Enjoy!
Since joining Buffy as Tara, Amber Benson's life has gotten so exciting, it's a wonder she remembers to pack her broom on her way to work in the morning.
The WB: Were you a Buffy fan before Tara came along?
Amber: Not really. And honestly, I had no idea how popular Buffy was with people. It's weird how much time people devote to the show. It's not just a TV show - it's all about the cult of Buffy. Now my face is on trading cards and in a game. I just think of myself as Amber Benson, the girl who was a big dork growing up. So the fact that I would now be on a trading card just blows my mind.
The WB: Was fitting in with the cast hard?
Amber: I definitely had some issues at first. I was afraid that fans would be upset about my replacing Seth Green [Oz]. To step into his tennis shoes was really difficult. There was a lot of upset on the Internet, and people were kind of freaked out about it. And I think it really threw a lot of people that Willow became gay. I think people were like, "What's going on?"
The WB: Did you know from the beginning that Tara was a lesbian?
Amber: No, I had no idea. While shooting my third episode, our producer, Joss [Whedon], took me aside and had a little talk with me. He said, "I'm thinking you and Willow are going to become lesbian lovers." I was just like, "What?!" But I think it's fantastic. I'm really lucky to be part of one of the first long-term lesbian relationships on TV.
The WB: How have fans reacted to Tara's sexuality?
Amber: People come up to me and say, "You changed my life. I came out because of what you and Alyson [Hannigan] are doing on the show." They're crying and I'm crying... People have been beyond sweet and kind to me.
The WB: Do you feel a certain kind of responsibility to the gay community when you work?
Amber: I have a lot of gay friends, and I was kind of worried about how to portray it correctly. They said, "Look, playing a gay character isn't any different than portraying someone who is blond or brunette. It's just a preference. There's nothing you have to do differently. You just go be yourself."
The WB: Your character practices Wicca on the show. Is that something that's ever interested you personally?
Amber: I was really interested in it when I was in junior high. I got a lot of books about it, and I was always trying to leave my body - astral projection. I never figured it out, by the way. I think Wicca appeals to people because it smacks of something that's not quite of this reality. It's a little mysterious and magical.
The WB: Didn't you recently help create a Buffy comic book?
Amber: Yeah, I cowrote a Willow/Tara comic called What a Blessed Be with a guy named Chris Golden. He approached me about collaborating with him, and we came up with a really interesting premise. We both are really interested in mythology, so we found this really funky Celtic deity to come after the girls. We had a good time working on it. A guy named Terry Moore, who does a comic called Strangers in Paradise, is doing the drawings. From everything I've seen so far, it looks really cool.
The WB: Are you as shy as your character in real life?
Amber: No, Tara is so not me. I was definitely shy growing up, but now I'm considered the big interrogator. I bug everyone, asking people 20 zillion different questions because I love to know about people. I have a lot of energy, and I like to be constantly on the go. I do 25,000 things at once and overwork myself.
The WB: Are you into the Hollywood party scene?
Amber: No. In that arena I'm kind of conservative. I'm not a big crazy girl. I don't go out and party. In that way, I'm kind of like Tara. I'm a stay-at-home girl.
The WB: So what's next for you?
Amber: I'm currently directing my own film.
The WB: What's it about?
Amber: It's a feature I wrote called Chance. It's my take on trying to find "the one" in Los Angeles, including all the crap you go through trying to find someone you connect with. It's a dark comedy. Actually, some of the cast members from Buffy are going to be making surprise appearances in it.
The WB: You've also got another film project coming up, right?
Amber: That's The Prime Gig [with Vince Vaughn, Julia Ormond and Ed Harris]. I play this character who's called Batgirl because she bludgeons people verbally. She's a telemarketer, and she's very aggressive.
The WB: Sounds like the complete opposite of you.
Amber: Oh, I know. I could never do telemarketing - not in a million years. I can't even sell myself! Instead of saying, "Amber Benson is great," I'm more like, "Amber? Oh, she's okay, sometimes, I guess."
Copyright 2001 The WB Television Network
