BUFFY SHMUFFY
Sarah Michelle Gellar won't appear in the series finale of "Angel," the spinoff of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in which she played the title role.
Joss Whedon, the show's executive producer, told TV Guide for its online edition that he didn't invite Gellar to appear in the final episode because he didn't want it to "revolve around a guest star."
"I want to end the show with the people who've been in the trenches together, the characters who have lived and occasionally died together, the regulars," Whedon said.
He said he invited Gellar to appear in the second-to-last episode, but she wasn't available because she was in Tokyo working on the horror film "The Grudge" when the show was being shot.
Whedon's partner, Jeffrey Bell, said show executives eventually learned that Gellar was available for the final episode despite being booked at the time of the penultimate one. But by that time, the second-to-last episode had already been written and shot, and getting her into the last episode "didn't make any sense" with the plot that had been written so far.
"By the time it became a possibility, the ship had sort of sailed," Bell said. (As reported by the Associated Press)
Article-March 26, 2004
Amy on Angel's Cancellation
Amy Acker comments to Dreamwatch #116 on how she felt about Angel's sudden cancellation, and what she'll miss most about the show.
How did you feel when you found out that Angel's fifth season would be its last?
I think everyone was just surprised that it happened. I actually saw Joss [Whedon] the day that he found out. I'd gone over and we got some lunch and he said, "I'm going to dinner with [WB President] Jordan Levin tonight," and I said, '"Oh, well call me if the show gets cancelled or something." And he was like, "That's not gonna happen! We're doing the best we've ever done." And then he called me later to tell me we'd got cancelled! We were totally joking about it, especially as he'd just told me his whole plan for next year. He had all these really cool ideas for the next season.
Do you have anything lined up yet for after Angel?
Not yet. I'm trying to get back into looking at other roles after not auditioning for three years. It's a little weird at the moment, so I am just going to see what happens.
What will you miss most about working on Angel?
The people. One of the sad parts about the show not getting picked up was that these people are just like my family now. I mean, I see them as much as anyone, and everyone's seen each other in the worst and best light. So it'll be weird and very sad not to have these people around all the time.
Article-March 26, 2004
