::Recalls that a significant part of my internet coming-of-age was Alyson Hannigan fandom::
::Recalls that a significant part of my internet coming-of-age was Alyson Hannigan fandom::
Actually now that I think of it out of the whole main cast (as in not David Boreanaz) she was the only one that really turned BtVS into something
The Boreanaz/Fillion “be a complicated Joss Whedon man then get cast in mom fantasies” career arc is definitely a Thing, tho
This is a little uncharitable, but depends on where you set the bar. No one else (other than those 2 and Gellar, who admittedly under performed after, or if you count animation or producer roles) had a headlining role in a successful TV series (defined as an unfraught renewal for a second season minimum, but at least 3 seasons to be safe) and/or starring roles in successful a-list (non-kids) movies, but every one of them kept legitimately working consistently (even Brendon - the only work gap in any people cited in the opening credits is Dushku who hasn’t been seen since 2017 or 2018 if you count producing Mapplethorpe) which is not typical of a TV show like this, and I’m counting everyone who was ever in that opening.
Of the core cast (is that anyone who was in at least as many eps as Charisma Carpenter? Not sure where this line goes) everyone has had at least a major recurring role in successful TV with many have non-blockbuster successful starring roles. A minor hobby of mine is following the threads of actors’ careers and most of the people at this level fizzle quickly, and this consistent level of work is unusual. This also doesn’t account for a fair number of the major recurring cast now being successful producer/writer/directors. Also note, this doesn’t apply to the other Whedon shows, where there are many more that meet the initial bar I laid out (forget Firefly where the success rate is absurd, Angel’s Amy Acker, Julie Benz [in an originally recurring role in Buffy], and Vincent Kartheiser [who joined Firefly’s recurring Christina Hendricks on Mad Men] have done pretty great).
It is kind of funny that one of his biggest Hollywood legacies was casting the actress with big tits as an evil whore.