Joss Whedon‘s Buffy the Vampire Slayer has managed to stay relevant after two decades. And while the story lives on with new Dark Horse comics, the show’s even seasons continue to inspire based on their unique approach with genre conventions to tell universal stories that explored basic truths about youth culture and growing up.
It was a show that managed to be nuanced and personal despite all of the end-of-the-world stakes the Scooby Gang often faced. โจโจWhedon was recently asked about his time making the show and its long-lasting legacy over 20 years, and recently told Yahoo! about what makes him most proud about its impact on fans.
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“It’s happened lately. They say they grew up with it, which always makes me feel old,” Whedon joked. “I’m most proud of people coming up and saying, ‘That’s the girl I think about when I think about strength.’ Strength as in leadership and the ability to deal with a crisis and the decisions they make going forward.”
Despite everyone in the gang bringing their own capabilities to the table, Sarah Michelle Gellar‘s portrayal of Buffy was always front and center, showing a strong protagonist who could equally agonize about demon’s destroying her town and cheerleading practice.
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The show has since inspired people from all walks of life to find the courage and strength to conquer their goals, as Whedon has found from personal experiences.
“When I was still making the show, I had a woman come up to me in the commissary of Fox who was in her late 30s, and she was like, ‘I was able to move cities and get this particular job that I was after because of her. Because I could use her power as mine.’ I thought I was, at that time, still just talking to young people, and that was an amazing moment.”
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