Buffy the Vampire Slayermay be more than twenty years old, but there are still a few secrets to uncover. Recently, Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy herself) confirmed a long-standing rumour: Dolly Parton was a producer on the hit series.
Buffy the Vampire Slayercenters around Buffy Summers, the titular Slayer of vampires, demons, and things that go bump in the night. Intended as a take on thehorror trope of the Final Girl, the series took a character that would usually be one of the first kills (a blonde, attractive cheerleader) and instead empowered her into a monster killer. The series was heralded as an example of empowering tales for women, and its frequent blend of genres is prescient of today’s storytelling styles.
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While onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,Gellar casually revealed that Parton had been a producer on the series all along. Though the rest of the world was largely unaware of her involvement with the series, she would send the cast Christmas presents each year. “We’d get Christmas gifts in the beginning that would have our name, and I would think, ‘She doesn’t even know who I am.’ And then one day, someone asked her about it, and she complimented the show and my performance," Gellar recalled. “I was like, ‘Oh, I can die now.' Dolly Parton knows who I am and thinks I’m good.”
Gellar has been talkative about her time onBuffy the Vampire Slayerof late, but fans shouldn’t hold their breaths for a comeback. Recently,Gellar shot down aBuffy the Vampire Slayerreturn, reasoning that the character and her struggles were metaphors for adolescence. Gellar said that she might look young, but she’s past her adolescent years and didn’t think it was her place to return to the character. Fortunately, she suggested that the story of the Slayer continue in another form.
Gellar’s choice for a future Buffy is Zendaya, who’s no stranger to the dark aspects of teenage life (seeEuphoria).However, that choice may be unlikely unless a new Slayer is called soon. Zendaya is very busy over the next few months, having just filmedDune: Part Twowhile preparing for future roles (Euphoriaseason 3 is expected to film soon). Perhaps Gellar could appear as an older Buffy who’s a mentor to a new Slayer.
In the meantime, Gellar recalls her days onBuffyfondly. Though there areallegations of on-set abuse against Joss Whedon, creator ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer,Gellar has stated that her time on the series is something she still carries around with her and that she loves the character. However, she has also said that she will not have her name associated with Whedon’s.
Buffy the Vampire Slayeris available on Hulu.
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