Actress Charisma Carpenter claims that director Joss Whedon “abused his power” in a series of “disturbing incidents” during his time on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and his secondary series, “Angel”.
In a detailed statement posted on their social media accounts on Wednesday afternoon, Carpenter called Whedon’s behavior “casually cruel”, especially when she told him she was pregnant.
“For almost two decades, I held my tongue and even made excuses for certain events that traumatize me today,” wrote the actor. In another part of the statement, Carpenter claimed that Whedon made “passive-aggressive threats” to fire her and “created hostile and toxic work environments from the beginning of her career”.
Whedon did not respond to a request for comment when TODAY got in touch on Wednesday afternoon.
Carpenter, 50, was in his 30s when he worked on the shows, which debuted in the late 90s. A 2002 pregnancy led to Whedon’s more negative behavior, she wrote, as he “refused” to receive calls from his agents to share the news and calling her “fat”, even though she weighed only 56 kilos at the time.
“As soon as Joss was informed of (pregnancy), he requested a meeting with me,” Carpenter I wrote. “At that closed-door meeting, he asked if I ‘would keep him’ and manipulated my femininity and faith against me. He started attacking my character, mocking my religious beliefs, accusing me of sabotaging the show and then without ceremony dismissed me the following season, once I gave birth. “
Carpenter spoke in the past about how her pregnancy affected her time on “Angel”, saying at a 2009 convention that she thought Whedon was “mad at (her)” and suggesting to Complex in 2018 that the production did not take her pregnancy into consideration when scheduling the show. In her statement, Carpenter said that when she was six months pregnant, she was “invited to report to work at 1:00 am”, despite her doctor “recommending (she) shorten (her) working hours”.
“Due to the long, physically demanding days and emotional stress of having to defend my needs as a pregnant working woman, I started to experience contractions from Braxton Hicks”, Carpenter I wrote. “It was clear to me that the 1:00 am call was a retaliation … At that time, I felt powerless and alone. Without another option, I swallowed the abuse and continued.”
Carpenter’s allegations come as several other actors who worked with Whedon accused the director of mistreatment and inappropriate behavior. In July 2020, “Justice League” actor Ray Fisher, whom Carpenter made reference to in his post, accused Whedon of “gross, abusive, unprofessional and completely unacceptable” behavior towards the Warner cast and crew Bros. Whedon became involved in the film’s remakes after original director Zach Snyder stepped down.
Fisher said he believed that Whedon was trained by Geoff Johns and Jon Berg, producers who were involved in the development of the “Justice League”. In July, Berg told Variety in a statement that it was “categorically false that (he and Johns) would allow any unprofessional behavior”.
Fisher’s claims led to an investigation by WarnerMedia. In September, Warner Bros. released a statement saying Fisher had “refused to speak to the investigator” and “failed to provide” “any specific and credible allegations of misconduct”. The next day, Fisher said on Twitter that he had spoken to the investigator several days before the testimony was released and accused the studio of “aggravating” the situation. Fisher was publicly supported by fellow actor Jason Momoa, who wrote on Instagram that “serious things happened” and needed “to be investigated”.
In December, WarnerMedia said the investigation had “concluded” and said “corrective measures have been taken”. No details were provided by the organization. On twitter, Fisher wrote this “there are still conversations that need to be made and resolutions that have to be found.”
Carpenter said in his testimony that he felt “an enormous sense of responsibility towards Ray (Fisher) and others for remaining secret about my experience with Joss and the suffering it caused me” and said he had participated in the WarnerMedia investigation.
Since Carpenter published her statement, she and Fisher have witnessed a wave of support from fans. Amber Benson, who played Tara in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, wrote on Twitter that she stayed with the two actors and said that the hit show set was a “toxic environment” starting “from the top”.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Buffy, wrote on Instagram that although she is proud to be associated with the striking character, she “does not want to be associated with the name Joss Whedon forever”.
“I am with all survivors of abuse and I am proud of them for speaking out,” wrote Gellar, who said he would no longer make statements.
In November, Whedon announced that he was leaving the HBO series “The Nevers”, according to Variety. Whedon was described as the “creative force behind the show” and played several roles in its development and production; he said at the time that he left the show because “the level of commitment needed to move forward, combined with the physical challenges of doing such a big show during a global pandemic, is more than I can handle without the work starting to suffer . “
The show is due to debut on HBO in April.
In the closing words of his statement, Carpenter said he feared the impact that his claims could have on his career.
“It worries me and saddens me that in 2021 professionals STILL have to choose between reporting in the workplace and job security,” she wrote. “It took me a long time to summon up the courage to make that statement publicly. The gravity of this has not gone unnoticed. As a single mother whose family livelihood depends on my craft, I am afraid. Despite my fear about it. I can no longer be silent. This is necessary and delayed. It’s time. “