Joss Whedon: The Biography Read online

  “extremely outspoken, strong and loving” … Whedon, interview by the author.

  “She was very smart …” Whedon, quoted in Nussbaum, “Must-See Metaphysics.”

  “lured back” to children’s television … Tom Whedon, quoted in Rosen, “Family Tradition.”

  “There were always eight …” Stone, quoted in Davis, Street Gang, 157.

  “While I really enjoyed all of the funny things …” Whedon, quoted in Longworth, “Joss Whedon, Feminist,” 199.

  “There were times when I didn’t feel …” Whedon, quoted in Havens, Joss Whedon, 5.

  Joss worked through his feelings … Schiff, “Joss Whedon: Absolute Admiration for Sondheim.”

  “The notion that every choice you make …” Whedon, quoted in Schiff, “Joss Whedon: Absolute Admiration for Sondheim.”

  “Sondheim wasn’t someone you would go to …” Ibid.

  “He was always the funniest kid …” Boal, interview by the author.

  “I was like nine …” Whedon, quoted in Ridley, “Three Writers.”

  “We kicked it full ’70s” … Whedon, interview by the author.

  “walking up and down …” Whedon, quoted in Hibberd, “Joss Whedon: The Definitive EW Interview.”

  “He looks like an easy mark” … Cole, interview by the author.

  “I duck under them …” Whedon, quoted in Hibberd, “Joss Whedon: The Definitive EW Interview.”

  “You just hold onto that” … Cole, interview by the author.

  “We were super upset …” Boal, interview by the author.

  “It was the first horror movie I’d seen …” Whedon, quoted in Syfy UK, “Joss Whedon—Favourite Horror.”

  “I wanted to be a part of a group …” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

  “We’d walk down the street …” Boal, interview by the author.

  “I gave myself this little mantra …” Whedon, quoted in Tavi, “Yay, Geometry.”

  2. “Being British” in the Land of Shakespeare (and Giles)

  “Winchester is timelessly beautiful …” Whedon, “Higher Learning.”

  “I was lonely” … Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

  “I was very dark and miserable …” Whedon, quoted in BAFTA, Joss Whedon: A Life in Pictures.

  “I’m alone out here …” Whedon, “Joss Whedon: From Buffy to Dr Horrible,” Sydney Opera House.

  “ice cold room” … Whedon, “Higher Learning.”

  “When there was a lull …” Ibid.

  “somebody makes these [films] …” Whedon, interview in Joss Whedon: The Master at Play, DVD.

  the “reality of being human” … Whedon, quoted in Kappala-Ramsamy, “Joss Whedon.”

  “[I] came out of the theater with an understanding …” Whedon, Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech.

  “extraordinary epiphany of the nature …” Ibid.

  “Oh! Other people have gone through this!” … Whedon, quoted in Kappala-Ramsamy, “Joss Whedon.”

  “I saw them in the front row …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “difficult to teach” … Dick Massen, quoted in Jane Massen, interview by the author.

  “American, and sometimes rather dubious …” “Fencing Report 1981,” Wykehamist.

  “And if you believe that, you’ll believe anything” … Whedon, quoted in Jane Massen, interview by the author.

  “It could have been absolutely ghastly” … Jane Massen, interview by the author.

  “We’d have class for an hour and twenty minutes …” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

  “clearly surrogate [Joss] as a grown-up …” Whedon, interview in The Write Environment, DVD.

  “a person of a great deal of originality” … Jane Massen, interview by the author.

  “no grades … [and] a lot of reports …” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

  “It was only when I got to college …” Whedon, quoted in Gilbey, “Joss Whedon.”

  “I was very aware that my interest …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “You can’t write from a political agenda …” Ibid.

  “It was the year that Superman [III] came out …” Tom Whedon, quoted in Rosen, “Family Tradition.”

  “Sometimes people are flexible …” Basinger, interview by the author.

  “I’ve had two great teachers in my life” … Whedon, quoted in Stafford, “Slayage Conference.”

