Anthony Stewart Head has spoken out about allegations of abuse against Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon. The 66-year-old played “Watcher” Rupert Giles on the popular series, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, from 1997-2003. “I am gutted. I’m seriously gutted…I have been up most of the night just running through my memories thinking, ‘What did I miss?'” he said on British network ITV’s This Morning on Thursday, Feb. 11.
The statement was in response to actress Charisma Carpenter‘s post that made claims against Joss, including that he made Buffy and Angel “hostile and toxic.” Anthony added, “This is not a man saying, ‘I didn’t see it so it didn’t happen’,” adding that he was “really sad” if “people went through these experiences.” The British actor described himself as “father figure” to the younger cast, as he reflected on the “family environment” of the set.
“One of my memories — my fondest memory — was the fact that it was so empowering. Not just with the words in the script, but the family feel of the show,” Anthony told hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield. “I would hope that someone would come to me and say, ‘I’m struggling. I just had a horrible conversation,’ ” he expressed, pondering how he “did not know” what was happening. “There were always ups and downs on the show, especially if you’re there a long time…there’s highs and lows,” Anthony added as he thought back on the six years of Buffy, but made it clear he had no idea the extent of what was happening.
The interview comes just says after Charisma, who starred as Cordelia on both Buffy and spin-off Angel, shared an emotional statement with allegations aimed towards Joss Whedon. “For nearly two decades, I have held my tongue and made excuses for certain events that traumatize me to this day,” the 50-year-old actress penned. “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 alleged.
My truth. #IStandWithRayFisher pic.twitter.com/eNjYcJ6zwP
— charisma carpenter (@AllCharisma) February 10, 2021
In the post, she claimed he called her “fat” while she was pregnant in 2003 with son Donovan Charles Hardy. “The disturbing incidents triggered a chronic physical condition from which I still suffer…It is with a beating, heavy heard that I say I coped in isolation and, at times, destructively,” she explained. “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,” Charisma also alleged of Joss.
Other cast members have since come out in support of her claims, including cast mate Amber Benson. “Buffy was a toxic environment and it starts at the top,” Amber, who played recurring character Tara Maclay, wrote. “@AllCharisma is speaking truth and I support her 100%. There was a lot of damage done during that time and many of us are still processing it twenty plus years later,” she added.
Sarah Michelle Gellar also spoke out. “While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon,” the 43-year-old posted. “I am more focused on raising my family and surviving a pandemic currently, so I will not be making any further statements at this time. But I stand with all survivors of abuse and am proud of them for speaking out,” she concluded, referencing her kids Charlotte, 11, and Rocky, 8, with husband Freddie Prinze Jr., 44;