Nostalgia has been a powerful force in the entertainment industry for years now, with plenty of beloved properties returning with new content. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is finally getting rebooted (sort of), with the new Audible series Slayers: A Buffyverse Story. Plenty of OG members of the Buffy cast are reprising their roles in this audio-only project, including Anya herself Emma Caulfield Ford. And she recently spoke to CinemaBlend about the “effortless” collaboration she had with Tara actress Amber Benson, who wrote and directed Slayers. Someone cue the show’s theme song!
Slasyes: A Buffyverse Story tells a multiversal story, which allows for characters who died on the TV show to return for another adventure. Ahead of the Audible series’ release, I had the privilege of speaking with Emma Caulfield Ford about returning to Anya in this unique way. She spoke about working with Benson in a particular, saying:
She and I are friends and she kept that one on the downlow. And was like ‘Here is what I’m doing.’ And I was like ‘Oh my god! I don’t want to be a part of it, okay? But I love you, go you!’ And she’s like ‘Hear me out. This is what it is.’ And she did her little pitch. I don’t think she even finished her pitch. I’m like ‘Amb, I’m in. It’s you, I love you. I’m doing it. I trust you completely, I’ll follow you.’
How sweet is that? While Caulfield Ford didn’t originally intend on playing Anya again in any form, it sounds like the trust she had with Amber Benson won her over. And in the process, she got to play multiple versions of the Buffy scene stealer thanks to Slayers’ wild narrative.
The finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer saw Anya being killed by a Bringer in the final battle against The First, in a heroic but tragic ending for the former vengeance demon. But in Slayers, we’re introduced to an alternate version of Anya that isn’t only alive, but is also a witch. Later in our same conversation Caulfield Ford explained how working with Amber Benson helped her performance come together, saying:
It was effortless and fun, she’s a wonderful collaborator. She’s so smart, we’re obviously friends… Implicit trust with that one. It was great.
Talk about heartwarming. Seeing just how strong the bonds are with the cast of Slayers: A Buffyverse Story is definitely going to touch the generations of Buffy fans out there. While the fans are loyal, the show has also been associated wit the allegations made about Joss Whedon’s behavior during its seven season run. So hearing the cast back in their signature characters for a new project is definitely a balm.
Aside from Caulfield Ford and Benson, Slayers also brings back Buffy actors Charisma Carpenter, James Marsters, Anthony Stewart Head, Juliet Landau, Danny Strong, and more. While a full-out Buffy reboot was paused, this is new story is sure to please longtime fans of the franchise.
Slayers: A Buffyverse Story is available now on Audible, and the original Buffy series is streaming on Hulu. Be sure to check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
