Yahoo News Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Anthony Head "gutted" by toxic behaviour claims against Joss Whedon
Anthony Head has responded to claims of toxic behaviour made against Buffy the Vampire Slayer boss Joss Whedon.
This week, Charisma Carpenter and Amber Benson both alleged that Whedon – who faces similar accusations from Justice League cast members – created a hostile working environment on the show.
Speaking to This Morning presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield from his home in Bath today (February 11), Head, who played Giles on the show for six years, revealed he had no idea of the allegations at the time and feels "gutted" upon learning of them now.
Related: Buffy's Anthony Head discusses reboot and what Giles might be up to now
"I've been up most of the night just running through my memories, thinking, 'What did I miss?'" he said. "Because, and this is not a man saying: 'I didn't see it, so it didn't happen'.
"I am gutted, seriously gutted, because one of my memories, my fondest memory [from Buffy] is the fact it was so empowering. Not just in the words in the script, but the family feel of the show."
Head continued: "I am really sad that if people went through these experiences – I was sort of like a father figure – I would hope that someone would come to me and say, 'I'm struggling, I've just had a horrible conversation'.
"Admittedly, the first post by Charisma was when she was working on Angel, and I was long gone. But there are other posts subsequently that are making me think, 'How on earth did I not know this was going on?'"
Related: Buffy boss Joss Whedon exits HBO series The Nevers due to "exhaustion"
Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase on Buffy, wrote that she came forward following Justice League actor Ray Fisher's own accusations of misconduct against Whedon on the Justice League set, writing: "For nearly two decades, I have held my tongue and even made excuses for certain events that traumatize me to this day."
Among the allegations Carpenter makes in her open letter is that Whedon ridiculed her over her pregnancy weight, and once questioned her in a private meeting over whether she would terminate the pregnancy.
Carpenter's co-star Michelle Trachtenberg also wrote on Instagram that Whedon had shown "not appropriate behaviour" with her, while Amber Benson, who played Tara, has also alleged a toxic environment on the show, writing: "@AllCharisma is speaking truth and I support her 100%. There was a lot of damage done during that time and many of us are still processing it twenty plus years later."
Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar added that while she is "proud to have [her] name associated with Buffy Summers", she does not "want to be forever associated with Joss Whedon".
"I stand with all survivors of abuse and am proud of them for speaking out," she added.
Digital Spy has reached out to Whedon's representatives for comment on the allegations.
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