The Official We Appreciate ALL Buffy actors/characters Threa

[xita]

Inspired by the recent Riley and Seth Green threads, I decided to make this thread. All the actors deserve our love and respect, feel free to show it. This is not a negative thread. Express your views positively and with respect!

I'd like to say I love ASH and I will miss him and Emma Caufield is a joy to watch. Also, SMG can me cry and that is very rare.

[concrete]

Xita; this is realy a wonderful idea! I was just thinking that all of the current cast are indispensable and certainly all have a special place in my heart: some a bit more than others but definitely no exceptions. Good thread

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Willow: Where would you go? If you felt lost and alone?
Where would you go?
Tara: To you.
Deleted scene from Blood Ties
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[miss_spangles]

I agree that this thread is a great idea. I was just watching a bunch of videos the other day and thought how perfect the casting is on buffy, i really can't imagine anyone else in any of the principal roles. Sarah Michelle Gellar is an absolutely perfect Buffy, Nicholas Brendan couldn't deliver his lines any better and I love ASH and Emma Caulfield AND James Marsters as well. But I have to say that Alyson and Amber are just fantastic, they make the relationship between Willow and Tara so believable and sweet. So three cheers to the casting people at Buffy and three cheers to Xita for starting this thread

[Lijdrec]

quote:

---

Originally posted by xita:
Inspired by the recent threads, I decided to make this thread. All the actors deserve our love and respect, feel free to show it.
I'd like to say I love ASH and I will miss him and Emma Caufield is a joy to watch. Also, SMG can me cry and that is very rare.

---

I'll throw in my Woooo-Hoooo's for this topic too!

ASH will be sorely missed, he was a glue that bound the Scoobies together. And I have been missing his apartment in S.5.

I think that most all of the actor portrayals have been rather good. There seems to be some very good casting (for type) in BtVS and if there is a character that we all love to hate, well, that's the way it was conceived of in the mind of the master - JW.

Hey - let's here it for the minions!!
Just the right comic relief at the right time...and good comic timing!

[This message has been edited by Lijdrec (edited August 15, 2001).]quote:

[mollyig]

I think Anya is a great character, and Emma Caulfield portrays her brilliantly.

Anya's struggles to understand human behaviour are wonderfully funny.

------------------
"The hardest to learn is the least complicated" - Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls)

[gypsyfoot]

Not only the main characters but the supporting cast as well. Such as Danny Strong who had several minor roles before becoming Jonathon. Luke (las name?) as a vampire in the first two eps and coming back to play the judge.
Was the right actress choosen for Buffys' Mom, I think she was. (Now if I was sure of her name)
The way Amber and Michelle just slid into place as though they had been there since the begining.
On the tape Hellmouth/Harvest Joss talks about SMG trying out for and winning the role of Cordy. It was only when they thought they would never find anyone to portray Buffy that someone suggested SMG. Imagine the diffence it would have made if SMG had portrayed Cordy.

------------------
Willow smiles and Tara blows out the candle!

[Shaniezak]

Good on ya, xita, I love the idea of this thread!

You know, I really can't say enough about the fantastic work each and every member of this cast has done. So I'll just mention three noteworthy favorites.

Michelle Trachtenberg never fails to astound me. She does such incredible work at such a young age, I think she's going to be really awesome in a few years. Matter of fact, I already think she is.

Emma Caulfield's delivery absolutely makes Anya's dialogue work! She's got some great comedic talent, which is not to detract from her ability in the dramatic department--who can forget that heartwrenching speech from "The Body," or the variety of emotions she put into Anya's reaction to Xander's proposal?

James Marsters really brings out all the nuances of Spike. Love the character or hate him, he really is complex and interesting, and I think a good chunk of that complexity is due to James's portrayal. Spike has gone through a lot of twists and turns, and James has done such an excellent job with a daunting task.

This is not to detract from SMG, ASH, Nick, or anyone else, of course. I've just been especially blown away by what Michelle, Emma, and James have been able to do with their characters.

------------------
"Dawn, the hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me." -- Buffy, "The Gift"

"If I had only thirty seconds to live, this is how I would want to live them: looking into your eyes . . . Always remember: I love you." -- Xena, "Friend in Need"

[Leora]

Great idea. SMG is superb as Buffy. The core four of SMG, NB, ASH, and AH can't be beat.
I love the relationship between Willow and Tara, the idea that love is restricted to heterosexual couples is one that puzzles me. Love is the thing not gender, Willow and Tara serve to remind us of that.

