | May 02, 13:58 CET
As for SMG, I personally have no interest in the rumours. She played the Buffy role brilliantly. She's made some good films (well, I enjoyed them) and I suspect she's going to make some great films. I, for one, look forward to seeing them.
alien lanes | May 02, 15:00 CET
Even AH and NB never said SMG lied to them ,she just didn't say anything to them about her intentions or the magazine
I'm not saying that was nice but it is totally differently from lying to them
garda39 | May 02, 15:59 CET
bloodflowers | May 02, 17:35 CET
Isn't that what she's doing right now?
Buffy ends:
May-July: 3 months SD2.
Aug-Febr:7 months of free time (she did a few charity's and The Simpsons)
Februari-March: The Grudge and promoting SD2
April: Free time
That's working and having a private life.
Katy | May 02, 18:21 CET
As for SMG doing another movie, time will only tell, I really wonder if she already has her mind made up one way or the other. If she really never wants to revisit the role she's smart enough not to come out and say that and if she would do it again, she's smart enough to act like she'd consider it (be offered more money that way).
And one more comment from me to Gio. It's nice that you feel so loyal to SMG but others have their reasons for not feeling that way and whether you agree with them or not you should be respectful in your comments. This is a discussion site and there will be a lot of times where you won't agree with someone and if your reaction is going to be that heated everytime you read something you don't like, you might want to go post somewhere else. Other people may feel just as strongly as you do in not liking SMG (or some other celebrity) but people usually are very thoughtful in giving their reasons why and it can become heated but usually remains respectful.
And I do 'defend' SMG but she is human as EdDantes said and she isn't perfect (as no one is) and there have been several people who have said that she told her co-workers she'd be doing another year and then a couple of days later it was annouced to the world that she was done with Buffy. These are legitimate gripes and several people on this site have said they saw Nick Brendan in person stating this is what happened and then AH in an interview implied the same thing. I for one feel that this was poor judgement on her part but I don't know what she was thinking or was there to witness the conversation.
The point is, you flew off the handle because you thought someone didn't agree with you and was attacking SMG yet you turn around and attack Suzanne Somers. How do you think Suzanne Somers fans will feel? And not that I'm a Suzanne Somers fan but she did a brave thing back then, she demanded more money from the producers who were making a fortune off the show she was on and was shunned and condemned for it. Larry Hagman pulled a similar stunt and told his people he wouldn't come back unless they gave him a significant raise and he got what he wanted. When Suzanne did it, people were outraged and asking "who does she think she is". When he did it and won, people were praising him and stating how brilliant he was. It was a different time but a very sexist time too.
Firefly Flanatic | May 02, 20:05 CET
Katy | May 02, 20:18 CET
Like Caroline said, lurking is best if you are a newbie. That way you can get to know people and their personalities, likes and dislikes before just jumping in and flaming. This board doesn't allow that anyway. None of us do that.
Willowy | May 02, 20:19 CET
My personal take on what happened is SMG had already discussed with Joss and had already done the interview and was uncomfortable with the conversation taking place with Nick and Alyson and just didn't know how to handle it. We don't know if she came right out and said yes, she'd be back next year or if she just didn't say no for sure. I don't want this to turn into a big debate about that whole thing again because that wasn't the point of my post. My point was to Gio that there is going to be a wide range of opinions on this site and everyone is going to have their own take on events and we should just be respectful of each other.
Willowy saw Gio's comment "she doesn't seem like the bitchy type who would dissapoint fans, as well as her former cast mates..." and could've jumped all over that and gave her opinions on SMG but chose not too and as a nod to me and to lighten up the moment made a joke about it. I appreciated it and thought it was funny.
Firefly Flanatic | May 02, 21:51 CET
whirligig | May 02, 21:56 CET
Uhm I have that magazine (Hey it's a collectible. 'Buffy Quits'!) and Joss isn't doing that interview with her, she's being interviewed alone. Maybe Joss knew already and she asked him to keep it quiet.
And indeed Gio, any bad word about Sarah you feel is obviously made up, but you have no problem bad mouthing Suzanne Sommers and accepting all the bad stories about her as gospel....
And really, like Blwessels said, Sarah did lie to her coworkers. And I think it's classless. But that doesn't mean I now 'hate' Sarah. We've all done stuff that we aren't proud of. Maybe she was being too careful, or wanted too much for it to be her surprise story to the media. I don't know. She's still one of my favorite actresses. I don't see the big deal. And maybe it's true she and Carisma and/or Emma didn't get along. Or maybe Emma and Marti didn't like each other. So what? Not everyone gets along. (Except apaprently on the set of 'Firefly')Personally I've never seen any workplace where everyone gets along. Again, don't see the big deal.
Blwessels, you once again are one of the reasons I like this board so much. Often we agree, sometimes we don't but you're one of the best people I've ever 'met' to disagree with.
Uh, wait that sounded weird....ah you know what I mean.
Anyway, with a possible Buffy movie, would it be a 'Buffy' movie or more a 'Buffy/Angel' movie? If so there would be a greater reason to give it a different common title. I would've said a while ago that 'Hellmouth' would be good, but then, it was destroyed. Any takers?
