I read about Alyson saying that also a long while back. I don't know if it is true or not and I can't remember where I read it.

electricspacegirl | May 22, 08:37 CET

That sounds like an awkward/inaccurate translation of an interview at best. The language is extremely stilted. At worst, uh, I dunno.

chasa | May 22, 08:37 CET

I would say it's bogus. You can barely comprehend the interview because of the broken English and even if Julie Benz wasn't so nice, I find it hard to believe that Alyson would be this blunt. Also, Julie wasn't even a regular whereas Alyson was so it would make even less sense for Julie to be this way to Alyson when they probably didn't even spend much time together seeing that Darla didn't last very long that first season.

Firefly Flanatic | May 22, 08:54 CET

a.) Colba.net is a Quebecois Internet company.

b.) The interview is obviously badly translated, and I would say downright BabelFished at points. I mean, really, "How is your relationship with Nicholas Brendon, who plays the Xander?" and "We try to see us as often as possible, what isn’t simple, because he works at night and I at the day."

Add it all up, to me it spells bogus. Or something genuine that has strayed far, far from its roots.

janeway216 | May 22, 09:04 CET

I agree the wording seemed like they were interviewing her while she was drunk, granted even if it was poorly translated at first I would think it would have been double checked in a professional manner for even a small company to print.

I say bogus.

[ edited by Nuke on 2004-05-22 08:22 ]

Nuke | May 22, 10:22 CET

Well, who knows? She's said less than glowing things about SMG, maybe the Benz thing is true, at least on some level.

Rogue Slayer | May 22, 10:58 CET

First of all, I've heard this rumour before, but never seen a direct reference. Secondly, earlier today this same article was posted at buffy.nu as a scan from Colba magazine (clearly not an American magazine), (and I thought it was weird that they posted a random magazine scan from five years ago,) but now I see that they have replaced it with a transcript.

[So it wouldn't be badly translated text, it would be badly transcribed.]

The funny thing is, I'm almost certain this paragraph was not in the original article, since it would likely be something I'd remember (and I remember the rest, it was only a few hours ago):

"It seems, that your beginning wasn’t this simple.

All actors and technicians were very nice to me. But I had problems with Julie Benz, who played Darla. She wasn’t nice to me. Still today I do not understand why she behaved in such a way. She is really one of the worst persons I have ever met. It was the first time that I had a such important role, I was intimidated and wanted myself to integrate in this team well. But this woman did not have the smallest indulgence. She didn’t end to make unfriendly remarks to me. I often wanted to cry."

There was a nice pic of Aly on the scan, too.

Invisible Green | May 22, 11:19 CET

I don't know if this interview is real or not, but that tidbit about JB is real, because I've seen this years ago in other interview that AH gave when she was in UK in the summer.It was, I think, after season 4, because I remember that I've seen it when
Darla's story started on Angel.The phrasing was different.She said that JB was mean to her and maid her cry. It's a quite known fact that AH said those things about JB, I'm surprised you hear it for the first time.I'll try to find the original interview, but I'm not sure I can after all this years.

I have found the original interview thanks to google search.Go to www.Aly-sium.com/media.html and find "Alyson's interview with SFX"(SFX,#67,Dreamwatch(U.K.Mag.)-August 2000). It's in the bottom,since the interview is old.

[ edited by ilanit on 2004-05-22 10:28 ]

[ edited by ilanit on 2004-05-22 10:34 ]

ilanit | May 22, 11:25 CET

Well, it's clearly a translation, but I see no reason why this would be fake. Everything she says is true with what else I know of Aly. And apparently others remember her talking about Julie before, and she expressed her grave dissappointment with Sarah's behavior near the end of Buffy repeatedly.

Also, why wouldn't she? If she and Julie didn't get along, why wouldn't she say it? Sarah had this feud with that woman from that soap opera they were both in, and that's hardly a secret.

If Aly felt mistreated, she should be able to say so. I'm not saying Julie Benz isn't nice, I never met either of them, but not everyone gets along. And not everyone on Buffy got along, that has been said often. Not every time someone recalls something less than nice from the set, should we assume it's a lie. It was just a place with people working together and sometimes this stuff happens.

EdDantes | May 22, 13:16 CET

Hey this interview was translated by slayerverse.de and stolen by buffy.nu. please give proper credits, whedonesque :-(

willow1997 | May 22, 14:00 CET

The interview is'nt from 1999. So thats a mark against its reliability

"Not so long ago, “Buffy” caused a scandal in the USA because of a homosexual relationship between Willow and an other girl. "

by the end of 1999 Tara had appeared in just one episode (Hush). The question implies that this interview is no older than May 2000, likely a few months latter.

Hey this interview was translated by slayerverse.de and stolen by buffy.nu. please give proper credits, whedonesque :-(

Buffy.nu steal everything

[ edited by Ocipital on 2004-05-22 15:23 ]

Ocipital | May 22, 17:23 CET

Well I've linked to where the article originally came from at Slayerverse.de.

