The Kitten, the Witches and the Bad Wardrobe Willow & Tara Forever

by **tyche** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 8:24 am

Why they decided to put an Amber interview in the middle of a 'Star Trek' special, I have no idea. Especially since it doesn't even mention it's her on the cover. Anyway, I've just bought this and read it through and it's an excellent interview. I'll type it up and post either today or tomorrow. There are some photos of season 5 scenes which I haven't seen in magazines before: Tara, Willow and Anya on the sofa, and the Willowhand scene (complete with big Willow smile.)
The magrazine details are: Starburst No. 49 Star Trek Special ('Enterprise' cover), £4.99 in the UK, $9.99 in the US, $12.95 in Canada.
Okay, I have to stop typing now as I' m on an unfamiliar computer (an iMac) and the keyboard is really confusing me...

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

by **Hanki** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 8:28 am

cool thanks for the heads up

by **Dr.G** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 8:28 am

Oh thanks Tyche , damn, I never check Star Trek mags any more, and I used to, being an K/O shipper and DS9 fan and all. That's it though, I am going to Amsterdam tomorrow to get it. Those boxsets better be there as well.

by **WiccanBex** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 8:28 am

thanks for the info, tyche - guess which magazine i'll be going to buy... (it's ok - you don't have to guess - i know you all already know!)

by **Louise** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 8:42 am

Visual imagination mags are silly!

by **concrete** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 9:22 am

Thanks a bundle, Tyche. I hopped on the rusty old di...eh..bike and got me a copy, which I'm sure I never would have bought if it hadn't been for your tip. The article is LONG and the pics.....aaaaaaaaah. I need a stiff drink!
(special msg for Garfield: don't go to the AmBookshop, they don't have it, but at Waterstones there's plenty of copies so you should be safe!)

[This message has been edited by concrete (edited September 01, 2001).]

by **Dr.G** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 9:30 am

Well Louise, you are posting a lot today, why are they silly?

Thanks for the tip Concrete, I really will go and get it, it is open on sunday right?

by **concrete** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 9:51 am

Hey, this is AMSTERDAM we're talking about, G.! It is.Open,that is...

by **Dr.G** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 9:55 am

Yeah rub it in, but I still prefer living in Horny.

by **TaraMaclay** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 10:18 am

Cool, Now I have to go see it. Oh, and if/when you type it up. Please scan the pics if you can.

Thanks

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IM: Taramaclay69

Look, I realize that every slayer comes with a expiration mark stamped on the package.. But I want mine to be a long time from now.. Like a Cheeto.

by **Dr.G** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 10:20 am

Oh I can scan it tomorrow, unless Tyche can do that as well. Or Concrete? You have a scanner *and* the mag. Hurry woman!

by **Louise** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 10:32 am

I meant the specials. They are supposed to be such and such a special and have loads of stuff about other shows too!

by **Puff** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 10:35 am

Thanks for the info tyche. Now if we can only get scans of the pictures and the article typed up I'll be happy

by **concrete** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 10:42 am

Well, I scanned & resized the stuff now I only need someone (G. ?) to send this to via e-mail attachement 'cause I couldn't 'link' them on this board even if my life depended on it...
Yes, yes, I'm sad & stupid but I've done the best I can. Just lemme know!

by **Kath** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 10:44 am

I can put them up for you...

by **concrete** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 10:47 am

Ok, Kath; you will receive separate e-mails from me within a few minutes. I'll use the e-mail address from your profile.
Scans coming up (I hope...) !

by **Kath** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 10:48 am

Logging in now!

Edited to add: Which site do you want me to put them on? kathsrealm or amazingamber?

[This message has been edited by Kath (edited September 01, 2001).]

by **Dr.G** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 10:48 am

Concrete you can send them to Xita, she can put them up as well, and so can I.

[This message has been edited by Dr.G (edited September 01, 2001).]

by **tyche** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 10:54 am

Here it is, hot off the press. No season 6 spoilers but there are spoilers for Tara in season 5:
Any Witch Way You Can
Some extreme elements of the ‘Buffy’ fanbase gave Amber Benson a tough time when she joined the series as witchy Tara. But now she’s accepted as a key member of the team, the actress is having the time of her life...

