Buffy: Why Eliza Dushku, Anthony Stewart Head Were Not At The Reunion

Buffy the Vampire Slayer turns 20 in 2017 and the cast and creator, Joss Whedon, celebrated by reunited for a photo shoot and interview.

Whedon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, David Boreanaz, Alysson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendon, Kristine Sutherland, Michelle Trachtenberg, Charisma Carpenter, Seth Green, Amber Benson, Alexis Denisof, and Emma Caulfield all came together to celebrate their time on Buffy the Vampire Slayer

However, some fans noticed that there were a few actors vital to Buffy the Vampire Slayer who were not present for the reunion. Anthony Stewart Head, who played Buffy’s watcher Rupert Giles, was only represented by an oil painting. Eliza Dushku, who played the rogue slayer Faith Lehane, was not represented at all.

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Both of those mysteries have been sold, at least to an extent. In the case of Head, it was a simple scheduling conflict. The reunion took place while he was doing tech rehearsals for a play in the United Kingdom and he couldn’t take the time off.

Head tweeted, “EW have worked hard to have my presence felt – in a portrait on set and an interview. Here’s to 20 years and a wonderful group of people x.”

Gellar commented on Head’s absence while a guest on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, saying, “There was an oil painting that they had made of him, but it was really sad to not have him.”

Dushku’s absence, on the other hand, Gellar had no idea about, saying “I don’t know about Eliza. I didn’t control—I think there was just so many people, it was hard enough.”

Dushku did mention the reunion in a tweet of her own, saying that she was not invited because she was never a series regular:

“Your [hearts] will go on..! Faith/I was never a series regular cast member on [Buffy the Vampire Slayer], sweeties=no invite. Cute n special reunion tho #ScoobyGang.”

Not to stir up trouble, but there were some non-regular members of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast at the reunion. Denisof was Faith’s watcher Wesley, and was in even fewer episodes than she was, though he did go on to become a series regular on the Angel spinoff. However, he is married to Hannigan, so it would have been pretty awkward not to invite him to the reunion.

Sutherland, who played Buffy’s mother, was also never a series regular and Benson was only a season regular for a single episode, the one in which her character, Tara, was killed. However, those characters did have multi-season arcs and relationships with core cast members, so that may be why the organizers felt they were necessary inclusions.

There is one actor who was a series regular who was not at the reunion and that is Marc Blucas, who played Riley Finn, Buffy’s college boyfriend, during seasons four and five. There’s no word on why he was not present, but it is probably safe to say that his character was not a huge hit with fans.

via E!

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