‘Buffy’ alum Eliza Dushku supports Charisma Carpenter in allegations against Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon (Image: AFP/Justin Tallis via AFP Relaxnews)
Eliza Dushku has spoken up in support of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” co-star Charisma Carpenter in her allegations against director Joss Whedon.
Carpenter recently accused Whedon of “hostile and toxic” behavior on the sets of the hit show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and its spinoff “Angel” in the ’90s.
Dushku, who played Faith in the said shows, took to Instagram earlier today, Feb. 12, to stand with Carpenter, saying, “My heart aches for you and I’m so sorry you have held this for so long.”
“Your post was powerful, painful, and painted a picture we’ll collectively never un-see or un-know. Thank you. I hadn’t known it and I won’t forget it,” Dushku said.
“I frequently think of the saying, ‘we are as sick as our secrets.’ Our secrets indeed make and keep us sick. What I’m learning more and more — and have personally found most valuable — is that profound healing can only come from naming and disclosing what actually happened, the necessary first step (once someone’s ready) to freeing ourselves from our secrets, untold truths which have kept us isolated, ashamed, and held hostage,” the actress added.
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“Neglecting to ‘name’ the power/gender/sexual/racial abuse epidemic in the entertainment industry (and for that matter society in general), enables the abusers and only emboldens and ultimately fortifies abusive systems,” Dushku stressed.
“May you and countless others feel the solidarity and connection you have likely missed for too long. From courage, come change and hope. It starts and will end because of courageous truth-tellers like you. I admire, respect and love you, ” she told Carpenter.
Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase in the Whedon-directed shows, shared via Twitter yesterday a lengthy statement detailing how Whedon abused his power as a director and how she became traumatized from her time in the shows.
“Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working together on the sets of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Angel.’ While he found his misconduct amusing, it only served to intensify my performance anxiety, disempower me and alienate me from my peers,” she said.
“The disturbing incidents triggered a chronic physical condition from which I still suffer. It is with a beating, heavy heart that I say I coped in isolation and, at times, destructively,” the actress added.
— charisma carpenter (@AllCharisma) February 10, 2021
She also noted that at one time, when Whedon found out she was pregnant, the director asked him if she was “going to keep it” and that he “manipulatively weaponized my womanhood and faith against me.”
“He proceeded to attack my character, mock my religious beliefs, accuse me of sabotaging the show, and then unceremoniously fired me the following season once I gave birth,” she said.
“Back then, I felt powerless and alone. With no other option, I swallowed the mistreatment and carried on,” Carpenter added.
Prior to Carpenter’s revelations, Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg in “Justice League,” last year also accused Whedon of being “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable.”
Whedon, who also directed the 2012 blockbuster “Avengers,” has yet to publicly respond to the allegations. /ra
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