[Wolfie]

Yay xita!
I agree, wholeheartedly. I think it's so unfair to rip into certain characters. I actually like them all, and have been impressed over how JW manages to develop them. What really strikes me is, having watched all those hideous BBC and ITV dramas, is how, possibly due to the larger number of episodes, plus greater competition on the US networks, the characters are more carefully developed, and pushed so much further. Buffy does this better than any other show I have watched. It will be interesting to see what happens with this Giles mini series - wouldn't it be fantastic for Joss to make someting over here, on our network, using our system of six to ten eps, and show us how it is done?!
I have only seen as far as the first box set of season five, as I don't have sky, but, for me, the show is getting better and better. It has all the great elements of compelling storytelling. Long may it rule!

[legend]

I too apprecitate all the past and present Buffy actors (especially Aly ) Without them ALL, the show would be nowhere near the high standard that it is today

[lau_rette]

first of all, i would like to roar an enormous HEAR HEAR!!!! to everything that is said above (people turning their heads now, pointing fingers to forehead).

obviously, i love aly and amber and the rest of the cast also blows my socks off (mmh, this suddenly sounds like a strange expression. i should get some sleep).

in addition to everything that is already stated, i would like to mention a few baddies who i really liked and who either scared the hell out of me or had me entertained enormously. methinks their contribution to the show makes it all the more fantastic:
- the gentlemen
- spike (well, duh!) and dru
- angelus
- dr. kindestod
- the mayor and faith
- vamp willow (and i repeat: well, duh!)
- glory

o boy, i could go on and on and on...
(starts to drift away...)

[tommo]

See, I really used to hate SMG. I don't know what it was about her, but I'm glad I stuck with the show and wasn't put off. I mean, she does such wonderful work, with a glance, or a smile, or even just one facial expression. Her skills in this last season have honestly astounded me. I don't cry often at things on television and I've spent quite a while sobbing to myself during Season 5 of Buffy.

Emma's the same. Watching Season 3 last night, I was struck by how much she's changed. How the humour and nuances of her character have developed and grown to give us something as tangible as the speech in The Body. And that made me hurt.

------------------
"She looked across at Willow, whose face was filled with light. She had never felt so calm and happy, and strong..." ~ Unseen: Door To Alternity

[Catwoman]

Great thread idea

I couldn't even begin to imagine how the show would be if the cast we have now had been replaced by another cast or even if just one or two of the actors had been replaced. Everyone is just perfect at what they do. I could go on forever about how great Aly and Amber are, so i'll show my appreciation for a few of the other actors.

Emma Caulfield- Her comic timing and delivery is absolutely brilliant. If you'd seen her a few years earlier on '90210' playing this really straightlaced character, you would'nt believe that she could pull of a character as wacky and quirky as Anya. She is awesome at comedy, and the drama too when they give it to her.

SMG- When she shines she really shines. It sounds corny, but it's true. Just look at episodes like 'Lie to Me', 'Who Are You', and 'The Body'. She's such a talent and IMO was born to play Buffy.

ASH- I think he's been the most consistent actor through the 5 seasons. It's almost as if it's impossible for him to put a foot wrong.

James Marsters- I was *so* shocked when i found out he was American (probably halfway through season 4), that's how convincing he is. And it's not too bad that he's one damn hot boy either .

[shazza]

I have always loved Anya. i thkn she is my second fav character after Willow. I love her attitude and her one-liners. I also love Xander for his one liners and his little butt-monkey speeches.
I know this is a little OT but this year, after watching season 1 of Angel, Cordelia has become my fav character. She has developed so much. And I would kill for her wadrobe. Of course then I would need a whole new body to go with it *sigh*

[WiccanBex]

this is a seriously cool thread

i can honestly say that i've never disliked even a single character on BtVS. i mean, i've hated characters in an "oooh! you're so evil! i hate you!" kinda way, but i've never thought that a character totally sucked.

wasn't a huge riley fan. which is a shame because marc blucas is a kickass actor! i just felt that riley's character was severely undeveloped and i wasn't entirely sure as to why he was there in the first place.

SMG is a complete marvel! she's amazing! the look on her face at the end of The Gift - it was like "oh my joss! she really is buffy!!! if you know what i mean...

seth green was also amazing - he's a great actor. but he's gone and we have to move on (*sob*). besides, we couldn't have asked for a better replacement than amber

jame marster... oh, how i love this man! such pretty hands... and cheekbones you could cut glass on... but, i digress. the way he portrays a Spike... i mean, the character is a mass of contradictions: a vampire who can't bite, a souless fiend so full of compassion (sometimes), a vampire in love with a slayer... to portray a character like that, you've gotta be one hell of an actor! and james marsters truly is!

emma caulfield can be so moving and yet so funny... it's rare that you can find an actress that can provoke so many emotions. whenever i'm telling a joke, if someone butts in... "shhh! you'll miss the humourous conclusion!"

i'll miss ASH - he's super cool - but hopefully not for long because that's a spinoff i just can't wait for!

aaargh! this could go on forever, so i'm gonna stop! i could name every single character/actor on the show (and the majority of the crew, too) and say something complimentary about them. but i won't, because there's only so much space on a page, right? so i shall say this...

