Joss Whedon: The Biography (77 page)


So many of the people …
” Buchanan, interview by the author.


It’s a place where, in order to really fit in …
” Nielsen, quoted in Rachel Hyland, “The Bronze Age.”


I remember him frequently talking …
” Batali, interview by the author.


I’d rather make a show …
” Whedon, featurette commentary in “
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
: TV with Bite.”


Well, you have to go on …
” Hannigan, quoted in Head, interview by the author.


And so I did” …
Head, interview by the author.


Some Bronzers hated everything …
” Noxon, interview by the author.


Am interested in showing dreams …
” Whedon,
Buffy.com
post, circa February 2, 1998.


It was always such a BIG DEAL …
” Morris, interview by the author.


It was special that [Joss] …
” Salomon, quoted in Tuszynski, “IRL (In Real Life): Breaking Down the Binary of Online Versus Offline Social Interaction.”


It was always lovely …
” Noxon, interview by the author.


I don’t think people realize …
” Cole, interview by the author.

10. The Buffy Way


It is a show …
” Greenwalt, interview by the author.


distinctive voices who can blend …
” Whedon, interview in
Joss Whedon: The Master at Play
, DVD
.


the person behind the words …
” Ibid.


I got offered a job …
” Noxon, interview by the author.


a director doesn’t have to …
” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”


I don’t have to write …
” Ibid.


The thing about fantasy …
” Whedon, interview by the author.


possibly the best” scene …
Whedon, director’s commentary, “Innocence.”


harder edged” and “uglier” …
Ibid.


You have to make sure …
” Whedon, interview by the author.


Not only were we making a movie …
” Ibid.


This one’s a French farce! …
” Ibid.


Joss’s shows are really …
” Espenson, interview by the author.


There was almost never a day …
” Ibid.


Once, I’d worked a long time …
” Ryan, interview by the author.


Behind all of the intelligence …
” Gordon, interview by the author.


He would pace around the room …
” Espenson, interview by the author.


delightful, funny people …
” Noxon, interview by the author.


Sofas, easy chairs, etc….
” Fury, interview by the author.


We had lots of toys …
” Espenson, interview by the author.


there were little magnetized ball bearings …
” Ibid.


If he lies down on a table …
” Greenwalt, interview by the author.


But he wanted us to look …
” Noxon, interview by the author.


I think that is the great privilege …
” Gordon, interview by the author.


Marti, we’ve read your script …
” Whedon, quoted in Noxon, interview by the author.

Joss said “Leprechauns” …
Ibid.


I have never lived the leprechauns down …
” Noxon, interview by the author.


I go for the comic ones …
” Whedon, interview in
The Write Environment
, DVD.


I had just come off …
” Espenson, interview by the author.


That’s dumb” …
Whedon, quoted in Gutierrez, interview by the author.


Joss was definitely …
” Gutierrez, interview by the author.


Muji made a wonderful notebook …
” Whedon, interview by the author.


If I’m writing by pacing …
” Ibid.


By the time he sits down …
” Greenwalt, interview by the author.


He basically taps his thumb …
” Gutierrez, interview by the author.


Oh my God, he would do this thing …
” Noxon, interview by the author.


He hates to rewrite” …
Greenwalt, interview by the author.


You could always tell …
” Head, interview by the author.


I would get up at five …
” Greenwalt, interview by the author.


Can we make him smile …
” Batali, interview by the author.


The Dear Leader of that cult …
” Espenson, quoted in Bridges, “SerenityStuff Welcomes Jane Espenson.”


He sent us all out …
” Ibid.

11. Front-Page News


My first impression wasn’t …
” Espenson, quoted in Vary, “Life Inside the Whedonverse.”


There was a lot of tension” …
Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”


You just had to encourage actors …
” Britt, interview by the author.


two kids who suspect …
” Whedon, quoted in Hontz and Petrikin, “Whedon, Fox Vamping.”

a comedy about someone who is kidnapped …
Hontz and Petrikin, “Whedon, Fox Vamping.”


none of us turn out exactly …
” Whedon, interview in
Joss Whedon: The Master at Play
, DVD
.


It’s hard to ignore the idea …
” Whedon,
Buffy.com
post, December 15, 1998.


On the inevitable subject …
” Whedon,
Buffy.com
post, May 13, 1999.


if anything [violent] had happened …
” Turell, quoted in “Buffy Breaks Out,”
Entertainment Weekly
.


Even Elvis Costello riffed …
” “Buffy Breaks Out,”
Entertainment Weekly
.


OK, I’m having a Grateful Dead moment …
” Whedon, quoted in Johnson, “Fans Sink Teeth into Bootlegged ‘Buffy.’”


hot water” with the WB …
Whedon,
Buffy.com
post, June 19, 1999.


We are the people …
” JenKatz, “Bootlegging Buffy.”


Joss had an old black Toyota …
” Brendon, interview by the author.

12. Growing Up: Angel


When Joss [brought up the idea] …
” Greenwalt, interview by the author.


David was a great guy …
” Ibid.

Joss was “blown away” …
Whedon, interview in
Joss Whedon: The Master at Play
, DVD
.


I frankly didn’t think …
” Minear, interview by the author.


Marti Noxon, Jane Espenson …
” Gordon, interview by the author.


Trust me. I don’t sing …
” Ibid.


There were the freshmen” …
Minear, interview by the author.