  “The way everyone in the film department …” Cole, interview by the author.

  “[There were] people who understand theory …” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

  He wrote a paper on Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds … Stafford, “Slayage Conference.”

  “His papers seemed so natural …” Basinger, interview by the author.

  “where the simplicity is …” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

  Basinger explained that her students felt … Stafford, “Slayage Conference.”

  “I was terrified” … Whedon, interview by the author.

  “When somebody didn’t get it …” Basinger, interview by the author.

  “I had an old photograph …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “Pretty much what I had learned …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “They both showed great talent …” Basinger, interview by the author.

  “ward off the evil spirits” … Whedon, interview by the author.

  3. Crash Course in Television

  “That freaked me out a little bit” … Whedon, interview in Making It with Riki Lindhome podcast.

  “young, hip, and cool” … Ibid.

  “It was the most terrifying experience …” Ibid.

  “We didn’t ever shoot it …” Ibid.

  “I had no idea how huge …” Whedon, interview in The Write Environment, DVD.

  “It came down to about the middle …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “Very ’80s, slick, like frat boy” … Whedon, interview in Making It with Riki Lindhome podcast.

  “something creepy happened …” Whedon, interview in The Write Environment, DVD.

  Barr “changed the landscape …” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

  “had a feminist agenda …” Ibid.

  “I know he meant that …” Whedon, “Joss Whedon: From Buffy to Dr Horrible,” Sydney Opera House.

  “total chaos” … Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

  “It’s us against the world …” Ibid.

  It was a plot twist … Whedon, quoted in Hibberd, “Joss Whedon: The Definitive EW Interview.”

  “It made me realize …” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

  “Because they just … they had nobody …” Ibid.

  “It’s totally the same …” Whedon, interview in Making It with Riki Lindhome podcast.

  “That was the first script of mine …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “It was quite extraordinary” … Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

  “If you met my mom …” Whedon, quoted in Benedictus, “The Ladies’ Man.”

  “It was about Michael Jordan” … Whedon, interview by the author.

  at least $3,000 a week … Klaus, “The War of the Roseanne.”

  “The idea … came from seeing …” Whedon, quoted in Havens, Joss Whedon, 21.

  “more power than was imaginable” … Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

  “There is no way you could hear the name …” Ibid.

  “jolly fun” … Whedon, interview in The Write Environment, DVD.

  “I just wanted to be able …” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

  “It was a very talented en
semble …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “This is terrible” … King, quoted in ibid.

  “He was far across the room …” Cole, interview by the author.

  “I like your boots” … Whedon, quoted in ibid.

  “the fact that we were at a gay bar …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “We sort of celebrate …” Cole, interview by the author.

  “My husband and I were both here …” Basinger, interview by the author.

  “Oh, God no. I’m trying to fix it!” … Cole, quoted in Whedon, interview by the author.

  “It was very important” … Whedon, interview by the author.

  4. The Blonde in the Alley Fights Back

  “When we’re kids …” Fran Kuzui, quoted in Tracy, The Girl’s Got Bite, 3.

  “The original script of ‘Buffy’ …” Fran Kuzui, quoted in Miller, “From Box Office Hit to Serenity of Temples.”

  “That theatrical, neo-surf speak” … Saralegui, interview by the author.

  “Buffy’s the one who’s …” Perry, quoted in Tracy, The Girl’s Got Bite, 4.

  Buffy “ isn’t a vampire movie …” Fran Kuzui, quoted in ibid., 6.

  “Fran Kuzui came in …” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

  “Kristy Swanson [said] …” Ibid.

  “He had a very bad attitude …” Whedon, quoted in Robinson, “Joss Whedon” (interview), September 5. 2001.

  “You can’t sit down at your desk …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “They thought the movie was very serious …” Kaz Kazui, quoted in Tracy, The Girl’s Got Bite, 7.

  “OK, that made me feel a bit better …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “I didn’t know that you people existed!” … Ibid.

