The Origins of Amber, and other cast speculations

[Italiangirl]

Hi kitties...

I hope I'm not comming some kind of kitten faux-pas by starting a new topic when I've only just registered recently. I had a question, and I didn't know where else to put it. Forgive?

Anyway, I was rewatching Family after just rewatching Hush on UPN last night, and I can't help but revel in how completely perfect Amber Benson is in the role of Tara (of course my super-mega-lesbian-worshippy-crush has absolutely nothing to do with my observation...*grin*). She's FABULOUS. She's sensitive and sexy and strong and real and I can't imagine anyone else playing Tara. Which led me to wonder how Amber Benson ended up with the roll. Did Joss have her in mind for it when he created Tara, or did he do a casting call that she responded to? If there was a casting call, I wonder what, if any, other semi-known or well known actresses auditioned. Hmmmm...how fun would it be to see SCREEN TESTS! *squeals with devilish delight*

Anyway, for that matter, did he have SMG in mind for Buffy? I'm curious about the cast members...and the cast members that weren't. Kind of like the fifth Beatle. Anyone have the inside scoopage on near-Scoobies?

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"You're in my blood like Holy Wine
You taste so bitter, and so sweet
Darling, I could drink a case of you
And still be on my feet;
I would still be on my feet."
-Joni Mitchell

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[Unregistered(d)]

i think SMG originally tried for the part of cordelia.

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[Unregistered(d)]

I only have answers to a couple of those. SMG originally auditioned for, AND LANDED, the role of Cordelia. As they had trouble finding a Buffy she pleaded to be given a chance and of course was eventually cast as Buffy. Then there is Aly, we all know a different actress was cast in the original pilot but when the part was re-cast Aly survived repeated call backs till it was down to the final 3. Joss's pick, the WB's pick, and Aly. Apparently Joss and the WB didn't like eachothers first choice and Aly was the compromise. (I never did find out who the other 2 finalists were). Hopefully someone knows the stories behind the rest of the cast.

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"Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love... the clarity of hatred... and the ecstasy of grief."
-Angelus

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The casting stories are always so much fun. It's so strange to think of SMG as Cordy, and seeing the actress who played Willow in the pilot.

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The SMG and Aly casting stories are the only ones I'm sure of, since those were directly from the actresses themselves (i'm an interview junkie). I think the Willow story (or at least part of it) is here http://www.asylum.com/Asylum/?pg=celebs&id=556 on her AOL celebrity chat. Be warned, it is huge! Nearly a solid hour of 1 on 1 interview with Aly. Speaking of interviews, none got me madder that when Aly talks about Julie benz being mean to her- "We mention that Julie (Darla) Benz is rumoured to be a surprise guest 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."
I never liked Benz before hearing that and I loathe her now.

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"Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love... the clarity of hatred... and the ecstasy of grief."
-Angelus

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[Unregistered(d)]

quote:

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Originally posted by Incarnadine:

I never liked Benz before hearing that and I loathe her now.

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I think we've had discussions on these comments of Aly's, and we've thought it best to let sleeping dogs lie.

This is one interview, covering one incident. Aly probably should have considered her words more closely, but in any case this is between those actresses and not up to us to judge.

Moving on...

To answer the very original question of this thread, Aly actually knew Amber from elsewhere, and recommended her to Joss for the role. He auditioned her, and from what I understand decided on her fairly quickly.

"... and from the heavens came Amber Benson." -Joss

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[Unregistered(d)]

quote:

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Originally posted by Incarnadine:
Be warned, it is huge! Nearly a solid hour of 1 on 1 interview with Aly.

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really? cause when i downloaded it, it was only 174 bytes, and took about 2 seconds...

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"really? cause when i downloaded it, it was only 174 bytes, and took about 2 seconds... ----------------------------------------------Odd, I started re-watching it when I first posted the link,still watching and it's only about 1/4 into the interview. You sure you clicked on the AOL interview?

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Charisma originally tried out for Buffy.
Aly introduced Joss to Nerf Herder.

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Actually I just remembered Mercedes McNab (Harmony) originally tried out for Buffy too.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Kalita:

To answer the very original question of this thread, Aly actually knew Amber from elsewhere, and recommended her to Joss for the role. He auditioned her, and from what I understand decided on her fairly quickly.

"... and from the heavens came Amber Benson." -Joss

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Um, from what I remember from an article or two, Amber was ALREADY trying out for Tara when she ran into Aly. When Aly heard that Amber was auditioning for the part she got excited and said she'd put in a good word for her with Joss. But then Joss had already decided to cast her, so it wasn't really that Aly played a major role in getting Amber hired as Tara. I read this in more than one interview, but I can't remember the source. ANyone?

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Well, Judy, one source is Amber's interview in "The Watcher's Guide II." Aly was gonna put in a good word, but Amber had already won the day on her own accord. Good for her.

[This message has been edited by Willowlicious (edited December 12, 2001).]

