Talking with The 'Buffy' Gang
by Dave Mason
Tara has fallen in love with Willow and cast some very cool spells. Now she's ready for some Buffylike turns and kicks.
"I'd love to kill some vampires," actress Amber Benson said between laughs at a WB press party.
Benson, who's as outgoing as her character is shy, joined "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" last season in a recurring role as Willow's new romantic interest. She's now in most of the episodes.
In its fifth season, "Buffy" airs at 8 p.m. EST Tuesdays on The WB. The Buffy-Riley relationship will take a turn in the new episode next week (Dec. 19) when Buffy finds out about her boyfriend Riley's nights with a female vampire.
Riley (Marc Blucas) has allowed her to slowly feed on him (i.e. suck his blood) as he flirts with developing a dark side to attract Buffy. He's uncertain about his role with the "Scooby Gang" since his Initiative, an Army team intent on controlling creatures of the night, folded.
"What is Riley going to do without it (the Initiative)?" James Marsters, who plays the villainous vampire Spike, asked in an interview.
Spike, still a verbal bully, has played on Riley's insecurities by telling him Buffy only loves men with a dark side.
Will Riley become a vampire? Will he die? "Buffy" co-executive producer Marti Noxon, who wrote and directed next week's episode, isn't dropping any hints. The WB hasn't sent out any preview tapes of the story, called "Into the Woods."
Maybe Buffy will need some help. Quick, give Tara a stake! Or at least a new spell or two.
"I'm ready for an out-of-body experience," Benson said during an interview.
Tara isn't a butt-kicking hero like Buffy. But there are other kinds of heroes, and Tara and Willow (Alyson Hannigan) are the smart but down-to-earth and sensitive kind. Willow and Tara found out about their power when they fought off demons in last season's all-silent episode, "Hush." Soon the two witches fell in love with each other.
"It's the first long-term lesbian relationship on television," Benson said. "But I'm not going to get on a soapbox. We know people are prejudiced for asinine reasons."
"Buffy" does a great job of showing that it's OK to be different.
"Tara is what Willow was--very shy," Benson said. "Tara is coming out of her shell because of Willow.
"Many people are shy and uncomfortable in large groups of people," Benson said. "People can relate to Tara's personality. She's everybody. It's OK to be shy; you can still be part of the world. People will love you for who you are."
"She (Tara) treats everyone well," Benson said.
This season, Tara found out that she really isn't a demon. The "Scooby" gang helped her to see that her family had lied about that to keep her in line. In fact, it was Spike who pointed out her family was simply prejudiced against women.
"You can deal with subjects in a way reality-based shows can't do," Benson said. Prejudice, mental illness and loneliness are among the reality issues of this fantasy show.
Benson, who made her movie debut in "King of the Hill," will return soon to the silver screen. She stars with Vince Vaughn, Ed Harris and Julia Ormond in "The Prime Gig," a New Line Cinema movie due out this spring. She's also in a controversial short film, "Don's Plum," with Leonardo DiCaprio, Marissa Ribisi and Tobey Maguire.
Her other movies include "Can't Hardly Wait," "Imaginary Crimes" and "S.F.W. The Crush."
Marsters, who has acted in many plays and brings a stage actor's sensibility to "Buffy," enjoys the series' twists and turns. Off screen, he's easygoing and more relaxed than Spike ever could be.
"I love the changes coming out," Marsters said.
For the first time, Spike, the villain who has long vowed to kill Buffy, is falling in love with the Slayer. He doesn't want that to be true, but he can't help his feelings--any more than he can remove the chip in his brain that keeps him from biting anyone.
But Spike isn't changing too much. Last season he served as the comic relief character, but he's regaining some of his dark edge.
"He has a sense of fun in him," Marsters said, suddenly sounding like Spike without the accent. As he talked, I felt a sudden chill in the air.
Night had fallen.
From TeenHollywood.com
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