Simon | May 22, 18:20 CET

Thanks for the link, ilanit. There are similar comments from Alyson about Julie in this interview.

"We mention that Julie (Darla) Benz is rumoured to be a surprise guest [at an upcoming convention] and the response is decidedly less enthusiastic. "She was very mean to me. She was, like, the meanest person ever to me. I didn't like her. That was the first season - I still have that grudge, though. I was, you know, on a brand new show, and so excited, and to have someone to be so mean to me, I just wanted to cry. Actually, I think I did."

wren | May 22, 18:28 CET

Strange ,various fans who have met JB say she is very nice to meet

Maybe AH mixed up rudeness with professionalism

garda39 | May 22, 18:53 CET

How funny -- it's two-degrees of translation. Talk about babel-fishing. The original is from France's One magazine and is at: http://www.colba.net/~blob/hannigan.htm

And seeing as how Alyson doesn't speak French, who knows how good the interviewer was at translating what she may have actually said.

[ edited by SaveAngel on 2004-05-22 17:18 ]

Whedonage | May 22, 18:55 CET

Well, Julie Benz was in the original pilot, she had unsuccessfully auditioned for a regular job, and they brought Alyson Hannigan in to replace a regular ... so there could be some animosity, but it is hard to tell from this bad translation.

Scott | May 22, 19:25 CET

sorry willow1997, was my first time posting a link and i only saw it on Buffy.nu, sorry agian didnt mean to upset you.

willowzbitch | May 22, 19:42 CET

It sounds like two young 'inexperienced' actresses being territorial to me. Shit happens. It's pretty old news too.

willowzbitch, you couldn't have known, no need to apologise. I don't know why willow1997 needs to play all indignant. (If you want to take copyright seriously - the original magazine printing this interview holds it.)

Caroline | May 22, 19:47 CET

Yeah, I've heard about this before. Like Caroline said, shit happens. I've always gotten the impression (from interviews) that Julie Benz is delightful to work with, and that the cast & crew of Angel love her, but I also don't have a problem believing that there may have been tension back then, especially when everyone was much younger. It happens.

areacode212 | May 23, 00:29 CET

Vaguely apropos of the article, and to lighten the mood a little, here is a poem I wrote when I first heard about AH's engagement:

Oh, Alyson Hannigan
I guess it's over before it even began
Now you're engaged to that old guy, you must be feeling naughty
Because by the time you're thirty two you know he's going to be forty
And even though I'd only be thirty five
I will survive, I will survive
Oh, Alyson, I've never met you, but I'm sure that we can still be friends
And if I ever meet that bitch, Julie Benz
Who was, like, back in season one, so mean to you
As you said in that online interview
Well, you can be sure that I will rush to the attack
By saying nasty things about her behind her back
Like how I heard she wasn't that good in the sack
Not like you probably are
You famous TV star
Goodbye, Alyson, it's sad but it's over between us
Before you even had a chance to check out my
blog

(mods, feel free to remove if the content is inappropriate)

giles (yes, it is my real name) | May 23, 06:03 CET

To giles (yes, it is my real name)- Great poem! Very classy. You did a good job, and some parts are pretty funny.

Gio | May 23, 07:12 CET

Okay, guess I was wrong. Still feel it was a bogus interview but maybe with some truths or parts from other interviews to try and make it seem legit. See, for me though, I'm not surprised people didn't get along just that they'd be so open in complaining about it. This is Hollywood and they may have to work with these people again. But who knows, maybe there had been plans to bring Darla back to BtVS but if this is true maybe they didn't do it because of how Alyson feels. It would've made sense for Darla to want to kill Buffy, especially after Angel had sex with her and then dumps her. That could've been an interesting plot line to have Darla show up out of the blue and throw it in Buffy's face that she and Angel had sex.

And I just read the interview link that Wren provided and near the end I just started skimming it and I start reading "As she plays with herself for the camera, so to speak, it all starts getting a little disturbing." Of course, I had to do a double take and was glad to see it was with the doll she brought!

Firefly Flanatic | May 23, 07:38 CET

To blwessels- That Darla idea would have worked out great...too bad Joss didn't think of this one. I would have loved to see an updated Buffy/Darla ass kicking.I mean they briefly fought throughout the begining of season 1, but as the show went on the fight scenes became a lot cooler.

Gio | May 23, 07:52 CET

It's interesting, in the sense that when someone makes some veiled comment there's a rush to interpret it, and vice versa, when someone (apparently) speaks plainly, there's a similar rush to interpret it.
Fandom is a funny thing. Thankfully, I remain immune.
...
"I died..."
(Still the only song I know the chords for)

giles (yes, it is my real name) | May 23, 11:03 CET

I think Aly is a little immature about that, sure. Maybe Julie wasn't nice to her but, say in an interview that she was the meanest person? sorry Aly but i'm on Julie's side this time

DADS | May 01, 02:00 CET

Wow, this must be the furthest back I've ever seen anyone comment on an old post.

Paul_Rocks | May 01, 02:55 CET