We wanted a much darker show …
” Whedon, quoted in Havens,
Joss Whedon
, 101.


One time, Angel arrives too late …
” Greenwalt, interview by the author.


Buffy is always the underdog …
” Whedon, quoted in Havens,
Joss Whedon
, 102.


Touched by an Equalizer” …
Whedon, interview in
Joss Whedon: The Master at Play
, DVD
.


turned it into another ensemble …
” Ibid
.


terrific, but troubled …
” Greenwalt, interview by the author.


weird uncomfortableness” …
Minear, interview by the author.


Well, when you wipe your ass …
” Ibid.


There was sort of a high school …
” Ibid.


I quit” …
Ibid.


We’ve been here for months! …
” Ibid.


Great” …
Ibid.


That’s a really big show …
” Greenwalt, quoted in Minear, interview by the author.


Because I wasn’t happy” …
Minear, interview by the author.


I don’t even think …
” Whedon, interview by the author.


I had already fallen in love …
” Denisof, interview by the author.


We just couldn’t figure it out …
” Britt, interview by the author.


I ran into David Boreanaz …
” Benz, interview by the author.


If you’re available …
” Ibid.


Angel got very dark …
” Minear, interview by the author.


When he talked about a story …
” Ibid.


I had always had the belief …
” Ryan, interview by the author.


Look, I’ve been lucky enough …
” Minear, interview by the author.


I definitely want to get credit …
” Whedon, quoted in Minear, interview by the author.


Let’s be honest …
” Minear, interview by the author.


At the beginning of season one …
” Ibid.


Absolutely, you should …
” Whedon, quoted in Minear, interview by the author.

he called Minear a “genius writer” …
Whedon, quoted in Adalian, “‘Angel’ Writer Gets Fox Wings.”


That’s the thing …
” Minear, interview by the author.

13. A New Challenge: Silence


just get his coverage …
” Whedon, interview by the author.


remind people of what scared them …
” Whedon, director’s commentary, “Hush.”


The Globolinks came …
” Whedon, quoted in “Joss Whedon’s Plan to Monetize Internet Content,” Knowledge@Wharton.


genuinely disturbing imagery” …
Murray, review of “Hush.”


a true tour de force …
” Bianculli, TV Tonight, March 21, 2000.


in a medium in which producers …
” Bianco, Critic’s Corner, December 14, 1999.


‘Hush’ … redefined what an episode …
” Espenson, featurette commentary in “‘Hush’ Featurette.”

conservative church groups told members …
Tuszynski, “IRL (In Real Life): Breaking Down the Binary of Online Versus Offline Social Interaction.”

the fans “heard from other people …
” Paula “Polgara” Carlson, quoted in ibid.


LESBIAN TOASTER …
” Whedon,
Buffy.com
posts, August 1, 2000.


Somewhere along the line” …
“Missi,” quoted in Tuszynski, “IRL (In Real Life): Breaking Down the Binary of Online Versus Offline Social Interaction.”

as the organizers established partnerships …
Gatson and Zweerink, “Choosing Community: Rejecting Anonymity in Cyberspace.”


you could see the stars of the show …
” “Leather Jacket,” quoted in Tuszynski, “IRL (In Real Life): Breaking Down the Binary of Online Versus Offline Social Interaction.”


I read the Parable …
” Whedon and Fury,
Buffy.com
posts. May 17, 2000.


Joss came on …
” Hein, quoted in Tuszynski, “IRL (In Real Life): Breaking Down the Binary of Online Versus Offline Social Interaction.”


There’s no other word …
” Gellar, quoted in Pond, “Sarah Michelle Gellar’s New World Order.”


He was very upset …
” Pruitt, interview in the Hellmouth, June 21, 2000.

14. Shakespeare Fanboy


You can’t get upset …
” Whedon, quoted in Minear, interview by the author.


What we decided to do …
” Minear, quoted in Gross, “ANGEL: Writer-Producer on directing ‘Darla.’”


You know what we should do? …
” Whedon, interview by the author.


It’s hilarious …
” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”


I think Shakespeare works …
” Ibid.


No one cares. Just come …
” Whedon, quoted in Head, interview by the author.


James had always had a real thing …
” Head, interview by the author.


I waited, waited” …
Whedon, interview by the author.


He found nuances in it …
” Head, interview by the author.


When you’re in a couple …
” Cole, interview by the author.


a happy one” …
Ibid.


He knows I love it …
” Denisof, interview by the author.


It’s not always the part …
” Ibid.


He called me …
” Benz, interview by the author.


If you’re working with him …
” Acker, interview by the author.


We had amazing, amazing readings” …
Whedon, interview by the author.


Suddenly you saw a whole different side …
” Head, interview by the author.


I told him ‘I can’t talk …’
” Cole, interview by the author.


I was ‘nonspecific duke …’
” Denisof, interview by the author.


It’s just the fun of hearing …
” Ibid.


It made me want to eat …
” Harris, interview by the author.


It’s crazy! …
” Espenson, interview by the author.


It was that that got him thinking …
” Denisof, interview by the author.

Joss describes it as Vietnam in the morning …
Whedon, interview by the author.


I just pictured it in my head …
” Cole, interview by the author.


He loves it so much” …
Ibid.

15. Buffy Goes Back to High School


have a really important, intense emotional relationship …
” Whedon, quoted in Miller, “The Man Behind the Slayer.”

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