She may not possess any supernatural powers herself, but Amber Benson has still managed to cast quite a spell over fans of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’. In less than two seasons of playing Tara, a shy college student, budding Wiccan and girlfriend to Willow, the young actress has become an important and much-loved part of the series.
Benson has just begun work shooting ‘Buffy’s sixth season, and she’s loving every minute of it. But, as she explains, for a while her involvement in this new run seemed less than certain. “With the big move to UPN”, she says, “it got kind of left up in the air, so I was waiting to see what would happen, but knowing I’d be heartbroken if I didn’t get to do more.”
Surely she could have trusted producer Joss Whedon to see her safely into season six? Benson laughs. “We don’t trust! We’re a non-trusting cast. Joss is really bad about not letting us know what’s going to happen!
“First of all, they don’t tell us very much, so until you shoot it, you pretty much don’t know what’s going to happen. On top of that, they’re pretty adamant that you keep your mouth shut about stuff, because there are so many people who don’t want to know. Viewers want to sit down at 8.00pm on Tuesday nights and watch ‘Buffy’. They don’t want to be told that this happens and that happens, hence all the spoiler warnings on the Internet. Although I think it’s funny all the things that people come up with. I look at them and say ‘So I’m a wood sprite now; what’s going on?’ People come up with the craziest things.”
Tara had a rough time at the hand of the forces of darkness in season five; surviving a mind-numbingly vicious encounter with the mad god Glory (Clare Kramer) and a dimension-rending apocalypse. But perhaps most worryingly to her fans, her relationship with Willow showed some signs of fraying at the seams.
Having had so much to do this year, Benson is delighted to report that feedback on Tara’s recent storylines has been extremely positive. “Because she’s really growing and changing as a character, I think people are really starting to respond to her and we’ve had some really good storylines. Alyson Hannigan and I are so lucky, to have a champion in Joss Whedon, who’s really cool about trying new things and pushing the boundaries, and people respond to that.”
The actress’s involvement with ‘Buffy’ began when she auditioned for an appearance in the episode ‘Hush’, but it wasn’t long before Tara became a fixture of the series. “As an actor, I was really excited about the part, because she’s really different from me. She’s shy and unassuming and gay, and it’s totally the opposite of who I am.
“Of course there’s a part of me that’s insecure and shy, just like it’s a part of everybody, but you just have to put on the happy face and go out and live your life. You can’t hide in your closet, so I was really excited to get to wear her shoes for a while, but it was really difficult to get to this point where she’s finally coming out of her shell. It’s hard to play somebody who’s a little uncertain. You’re constantly thinking ‘Is this the right way to play her?’, because it’s not a hundred percent natural to you.”
As time passed, Benson’s scenes with Hannigan began to deepen, prompting a good deal of discussion among long-time fans of the series, as well as in the gay community. “There are so many young adults out there that do not have a role model. They’re gay or they’re confused, and there’s nothing out there for them. It’s wonderful to be able to portray this really caring, loving relationship and to show everybody that it’s fine to be gay, and you can find somebody out there. Regardless of what you’re interested in, there is somebody out there who will love and respect you, and that’s what it’s all about. We’re not making a big deal over the fact that they’re gay.”
So is Tara actually gay, or is she just experimenting with her sexuality as many young people do when they first leave home and go to college? “I think if either of them is truly gay, it would be Tara. Just from the clues I’ve had from the writers and my spin on her. I think she’s probably not going to find a guy out there that she’s going to fall in love with. I think the chances are not so great, but you’re totally right in saying that’s what you do when you’re in college. You experiment, you find out who you are, and you try different things and if you fall in love with a bunch of different people, it’s great, that’s the thing to do. You’re trying to figure out what makes you happy.”
But that doesn’t mean that everyone was comfortable with the [Willow/Tara] relationship, particularly a number of die-hard fans who felt that Tara was coming between Willow and Oz (Seth Green). After the episode ‘New Moon Rising’, in which Oz apparently left ‘Buffy’ for good, Benson was subjected to a series of highly personal, and often homophobic, attacks on the show’s Internet message boards. Many ‘fans’ decided to make deeply offensive comments about Benson’s figure. Her response was an open letter to the fans defending herself as a woman of normal proportions. This wasn’t easy to write, but, as Benson says, “It was either that or just spew a bunch of obscenities at people. Seriously, I was really hurt and really upset. For somebody to sit in their home and write all this bile on their computer .. OK, fine, actors are in the public eye, but to make a personal attack on somebody because you’re not happy with what they’re playing, or that this character came into a series and came between their favourite couple .. It’s just ridiculous. And the fact that the audience is perpetuating this idea that you have to look like a waif to be attractive is just sick.