THEY ALL RULE!!!!!! and the show wouldn't be the same without them

[tyche]

The thing I enjoy most about 'Buffy' is that even the characters who aren't likeable are, at the very least, entertaining. And I don't think that they've ever used a really bad actor on the show. Even the minor parts are usually really well cast. I think that, because the writing is so good, they don't have any problem in attracting good actors.

------------------
"There's only one thing better than Willowhand, and that's Amber Butt" - me, to Amber Benson.

[tommo]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Catwoman:
James Marsters- I was *so* shocked when i found out he was American (probably halfway through season 4), that's how convincing he is.

---

Seriously? I always thought he was rather 'Dick Van Dyke' with his British accent. But he's so good at Spike I forgave him.

------------------
"She looked across at Willow, whose face was filled with light. She had never felt so calm and happy, and strong..." ~ Unseen: Door To Alternityquote:

[Hemiola]

I'm going to (literally) play "devil's advocate" here and sing the praises of Clare Kramer, who did such splendid work playing Glory. She did a brilliant job playing a "mustache-twirling" type of meanie, who could also be very funny (think of the "She turned us down?" line from IWMTLY ). Then think about how everyone hated her in TL, especially during her chilling "what-it's-like-to-be-brainsucked" speech to a terrified Tara: that just demonstrates how good a job she did! Finally, it's worth mentioning that CK demonstrated considerable physical grace in all of her fight scenes with SMG.
------------------------------------------
"This one time, uh, here..."
Michelle to Jim at Band Camp in AP2

[The Rose]

Good Thread Xita!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SMG-She has portrayed Buffy excellently for Five years. She is irreplaceable!!!

AH-Willow is a lot like me. When I was in high school I was a sort of a nerd, but I was proud of it. Now, I am just a more confident and beautiful NERD!!!! Alyson brings Willow alive. She is irreplaceable too!

AB-Amber's portrayal of Tara gets more outstanding every ep. Put her in the opening credits PLEASE!!!!

NB-Nick is just the coolest!! Xander has matured a lot over the years.

MB-I Loved Marc Blucas as Riley. I just loved Riley period. I hate the way the writers treated his character though.

ASH-Tony's portrayal of Giles is outstanding! I love when Ripper comes to visit too, but just for a while.

JM-James is an excellent actor even though I
am not too crazy about Spike. I just love to hate him.

KS-Kristine Sutherland could not have been anymore perfect as Buffy's mom. I miss her

MT-Michelle is just AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

[april]

although we haven't seen her since season 4, i'd like to put a plug in here for eliza dushku as faith. she made being bad seem oh-so-good. and man was she a hottie in those leather pants!

mmm...faith...

[christa monsta]

oooh...Hemiola...i gotta agree. i thought clare kramer did a fantabulous job. i loved all of Glory's quips and jabs...well, right up until tough love...then i kinda super hated her. but i still appreciated the super job clare did.

------------------
"You can sleep with me!
Well now, that came out a lot more lesbian than it sounded in my head."

[Hugin]

I liked Riley.
(len watches a shocked hush fall over the room. A baby begins to cry.)

I thought Riley, and Marc Blucas playing him, were more than anything the victims of inconsistent writing. Sometimes Riley was very secure about having a super girlfriend, other times he wasn't, and it was never clear why from week to week.

I liked the idea of someone on the show who wasn't particularly snarky or sarcastic, who was a little more straightforward in thier approach to the good vs. evil fight. I thought it was an interesting contrast.

And I liked that they hinted he was religious. In a world where you know true evil and demons and things exist, it's entirely plausible that someone or other would feel drawn to a traditional church setting.

And I never felt like he got enough sympathy for what he went through in season 4, I always try to remind folks who fault him for his behavior in season five just how much he lost in season 4, his job/mission in life, his best friend, all the rest of his friends/coworkers, his mother figure, his worldview, his physical and mental stability for a while...it's a lot.

Finally, I guess I liked Riley because though I like Angel well enough as a stand alone character, I thought Buffy/Angel was (though effectively dramatic) fundamentally unhealthy and untenable, and I was rooting for Buffy to have some happiness with a regular guy.

Moreover, when I saw folks ragging on him for being unfunny, or bland, or less cool than Buffy's previous BF, it reminded me far far too much of the things folks were saying about Tara.

So. My plug for Riley.

-len

[The Rose]

Amen Len!!!!

[Kieli]

I didn't mind Riley, although I have to agree with some in that his character wasn't written very well. I don't think he was meant to last but for the life of me I can't figure out why.