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Danny Strong who plays Jonathan (of Earshot, Superstar (thank you Jane E.), and the Nerd Troika) was actually one of the finalists for the part of Xander- they liked him enough that brought him back as a recurring bit that spun into more.

please, take a moment to ponder Aly and Danny. or more disconcertingly perhaps, Danny and the Willow from the pilot.

As previously stated Charisma originally tried out for Buffy and SMG for Cordelia.

I know there's a good Nich casting story out there but my mind is drawing a blank- it's in People magazine I believe.

And from an early live chat with David B (like circa season 1 or season 2) there's his version of how he was cast. I know he was discovered walking his dog.

As for Emma, it's another case (similar to that of Danny and Mercedes) of someone coming in for a small or one-off role- and impressing the producers enough either with screen presence, acting, or just plain niceness/joviality that the part spun into more.

As for James Marsters, the role of Drusilla was basically tailored around Juliet Landau (who obviously was prepicked for the role). They then auditioned Spike's against her (for chow they complemented each other, chemistry, etc.) Apparently the air crackled with chemistry between them. And that lean in shot of the two (forehead to forehead from when we first meet them- later used in the credits I believe) actually came spontaneously from the two during their audition. James still thanks Juliet for helping him land the role. Which btw, was originally meant to be played with a southern accent (?? I know...) His account is found in his Darkhorse Comics Online website interview.

As for ASH, don't know but would love to read.

[This message has been edited by lion + dove (edited December 12, 2001).]

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Amber had gone in to audition for the role and decided that she didn't want to tell ANYONE about it, even though she knew Alyson for about five years. After coming out of an audition, Aly spotted her and went on to say something "Hey, why didn't you tell me you were auditioning, oh I get it, you wanted to do this on your own" (I'm making up that quote btw, but according to Amber that's along the lines of what Aly said). Anyway, Aly got all excited and said she was going to talk to Joss. Amber headed on home and she got a call from her manager who said she landed the part. At the same time, Aly called her and said by the time she got to Joss to tell him about Amber, he already decided to cast her.

And that whole story is from the horses mouth - so to speak. Amber mentioned it in an interview. Can't remember where though. For some reason The Watcher's Guide Vol. 1 is popping into my mind.

How she knew about the auditions I don't know, perhaps Aly mentioned in passing since they were friends for a while by that point in time - who knows.

quote:

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As for Emma, it's another case (similar to that of Danny and Mercedes) of someone coming in for a small or one-off role- and impressing the producers enough either with screen presence, acting, or just plain niceness/joviality that the part spun into more.

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I believe she said in an interview that the show came to her. They contacted her management or agent (whichever) and asked her to come in. Now, I'm not sure on this bit here, but I could swear she said she really didn't know anything about the show, which, if I'm correct, I thought was pretty cute. I found itinteresting that the show went to her and not the other way around.

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[This message has been edited by WillTara (edited December 13, 2001).]

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lizzy I have never read that.

This is the story I know:

AB from the watcher's guide:

I went in and read for it, actually, and I didn't tell anybody I was reading for it. I went in and they liked me and they wanted mee to come back. It was on a Thursday or Wednesday that I read, and they wanted me to come back the next Monday.

I was going to be going out of town that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and I was gonna come back early on Monday. At twelve I talked to my agent, and she said, "They're gonna bring you in on Monday. Fine. Go. Just be back for Monday." So we left and we didn't stop until we got to San Luis Obispo, where my dad lives.

We made a pit stop, got gas and checked the messages, and they were like - it was [from] then minutes after we left- "Oh, my God, they're having the callback today and they want you to be there today at five." And of course we were like five hours away at that point and at that point it was already five and there was no way were gonna be able to get back.

There was nothing I could do. I just had to go and I'm thinking, "Oh, my God, I'm screwed!" I just had to let it go and leave it in fate's hands. I got a call Friday night; there was a message they didn't find what they were looking for, "They want you to come back on Monday."

"It was Halloweeen weekend and I was hanging out with my sister and I didn't get any sleep. We drove all morning Sunday morning to get back by eleven or twelve. I was just ughhhhhhhhhhhhh. "Whatever happens, will happen, I'm not going to worry about it."

So I went in and I read and I was walking out I ran Alysong Hannigan, and she said, "I didn't know you were coming in for this. Why didn't you tell me?" You don't want to tell anyone. You want to get it on your own if you're gonna get it. She said, "I think you're awesome. I'm gonna go tell Joss."

She went running in and I went home and I get in and there is a call from my agent immediately when I walk in the door and she's like, "I just wanted you to know that they want you for Buffy."

And two seconds later while I'm on the phone with my agent, there is a call waiting and it's Alyson and my friend Joe Pine to tell me that I had gotten it. Alyson said, "I went running in to tell him and he said we already cast her." So I got it. It was really cool. I had Alyson pulling for me and Joss pulling for me. It was just really awesome.

[This message has been edited by xita (edited December 13, 2001).]

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I remember reading somewhere that Katie Holmes (of 'Dawson's Creek' fame) actually landed the role of Buffy, but didn't want to do it for some reason. Don't know how true that is, though.

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Timothy Dalton should get an Oscar and BEAT SEAN CONNERY OVER THE HEAD WITH IT!!