  “Paul’s adjustment was about spinning …” Ibid.

  “a comedy, but also a satire …” Swanson, quoted in Diamond, “‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer.’”

  “this is not going to be a critically acclaimed movie …” Perry, quoted in ibid.

  5. The World Upends

  “At this time a lot of people turn to …” Whedon, director’s commentary, “The Body.”

  “no solution, catharsis, or anything else …” Ibid.

  “I wanted to be very specific …” Ibid.

  “Ha ha ha, you little naive fool …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “His very simple advice …” Ibid.

  “I would go upstairs and start writing …” Whedon, quoted in Legel, “COMIC CON.”

  “If you look carefully at The Getaway” … Whedon, quoted in Robinson, “Joss Whedon” (interview), September 5. 2001.

  “That’s a movie that goes genuinely insane …” Whedon, quoted in Bailey, “12 Things We Learned from Joss Whedon’s SXSW Talk.”

  a “dog movie …” Whedon, interview in Making It with Riki Lindhome podcast.

  “Don’t option it …” Saralegui, quoted in Whedon, interview in Making It with Riki Lindhome podcast.

  “when he hooks up with other policemen …” Whedon, quoted in Havens, Joss Whedon, 128.

  “I wanted a baby for that spot” … Whedon, undated Suspension draft, 41.

  “It’s one of those scripts …” Saralegui, interview by the author.

  “I knew it sucked” … Ibid.

  “I turned him into a likeable …” Whedon, interview in Fresh Air, May 9, 2000.

  “What if he’s just the polite guy …” Whedon, quoted in Kozac, “Serenity NOW!”

  “It’s all about finding …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “Films like Speed belong …” Ebert, review of Speed.

  “If it weren’t for the smart-funny twist …” Hinson, review of Speed.

  “The arbitration was a great sticking point …” Whedon, quoted in Kozac, “Serenity NOW!”

  Joss “deserved credit” … Saralegui, interview by the author.

  “wrote 98.9 percent of the dialogue” … Yost, quoted in O’Hare, “The ‘Bus Guy’ Triumphs on ‘Boomtown.’”

  “When I read his draft …” Yost, quoted in Bierly, “‘Justified’ EP Graham Yost.”

  “Graham Yost has always been …” Whedon, quoted in Kozac, “Serenity NOW!”

  6. To Infinity and Beyond: Toy Story and Alien: Resurrection

  a rough draft of the picture … Price, The Pixar Touch, 130.

  Katzenberg “would always … be pushing …” Schumacher, quoted in Iwerks, Pixar Story, documentary.

  “It was fascinating to read …” Stanton, interview by the author.

  “I often say to people …” Cole, interview by the author.

  “a perfect structure with a ghastly script …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “Everything can be negotiated except Kai” … Basinger, interview by the author.

  “One day, we were reading …” Cole, interview by the author.

  “Many of you are going to be laid off …” Whedon, quoted in Kozac, “Serenity NOW!”

  “Oh! We already know how …” Ibid.

  “It would have been a really bad musical …” Whedon, quoted in “‘Toy Story’: The Inside Buzz,” Entertainment Weekly.

  “He would wear his musical interests …” Stanton, interview by the author.

  “They were so sweet …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “We’re all animators …” Stanton, interview by the author.

  “She’s [Terminator 2’s] Sarah Connor …” Whedon, quoted in “‘Toy Story’: The Inside Buzz,” Entertainment Weekly.

  “We decided we could either be PC …” Stanton, quoted in ibid.

  Joss “wrote a lot of great lines …” Stanton, interview by the author.

  “Joss helped set the tone …” Ibid.

  “utterly brilliant anthropomorphism” … Maslin, review of Toy Story.

  “I can hardly imagine …” Gleiberman, review of Toy Story.

  “For once, reality lives up to hype …” McManus, “Toy Story: A Treasure.”

  “[It is] gratifying to me …” Whedon, quoted in Kozac, “Serenity NOW!”

