From Cinefantastique (CFQ) magazine:
Quote:
Epitaphs: Life After Buffy
by Mike Watt
In June of 2003, at the Buffy-themed convention Moonlight Rising in the Catskills, several of the series' co-stars gathered to meet with fans and reminisce about their time on one of the most popular shows ever to run on television.
If Buffy had a singular ground-breaking element, it was the portrayal of the first continuous on-screen lesbian relationship, occurring between the teen witches, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Tara, who was played beautifully by Amber Benson. The relationship, beginning in season four, was heralded by gay and lesbian communities and organizations, and was one of the most tender love affairs ever seen on television. It came to a sudden and violent end, however, at the end of season six when Tara was accidentally shot and killed by the villain, Warren (Adam Busch), who was gunning for Buffy herself. Fans were outraged, and many felt betrayed by Whedon, who had to field accusations of homophobia because of this plot point that was ultimately revealed to be a quite vital turning-point for Willow, who was becoming increasingly more addicted to magic (the supernatural is obviously a metaphor for many things throughout the series).
"I knew a long time into the show what was going to happen with Tara," Benson said. "Joss and I had talked about the whole character and the story. When Joss first told Alyson and I were going to be lovers, we had no idea [the characters were heading in that direction]. Joss came to us and told us that he was friends with this couple, these two women who were in love and he based the relationship on them. I got to meet them, and realized that Willow and Tara cared about each other the same way these two friends of Joss' did. The bond between them was really strong and really special. And when it came to the point where Tara was killed – Adam Busch is always so apologetic [for killing "Tara"], he's such a nice guy – it was really about Willow's addiction. Most people understand about obsession – we all get obsessed with something and the only way to come back down is to have the rug pulled out from under us. And the only way Willow was going to hit bottom was to have her lover, her soulmate, taken away. And as much as we all cried and didn't want it to happen, story-wise, I knew it was the right thing to do."
Benson continued, "I don't think Joss really expected the ramifications of it, or that he'd get faxes up to about last week. It didn't come from a bad place, but a lot of people were really destroyed by it. For me, I didn't want her to die for selfish reasons. One, I really loved working with everyone and two, I really cared about Tara. When you spend three years as someone, they kind of become part of you. And she really did, in an odd way, Tara was me and I was her. She was special to me. And the day she died it was devastating to me. Actually, the day we shot my last scene, they brought out this cake shaped like a tombstone with 'Tara McClay, Rest In Piece', and that was the last straw. Sarah lost it, Michelle lost it, I lost it. We were all these girly-girls crying our eyes out. I don't think anyone on the show realized what the relationship was going to mean to a lot of people out there. I feel really lucky – Alyson felt really lucky – to have set a precedent [for lesbian characters]."
Death is rarely a permanent thing on Buffy – Buffy herself, as it has already been pointed out, has died twice herself, as have many other reoccurring characters. As season seven began, Buffy and friends prepared to do battle with The First, the original force of evil on Earth, who could appear as any dead person. Fans waited to see if Benson's Tara would appear as an aspect of the villain. It never happened. Tara was referred to, often, as Willow worked through her grief, and the character was still alive in the hearts of many of the other characters, but she never physically appeared. Part of this was due to Benson's hectic schedule in Great Britain, where she was directing the animated BBC internet series, The Ghosts of Albion, which she co-wrote with author Christopher Golden. But there was another reason.
"I didn't really watch much of the final season," she said. "I knew what was going to happen, Joss told me the whole story, I knew all the plot twists, and I didn't want to get sad and cry. It's the reason I didn't want to come back as Tara on season seven. I'd really debated, though. I knew that they were having the story with The First, and that Tara would only be back as The First in disguise and I thought that would be very upsetting, for me and the fans. [Tara's death] was so upsetting, I didn't want to go through that or put people through that. I was miserable after [Tara died]. People really cared about this character. So in the end, it was mutually decided that it would be easier to just let her, let her rest in piece. Bringing her back in the future is definitely an option – though I don't think Tara would work real well on Angel. I think she'd just get really annoyed by everybody. [laughs]"
"I have people constantly coming up to me and telling me how special the show was to them," said Amber Benson. "Being on the show, you don't realize how many people watch the show and care so much for the characters. Since the show, it's been really eye-opening to talk to people and hear people's stories. 'My mom and I sit down and watch Buffy' 'I met my girlfriend because of Buffy.' It's really cool to know that a television show creates a community. It's amazing. Fans treat each other so well. There's a little drunken debauchery, but not much [laughs]. I'm really blessed, too, that I can be a part of that community. And I like that the community cares so much and will not let Buffy die. And it has to. Buffy can't really go away! Come on, how many times has she died and come back? Fifteen?"
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"I want to be Byron... because I want to date young boys." Amber Benson
at: 8/5/03 9:51 am
is a complete liar. 