“It’s bad enough in Hollywood where people say you have to weigh five pounds. But to have the average Joe out there, who probably weighs a heck of a lot more than I do, criticizing the fact that I have boobs or hips or something, it’s just asinine. It was really hurtful, and I have since not gone on the board. I’ve gone a couple of times, but not like I did before. I’m not as interested in it, because I don’t want to read nasty things.”
Fortunately, that’s all well in the past, and Benson is now part of the extended ‘Buffy’ family in more ways than one. Aside from her work on the series, she recently collaborated on a Willow and Tara story for Dark Horse Comics after being approached by writer Chris Golden. “There’s a girl named ‘Little Willow’ who runs our web sites, and she said, ‘I’d love you to meet Chris’, so a bunch of us went to dinner together, and he said ‘I would really like to write a Willow and Tara comic. Would you be interested in co-writing with me?” I was really excited to be a part of it, but it wasn’t something that I thought ‘Hey, I’m going to write a comic book!’ I’d never really been exposed to them before, but I learned a lot.”
Benson has also written her own solo story, for Dark Horse’s upcoming ‘Tales of the Slayer’ comic. “I’m in the middle of that right now. Joss just asked me if I’d be interested and I said ‘Hell, yes!’”
“She’s my own creation, a slayer who’s around during the French Revolution, and she’s being used for not-good purposes without her knowledge, so I’m dealing with that whole aspect of the slayer. Of course the slayer is there to get rid of the bad guys, but what if she accidentally kills somebody who isn’t bad through subterfuge? So that’s one of the things I’m exploring.”
When ‘Buffy’ was on hiatus for the summer, Benson headed to Romania to work on the horror film ‘Taboo’. “I get killed. Twice!”, she laughs. “It’s a really good part. She’s kind of a lush, so I get to go around drunk the whole time.” She’s also been putting the finishing touches on ‘Chance’, a low-budget independent film she wrote, directed and produced. “We’re done with principal photography, so we’ve been editing.
“I wrote it a few years ago, and never thought I’d be able to just make a movie with my own money and see what happened, but I thought I’d give it a shot, and it’s turning out really well. It’s a light-hearted screwball comedy, but I think it also says something. It was a chance to wear the mantle of writer, director, producer and actor, so it was definitely an experience.”
But the new season of ‘Buffy’ is foremost on Benson’s mind at the moment. “I didn’t realize I was going to be here so long!”, she laughs. “I thought it was going to be a few episodes; I didn’t realize it was going to become what it became, and I’m really lucky that it did. We have a great crew, that is so supportive of what we’re doing, and so happy to be there. Working with Joss and Marti Noxon and the other writers; they’re so caring, and they’re there for you. If you have a question, they’ll explain everything to you and make you 100% secure about what you’re doing. It’s been a wonderful experience.”

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

by **xita** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 10:56 am

Kath, while you are there, please check your box for Mail from me and Len it is very crucial that you respond to us.

by **concrete** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 10:59 am

quote:
Originally posted by Kath:
Which site do you want me to put them on? kathsrealm or amazingamber?

Whichever you prefer, Kath. You choose.

quote:

by **Kath** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 11:01 am

Xita, I just replied now.

by **xita** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 11:02 am

Tyche thanks a lot for typing that. I love you for all this typing you do!

The interview is lovely. I didn't realize things were so up in the air at the end of last season, probably more having to do with what kind of contract she would have then whether she would be back at all.

by **Shaniezak** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 11:03 am

Bless you, tyche, I love you and your poor tired fingers.

by **tommo** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 11:04 am

Thanks tyche. Nice interview. Amber's enthusiasm is really encouraging. I think she loves Tara almost as much as we do.

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"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

by **Dr.G** » Sat Sep 01, 2001 11:07 am

Thank you Tyche, for the quick service, you rock!

I love the way they describe Tara and how important Amber is to the show, a lovely article.

[This message has been edited by Dr.G (edited September 01, 2001).]

The Kitten, the Witches and the Bad Wardrobe Willow & Tara Forever

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