Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Alien Exist in the Same Universe (& More Buffy Trivia)

The perfect mix of horror, action and laughs, Buffy the Vampire Slayer thrilled audiences for seven incredible seasons! The series focused around the relationships of a group of high school friends as they battled with vampires, demons, wizards, ghosts, monsters and even robots. Here are 10 things you might not have known about the show…

1) Ryan Reynolds almost played Xander

Ryan Reynolds was lined up to play the role of Xander – a part he would have been perfect for. However, the Deadpool actor chose to stand down from the opportunity because he didn’t want to have to relive his High School days on set. Reynolds had been horrifically bullied at High School, and didn’t want to be reminded of it.

2) Anthony Head gave James Marsters dialect lessons

James Marsters, who played Spike in the show, is from California, but his character has a Cockney accent. To learn how to pull off the accent, he took some dialect lessons from none other than Giles himself, Anthony Head.

Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy the Vampire Slayer — *Mutant Enemy Productions / 20th Century* Fox

3) Gellar auditioned for Cordelia

We’re sure you’ll agree that Sarah Michelle Gellar made for a kick-ass Buffy! But when she arrived at the auditions for the show back in 1996, that wasn’t the role she was trying out for. Instead, she read for the role of Cordelia – the mean-girl cheerleader. Joss Whedon quickly realised her potential, though, and offered her the leading part.

Several of the actresses who did try out for the role of Buffy did eventually make it into smaller parts in the series. Mercedes McNab who plays Harmony is one of them!

4) Xander’s twin appeared on the show

In the series 5, episode 3 episode The Replacement, a doppleganger of Xander starts to take over his life. In the scenes where two Xanders appear on screen at the same time, you’d be forgiven for thinking the show was using some sort of digital trickery. In actuality, the solution was much simpler – it was actor Nicholas Brendon’s twin brother, Kelly. Kelly also stood in for Nicholas in the background scenes of other episodes, whenever his brother was too unwell to film.

5) Spike’s $2,000 coat was weathered by a truck

The costume team acquired Spike’s trademark leather trench coat from a top end fashion store for the whopping price tag of $2,000. The only issue was that the coat looked too fresh and new for a 150-year-old vampire who was prone to getting into scuffles. So, they laid the coat out on a road, and continuously ran over it with a truck to give it a more lived-in weathered look.

Spike and Buffy the Vampire Slayer — *Mutant Enemy Productions / 20th Century* Fox

6) Xander was going to be gay

Joss Whedon has said that he always intended for one of the ‘Scooby gang’ in the Buffy series to turn out gay. And, throughout the show, he always had it in mind that the character to come out of the closet would be Xander. However, he had a change of mind, and Willow ended up coming out as a lesbian.

7) Alyson Hannigan suggested the theme track

Performed by rock band Nerf Herder, the show’s theme song is instantly recognisable, and fits perfectly with the bad-ass vibe of the series. But it was actually Alyson Hannigan who made Joss Whedon listen to the track, and he liked it so much, he chose it for the main theme of the show.

8) Tara was almost resurrected in the series finale

Joss Whedon had planned to resurrect Tara in the series finale. There would be a knock on the door, Buffy would answer it, and would then step aside to have Tara standing there. However, actress Amber Benson was busy when they were filming the finale, and so the character stayed dead. Sorry Willow!

Tara and Willow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer — *Mutant Enemy Productions / 20th Century* Fox

9) Alien and Buffy the Vampire Slayer exist in the same universe

In the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic, Buffy goes up against one of Alien’s famous xenomorphs. And in an episode of Angel called Harm’s Way, the law company Wolfram and Hart has a top client called Weyland-Yutani, which is ‘The Company’ from the Alien series!

10) Mutant Enemy is named after Whedon’s teenage typewriter

Joss Whedon’s production company, Mutant Enemy, is named after a typewriter he had in his bedroom when he was fifteen. When he was told he needed to come up with a logo for the company, he created one in twenty minutes, and he also voiced the ‘Grrr… arghhh’ heard at the end of every Buffy episode.

There you have it – 10 things you might not have known about Buffy the Vampire Slayer!