[ edited by EdDantes on 2004-05-02 20:15 ]
EdDantes | May 02, 22:13 CET
Strange James apparently never heard that as he made no mention of it in a recent talk and in fact seemed to indicate that SMG said nothing at all but he did say the unoffical word going around was that it was the last season and you were fooling yourself if you thought it wasn't
garda39 | May 02, 22:30 CET
As for people on sets not always getting along, I always thought the group for Angel seems to have been pretty tight and happy. And Firefly, unfortunately, didn't last long enough for people to start getting on each others nerves. It's a normal thing to happen.
I hope it will be a Buffy/Angel movie because it would be nice to combine the two groups and see what kind of plots they can come up with. We got a little taste of what Andrew in the mix would be like when he guested on Angel. I'd love to see how Buffy reacts to how Wesley is now (and the Wesley of today would make a good love match for her - please no attacks by the shippers!!). And before Fred became DeadFred, she would've been able to charm all the men of the Buffyverse too (Willow seemed to take a liking to her!). And I'd just love to see Andrew following Angel everywhere he goes, chattering away and being all Andrew like as Angel just tries to ignore him. It could be quite fun. Oh and Xander could be a much darker, kind of bitter person now. He lost his eye and he lost his girl, and now he's more determined than ever to fight evil.
As for a plot, I haven't a clue but there still is a Hellmouth in Cleveland!
Whirligig and Kate, if what you both say is fact, then I do think Joss should've told everyone as soon as the decision was made. If that is the case, it wasn't fair of him to leave SMG in that position because maybe they discussed he'd be the one to tell everyone and he didn't. Again, though, none of us can really know for sure what transpired.
Firefly Flanatic | May 02, 22:32 CET
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Caroline | May 02, 22:35 CET
EW, Buffy Quits interview
JW:’’It would be difficult to overemphasize Sarah’s value to the show.’’ Adds ’’Buffy’’ creator Joss Whedon: ’’There’ve been times that we didn’t get along. There have been times when we’ve palled around. But no matter what, she was the other half of ’Buffy.’ In seven years, she never let me down.’’- EW interview
"Maybe Joss knew already and she asked him to keep it quiet."-EdDantes
It's more likely that he told SMG to keep quiet, cause he was thinking about doing a spinoff. And the rest of the cast was still under a contract.
Whedon is developing a spin-off that may involve current ’’Buffy’’ regulars and will be pitched first to UPN. ’’It will be a completely different animal,’’ he says. The good news for fans: Gellar has promised to make occasional guest appearances on the spin-off. The bad news: The spin-off will not be based around sexy bad-girl slayer Faith, played by Eliza Dushku, who is committed to a Twentieth Century Fox pilot directed by Phillip - EW interview
OT: how do you link in a post?
[ edited by Kate on 2004-05-02 21:02 ]
Katy | May 02, 22:37 CET
Caroline | May 02, 22:39 CET
And that would be putting her in an awkward situation if then confronted by castmates if she was coming back. I know when I've been asked to keep a secret and then am confronted by the person who doesn't know the secret you feel horrible and awkard and sometimes are forced to lie.
Firefly Flanatic | May 02, 22:43 CET
Katy | May 02, 22:59 CET
In regards to the actual content of this article, I doubt that in a year or two's time, Sarah will still be singing the "we went out on a high" tune. Despite her immense acting abilities, I think Sarah will never be offered a character as rich and as layered as Buffy. Plus, it is extremely unlikely that Joss Whedon would let a second Buffy movie be "disappointing". As much as SMG will always be remembered for her role as Buffy, this is even more so for Joss Whedon as the show's creator. Joss needs to redeem the disaster that was the first Buffy movie.
[ edited by mai on 2004-05-02 21:55 ]
mai | May 02, 23:31 CET
I think they all knew that the possibility of show stoppage was there, it just wasn't definite.
Willowy | May 02, 23:38 CET
Alyson Hannigan said she was upset that the "announcement" was published without the actors knowing about it in advance. However, she also said the actual news didn't come as a surprise. We will never know exactly what went on behind the scenes. Personally, I wouldn't want to point the finger of blame at any one particular person. For myself, it doesn't much matter if some relationships had soured. It's what they did in front of the camera, rather than behind it, that interests me the most.
Some actors were contracted to do another season if it happened. That's because TV actors usually sign multi-season contracts. Gellar's contract was coming to an end, but it wasn't the case for all the actors. However, I always got the impression that those who planned (or were contracted to) to stay with the show were waiting to hear about possible spin-off ideas, rather than a continuation of BtVS per se.
alien lanes | May 03, 00:19 CET
That said, it seems foolish to get caught up in finger-pointing and blame when none of us were there. It didn't appear to be a nice thing that SMG didn't tell her castmates about the EW announcement, but we don't know anything for sure. I love Alyson Hannigan to death (at least I love what she appears to be), but I'm not going to accord a bitchy comment or two from her about SMG as gospel.
These endless SMG discussions are fascinating because they are just that, endless. I wonder if we'll all be debating SMG's character when she's 80 years old.
phlebotinin | May 03, 01:03 CET
debw | May 04, 00:09 CET
Katy | May 04, 00:50 CET
Simon | May 04, 12:46 CET