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‘Buffy’ actress Charisma Carpenter said Joss Whedon called her ‘fat’ while pregnant
Getty Images Months after Ray Fisher accused Joss Whedon of abusive behavior on set during the Justice League remakes, another actor spoke out against the director: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and former alum Charisma Carpenter. Carpenter starred as Sunnydale’s popular teenager, Cordelia Chase, for three seasons on Buffy the Vampire Slayer before moving on to her spin-off, Angel, for an even more robust arc that reached a strange and disastrously executed stop when her character stayed. possessed before going into a coma. “For almost two decades, I held my tongue and even made excuses for certain events that traumatize me today,” wrote Carpenter in a statement on Twitter on Wednesday. “Joss Whedon has abused his power on several occasions while working together on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Although he found his improper conduct amusing, it only served to intensify my performance anxiety, weaken me and distance myself from my colleagues. ”My truth. #IStandWithRayFisher pic.twitter.com/eNjYcJ6zwP— carpenter charisma (@AllCharisma) February 10, 2021 Whedon’s public image has suffered several blows in recent years; in 2017, his ex-wife Kai Cole wrote that the director is a “hypocrite who preaches feminist ideals” to mask his own infidelities. There was also that time when your not-so-feminist script for Wonder Woman was leaked. In his statement, Carpenter says the director “has a history of being casually cruel”.[Whedon] created hostile and toxic work environments from the beginning of his career, ”continued Carpenter. Some examples: “his continuous passive-aggressive threats to fire me, which devastate a young actor’s self-esteem. And callously calling me “fat” for my colleagues when I was 4 months pregnant and weighed 50 pounds. He was mean and scathing, openly disparaging about others and often had favorites, pitting people against each other to compete and compete for his attention and approval. ”In addition to his comments on her weight, Carpenter claimed in his Twitter statement that Whedon once called her to a meeting to“ interrogate and scold her ”for a rosary tattoo she had recently done. Fans have long speculated that Whedon fired Carpenter from Angel’s fourth season because she was pregnant. Whedon, meanwhile, simply told TVGuide at the time that the writers had taken Cordelia’s story “as far as he could.” When asked if he and Carpenter were getting along, he replied, “Yes, but that is also something between us and not things I would talk about in an interview.” In 2009, however, Carpenter told DragonCon fans that she and Whedon’s relationship were “strained” before the fourth season. According to the Telegraph, she said, “I think Joss was honestly crazy. I think he was mad at me and I say this in a loving way, which is – it’s a very complicated dynamic to work for someone for so many years, and expectations, and also to be on a program for eight years, you have to live your life . And sometimes living your life can hinder the creator’s vision of the future. And it becomes a conflict, and that was my experience. ”In his Twitter statement, Carpenter was less diplomatic, saying that Whedon intentionally avoided calls from his agents – which made it impossible for them to inform him of his pregnancy. “Finally, as soon as Joss was informed of the situation, he requested a meeting with me,” wrote Carpenter. “At that meeting behind closed doors, he asked me 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 program, and then fired me unceremoniously the following season, as soon as I gave birth. ”Carpenter goes on to say that she was invited, while she was six months pregnant, to come to work at 1:00 am – against her doctor’s recommendation to 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,” she wrote. “It was clear to me that the 1:00 call was retaliatory.” Last August, in the wake of Ray Fisher’s allegations about Whedon’s conduct during the Justice League, WarnerMedia launched an investigation that ended in December with a vague statement claiming that “corrective action has been taken.” Carpenter, whose statement came up with the hashtag #IStandWithRayFisher, said he participated in the investigation “because I believe Ray is an honest person who is telling the truth.” She added that Fisher’s departure as Cyborg from Flash, a decision made after he spoke up, was the last straw for her. “With tears welling up, I feel a huge sense of responsibility to Ray and the others for remaining secret about my experience with Joss and the suffering she caused me,” Carpenter wrote. “It is quite evident that Joss persisted in his damaging actions, continuing to create debris in his wake. My hope now, when finally presenting these experiences, is to create space for the healing of other people oas i know have experienced similar serial power abuses. Fisher, however, has already responded to Carpenter’s statement. “Charisma Carpenter is one of the most courageous people I know,” he wrote, retweeting his message. “I will be forever grateful for your courage and for lending your voice to the Justice League investigation. Read her truth. Share your truth. Protect it at all costs. ”Carpenter’s former co-star, Buffy’s star Sarah Michelle Gellar, also spoke up. “Although I’m proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be associated with Joss Whedon forever,” she said in a statement posted on Instagram. “I am more focused on raising my family and surviving a pandemic today, so I will not make any further statements at this time. But I am with all the abuse survivors and I am proud of them for speaking. ”See this Instagram post A post shared by Sarah Michelle (@sarahmgellar) A representative of Joss Whedon did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top news in your inbox all the days. Subscribe now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper into the stories that matter to you. To know more.