  “When they said …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “I was there for seven weeks” … Whedon, quoted in Robinson, “Joss Whedon” (interview), September 5. 2001.

  “I can’t see the water” … Whedon, interview by the author.

  “Of course it got thrown out” … Ibid.

  “He puts together these unbelievable bits …” Cole, interview by the author.

  “absolutely the part in The Remains of the Day …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “Every once in a while …” Cole, interview by the author.

  “I put it on, and he just …” Ibid.

  “I wasn’t supposed to meet my wife …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “Sigourney Weaver is the centerpiece …” Roth, quoted in Kaplan, “Last in Space.”

  a “wooden planet” … Jolin, “Alien 3: The Lost Tale of the Wooden Planet.”

  “a slap in the face” … Cameron, director’s commentary, Aliens.

  “the fans were robbed …” Whedon, quoted in Havens, Joss Whedon, 27.

  “Scary like Alien …” Whedon, featurette commentary in “From the Ashes.”

  “a total identification” … Whedon, interview in Joss Whedon: The Master at Play, DVD.

  “It’s very important to me …” Whedon, quoted in Havens, Joss Whedon, 28.

  “What if I’m even stranger? …” Weaver, quoted in Whedon, featurette commentary in “From the Ashes.”

  “She created an extraordinary character” … Whedon, featurette commentary in “From the Ashes.”

  “When Call, who was played by Winona Ryder …” Whedon, interview in Joss Whedon: The Master at Play, DVD.

  “An android and a clone …” Saralegui, interview by the author.

  “Then I put on a brave face …” Whedon, interview by the author.


  “The first one was in the forest …” Whedon, quoted in Kozac, “Serenity NOW!”

  “It was mostly a matter of doing everything wrong …” Whedon, quoted in Harris, “Joss for a Minute.”

  “I don’t remember writing …” Whedon, quoted in Kozac, “Serenity NOW!”

  “Listen, I don’t want to be a jerk …” Whedon, quoted in Saralegui, interview by the author.

  “I think the biggest problem …” Saralegui, interview by the author.

  “It was the final crappy humiliation …” Whedon, quoted in Havens, Joss Whedon, 29.

  7. Buffy: Resurrection

  “a brilliant show …” Whedon, director’s commentary, “Innocence.”

  “no show on TV has ever come close …” Whedon, printed insert, My So-Called Life, DVD.

  “I’d been waiting and waiting …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “big movie projects” … Berman, quoted in Sepinwall, The Revolution Was Televised, 194.

  “A couple of weeks later” … Ibid, 194.

  “When I pitched Buffy The Vampire Slayer …” Whedon, printed insert, My So-Called Life, DVD.

  “beautiful images” to demonstrate … Daniels, Season Finale, 118.

  “sketched … out in Dickensian detail …” Ibid, 119.

  looking for a female teen superhero series … Daniels, interview in “Front Row Special on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

  “slight bias” against the project … Daniels, quoted in Sepinwall, The Revolution Was Televised, 195.

  “was such a fresh and improved take …” Ibid.

  “overall vision that Joss pitched …” Daniels, Season Finale, 120.

  “It’s amazing that they’re really letting …” Whedon, interview by the author.

  “the great square hole …” Whedon, Visionaries panel.

  Joss called this “reset television” … Whedon, interview in The Write Environment, DVD.

  “TV is a question …” Whedon, interview in Joss Whedon: The Master at Play, DVD.

  “Buffy was always intended …” Whedon, comments in 20th Century Fox Television, Buffy the Vampire Slayer international press kit.

  “They said to me …” Gellar, interview by the author.

  “You tell them not to leave …” Carpenter, quoted in “How Charisma Nearly Missed the Buffy Audition,” BBC.

  a “ loud, abusive Scot” … Whedon, handwritten notes, in “Joss Whedon: From Buffy to the Bard” exhibit.

  “What he is not …” Ibid.