Michelle Trachtenberg Says Joss Whedon Was Not Allowed to Be Alone With Her on ‘Buffy’ (original) (raw)

Michelle Trachtenberg has leveled a new accusation against Joss Whedon.

The actress recently updated a statement she released earlier in the week on social media when she came to the support of fellow Buffy the Vampire Slayer actor Charisma Carpenter, who revealed that she had been traumatized for years due to the treatment she received from Whedon during the production of the iconic show and its spinoff, Angel.

Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s younger sister, Dawn Summers, from 2000-03, responded to a post from lead Sarah Michelle Gellar, who also supported Carpenter, saying, “Thank you @sarahmgellar for saying this. I am brave enough now as a 35 year old woman….To repost this. Because. This must. Be known. As a teenager. With his not appropriate behavior….very. Not. Appropriate.”

Trachtenberg has since updated that statement to add that, “There was a rule, saying [Whedon] is not allowed in a room alone with Michelle again,” Trachtenberg wrote, adding she would not be commenting further on the matter.

Carpenter accused Whedon of “hostile and toxic” behavior on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. “For nearly two decades, I have held my tongue and even made excuses for certain events that traumatize me to this day,” she wrote in a lengthy message this week.

“Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working together on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel,” she wrote of the show creator. “The disturbing incidents triggered a chronic physical condition from which I still suffer. It is with a beating, heavy heart that I say I coped in isolation and, at times, destructively.”

Whedon has yet to comment on the accusations.

Later on Friday, former Firefly writer Jose Molina posted his own thoughts on Whedon to social media. Responding to a previous post by Buffy actor Amber Benson, he wrote, “‘Casually cruel’ is a perfect way of describing Joss. He thought being mean was funny. Making female writers cry during a notes session was especially hysterical. He actually liked to boast about the time he made one writer cry twice in one meeting.”

On Thursday evening, Eliza Dushku, who played Faith on Buffy and its Angel spinoff, shared a statement on Instagram in which she expressed how her “heartaches” for Carpenter. “I’m so sorry you have held this for so long. Your post was powerful, painful, and painted a picture we’ll collectively never un-see or un-know. Thank you. I hadn’t known it and I won’t forget it,” she wrote.

On Friday afternoon, Buffy writer Marti Noxon said in part on Twitter, “I would like to validate what the women of Buffy are saying and support them in telling their story. They deserve to be heard. I understand where @AllCharisma, Amber, Michelle and all the women who have spoken out are coming from.”

Actor James Marsters also commented on Friday via his Instagram account. “While I will always be honored to have played the character of Spike, the Buffy set was not without challenges,” he wrote. “I do not support abuse of any kind, and am heartbroken to learn of the experiences of some of the cast. I send my love and support to all involved.”

2:36 p.m.: Updated with a statement from Marti Noxon.

6:39 p.m. Updated with a statement from Jose Molina.

Feb. 13, 4:17 p.m.: Updated with social media statement from James Marsters.