Michelle Trachtenberg, along with other actresses from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is accusing series creator, Joss Whedon of “abusive” behavior on set, alleging he engaged in inappropriate conduct when she was a teenager.
The 35-year-old actress came forward with accusations against Whedon following a statement from co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar, who posted to Instagram Wednesday, “I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon.”
“Thank you @sarahmgellar for saying this,” Trachtenberg wrote in a post. “I am brave enough now as a 35 year old woman….To repost this. Because. This must. Be known. As a teenager. With his not appropriate behavior….very. Not. Appropriate.”
Trachtenberg played Gellar’s sister Dawn Summers on the show from 2000 to 2003, while she was 15 to 18 years old.
Both actresses’ comments follow a lengthy statement from Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, alleging Whedon “abused his power” on numerous occasions.
— charisma carpenter (@AllCharisma) February 10, 2021
Carpenter claims Whedon once called her “fat” while she was four months pregnant and asked her whether she would keep the child. Carpenter said Whedon “unceremoniously” fired her following the season after she gave birth.
“While he found his misconduct amusing, it only served to intensify my performance anxiety, disempower me, and alienate me from my peers,” Carpenter said of Whedon. “The disturbing incidents triggered a chronic physical condition from which I still suffer.”
She added she was inspired to speak out following the developments of the “Time’s Up” movement, a 2018 campaign founded by Hollywood celebrities against sexual assault, and specifically by actor Ray Fisher’s claim Whedon and other Warner Bros. executives engaged in misconduct. Following the allegations, Fisher was removed from the cast of The Flash in January.
Trachtenberg levied further allegations against Whedon, posting to Instagram there was a rule stating he “was not allowed in a room alone with Michelle again.”
James Marsters, who played the character Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, tweeted his sadness over the allegations on Friday.
“I do not support abuse of any kind, and am heartbroken to learn of the experiences of some of the cast,” he wrote. “I send my love and support to all involved.”
Marsters recounted earlier this week how Whedon once allegedly backed him into a wall and said, “I don’t care how popular you are, kid. You’re dead.”
Whedon is well known for his involvement in works such as Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., two Avengers movies, DC Comic’s Justice League, and several other films.
The film director and his representatives have not publicly commented on the accusations levied against him.