I thought Clare made the best uber-bitch around. Gotta love those snappy comebacks and her tendency towards being a Fashion Cop

I live Seth Green the actor but I wasn't to impressed with Oz. It was like they were going out of their way to make him deep and complex....it got a little boring. I thought he was cool initially but I lost interest later on.

I agree with his place on the show, however. If not for him leaving, the segue into the W/T relationship would not have been as smooth or as jaw-dropping, warm-fuzzy-feeling. But that's just MHO.

------------------
"Sometimes, we just can't make it on our own. We all need someone to love us, to help remind us that there's good in the world, to keep us from going crazy."

Willow from Dacia's The Dreamer Awakes

[xita]

I LOVE CLARE KRAMER! Seriously, I wish Glory would make a return one day. I seriously dug that character and Clare got so much better as the season went along, but you know I loved her initially cause of that rant she had with the monk in her first ep. HA HA. So funny.

[april]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Hugin:
I liked Riley.
(len watches a shocked hush fall over the room. A baby begins to cry.)

---

rofl len! you crack me up...

i definitely understand what you're saying about riley there. he had some real potential, as the regular-guy boyfriend that buffy had never had. like a more earnest xander. but alas, like faith, he has now been relegated to the buffyverse's past...quote:

[Shaniezak]

You go, len.

*stands up and applauds*

That was pretty much a summary of my thoughts. With a whole helping of eloquence I can't really manage at the moment.

[Still Waters Run Deep]

I have only seen as far as the first box set of season five, as I don't have sky, but, for me, the show is getting better and better. It has all the great elements of compelling storytelling. Long may it rule!

*Edited by me to put in this above is Wolfies. Somehow I lost the quote lines*

Amen to that. Like you my only access to season 5 is via Tape and I'm counting down the days until the 20th.

On another site I was bemoaning the fact that W/T seem to have taken the fansites by storm lately, leaving poor Buffy out in the cold rather. And then Xita [bless] comes up with this thread.

Good on ya girl!..Lets have some SMG/Buffy worship for a little while, to get our appetites up for S6!

quote:

---

Originally posted by Catwoman:
Great thread idea

SMG- When she shines she really shines. It sounds corny, but it's true. Just look at episodes like 'Lie to Me', 'Who Are You', and 'The Body'. She's such a talent and IMO was born to play Buffy.

.

---

I loved her playing Buffy as Faith playing Buffy [if you get my drift] in the body swap eppy in S4 [can't remember the name].

* You can't do that. Its wrooong*

All the Dush's nuances as Faith came through, and you could really believe Faith had taken over Buffy's body, her acting style was so accurate. luvly.

------------------
Still Waters Run Deep

*Chief Grader of Miss Kitty fantastico's cat litter*
*Willow and Tara's Official Duvet*
*Buffy's registered Doormat*

[This message has been edited by xita
(edited August 15, 2001).]

How did you do that Xita. I tried and I lost everything!

[This message has been edited by Still Waters Run Deep (edited August 15, 2001).]quote:

[Kabuki]

Great topic! I love ALL of the characters, and I don't watch for any one character.. if W/T were to leave the show I would still watch (I would be VERY sad, but I would watch!) because there are so many strong characters and the cast is just amazing..

I'm a big Xander-lover, he seems to get a lot of flak sometimes but I think Nicky does a great job. Some of my favorite eps are the Xander-centered ones ("The Zeppo" for example). I will be tickled pink if he gets a major storyline next year.

I got really tired of Buffy herself in seasons 3 and 4, but SMG did an amazing job last season and I've regained my love for the character.. I started watching the show right at the start for SMG and even though I've fallen for the rest of the cast BTVS just wouldn't be what it is without her.

Dawn has grown on me faster than any other character and I am so impressed with MT! She is painfully real in so many of her scenes, so "in the moment", for such a young actress. I'm so glad she will be staying with the show, instead of being sacrificed last season.

There are so many other good characters.. Oz was a favorite, Drusilla is always a wacky pleasure, Spike is a lot of fun (as long as he maintains his edge), and I love the villians (the Mayor was my favorite). The casting for this show is amazing.

[minion]

I love all the cast and I can't imagine any of the characters being portrayed by anyone else but them.

I have to say I think things are almost perfect now, having watched Buffy from day 1, I honestly thought that the acting and writing was sublime in season 5 (IMHO!) If I had 1 wish cast wise (Apart from Amber being a regular of course, which is a given!) I'd want Faith back, she added a real energy and spark to the show that just can't be provided by anyone else!

I loved Claire Kramer too, I adored Glory, despite what she did to Tara, she could be menacing when required but brought a lot of humour to Glory and I was very upset when she died (Guess I couldn't have been much else given my name )

------------------
I am in thunderous agreement, oh glittering, glistening Glorificus! : Jinx in Tough Love