Joss Whedon, who is behind projects like Justice League and Agents of SHIELD, has been accused of creating “toxic and hostile work environments” by actress Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase in the supernatural drama, said that too WeedonAnd the The creator of the show, she was responsible for “persistent, passive-aggressive threats” to get fired during her time on the show.
Among her allegations is that he described her as “obese” when she was four months pregnant, adding that he asked her if she would “keep it” during a meeting – an apparent reference to her personality and religion.
Charisma Carpenter says that Weedon described her as “fat” when she was four months pregnant. Pic: Paul A. Hebert / Invision / AP
Carpenter says she was “unofficially fired” the following season.
She said she was inspired to speak after actor Ray Fisher, who was in the 2017 Justice League as a cyborg, claimed in July that Whedon’s behavior toward cast and crew was “abusive, unprofessional, and unacceptable”.
Whedon was brought up during post-production in Justice League. He supervised extensive remakes, editing and visual impacts on the film for director Zack Snyder, who steps aside after the death of his daughter.
Writing on Instagram, Carpenter said: “Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working together on the sets of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and [spin-off] Angel.
“While he found his misconduct pleasurable, it only served to heighten anxiety about my performance, strip me of my strength, and distract me from my peers.
“The disturbing events caused a chronic physical condition that I still suffer from.
“With a heavy heart beating, I say I have dealt with isolation, sometimes in devastating ways.”
She also said that she underwent therapy to deal with the “complexities of this frustrated thinking,” adding that she was inspired by I also movement.
Sarah Michelle Geller, who starred in the show, responded to the allegations on her Instagram page saying, “While I’m proud to associate my name with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon.
“I’m more focused on raising my family and surviving the epidemic right now, so I won’t be making any further statements at this time.
Sarah Michelle Gellar starred in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Pic: Richard Shotwell / Invision / AP
“But I stand with all the survivors of abuse and I am proud of them because they have spoken out.”
Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Geller’s sister in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, went on social media to thank her brother on screen, saying, “I’m brave enough now as a 35-year-old woman … to repost this.”
She also hinted at his “inappropriate behavior” that she experienced as a teen actor.
Whedon, who directed two of the Avengers movies and created the show Firefly, was contacted for comment, with one cast saying they had received no response to the allegations.