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I hadn't heard about Bianca Lawson specifically being offered the part of Cordelia, but I did read in the SFX Buffy Special (earlier this year) that Joss wanted a black actress for the role, but was overruled by the WB.
And of course, Joss has a penchant for re-using actors .. there are so many that have played one guest role and come back for another (usually under heavy make-up), that it could be a whole other thread...

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Timothy Dalton should get an Oscar and BEAT SEAN CONNERY OVER THE HEAD WITH IT!!

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[Unregistered(d)]

Hmm, this might be a good place to ask a question that's been buggin' me.

I was re-watching "The real me" recently - the episode where Harmony has minions, and one of the vampires when he spoke reminded me of Andrew of the Lame Gunmen.

Anyone know if it was him?

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"To let this love survive would be the greatest gift that we could give"
Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls)

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[Unregistered(d)]

I've read that Bianca Lawson reference, too. About her being cast as Cordelia, i mean, and turning down the role because of another commitment. It's hard to imagine even the WB being clueless enough to state that they didn't want a black actress for the part. I think she would have made a good Cordelia. It's a legitimate complaint that the cast is way too white/Anglo.

Anyone who's seen the pilot knows that from the beginning Aly was as essential to the character of the show as Sarah. It's interesting to try to imagine Danny as Xander or Bianca as Cordy, but nobody else could ever be Willow.

I believe that the chemistry between Aly and Sarah and their very strong acting are what made the show a success. Even when the writing (of some of the early episodes) was less than stellar they always made the show worth watching.

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[Incarnadine]

More tidbits keep trickling back from the dark corners of my memory. Faith was originally just supposed to be in 4 or 5 eps then killed off and Spike was only supposed to be the "BIG BAD" for about 10 eps. Just goes to show when Joss sees real chemistry he has an open mind about new characters. No idea on the auditioning process for those 2 parts or if they were the first choices for those roles.

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"Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love... the clarity of hatred... and the ecstasy of grief."
-Angelus

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[Unregistered(d)]

Interesting topic.
It seems many of us have read all the different versions of how people were cast on the show. Plus, the actual people involved may have different recollections. Also, agents somehow sometimes manage to spin being asked back to read for a part again to be actually being offered the part.
My understanding is that Everyone in that age group read for the part of Buffy including SMG. She then was put into the Cordelia auditions and got that part. After casting the show but not the Buffy character, the studio suggested that they look at SMG for Buffy. No doubt her agent was also pushing for it behind the scenes.
ASH was cast easily and quickly.
SMG had a formal say in the casting of the Reilly character, but it has never been said whether Blucas was her choice or not.
ASH suggested Alexis Denisoft. SMG suggested Michelle Trach.

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i seem to remember that elizabeth anne allen tried out for the part of buffy as well.

oh and amber and aly got to know each other through melissa joan hart... i think.

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I heard that too, that Amber/Aly/Melissa Joan Hart connection. Not sure where though. Hmm.

Remember when there was a whole discussion about the pilot episode with the other Willow? There was a link then to the episode somewhere on the net; I don't suppose anyone knows where it is, do they? I never saw it then and wouldn't mind watching it now. If only to mock and laugh, heh heh.

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"You evil bitch troll from hell!" ~ Patsy Stone

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Hey tommo, try here:

ftp://ftp.zemon.com/Extras/UnairdePilot/

It's not very good quality, but shouldn't take too long to download.

[This message has been edited by Blixxt (edited December 13, 2001).]

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QoD and Ruth, about the Melissa Joan Hart thing

... about witches, pre-Wicca. Before they were on BtVS, Alyson and Amber Benson met through a mutual friend at a party. The friend became a witch years later when she joined the cast of Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

I found that here.

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Cheers Blixxt. Thanks Brian. And can I just say, that it sounds like one of those kinds of introductions. Nuff said. Heh heh.

Edited to add: I just watched the pilot. Now there's valuable minutes of my life I'll never get back.

"You evil bitch troll from hell!" ~ Patsy Stone

[This message has been edited by tommo (edited December 13, 2001).]

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I saw the unaired pilot at a completely non-Buffy related convention thingy. We dubbed it the "Alyson Hannigan Appreciation Video" ... and while you'll never get those minutes back, I, personally, have found that I actually appreciate the immensely talented Ms. Hannigan more after having watched it.

-Sass

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I love the whole Amber-casting story. It was Fate, I tell you. If, heaven forfend, another actress had been cast, I guarantee you that the Kitty board would not even exist, because W/T would not exist. In fact, I once started a thread on that very subject, and lo and behold it's still around. Here you go.

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Fate's fickle hand...

I just thank whatever stars were watching over Amber that day, because, after watching the pilot, I really can't see that actress doing half the stuff that Aly does.

I'm a horrid person, I know it. That poor girl is probably languishing in 'casting couch hell' somewhere and cursing the day she ever met Joss Whedon...

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"You evil bitch troll from hell!" ~ Patsy Stone

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Did you know that James Marsters(Spike) grow up in the same town as me!!!!!!!!

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