Though actress Michelle Trachtenberg has not directly accused director Joss Whedon of misconduct, she has strongly implied that misconduct took place on the set of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” in support of actress Charisma Carpenter, who accused the director of misconduct.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Trachtenberg, who played Dawn Summers on the hit show, shared a post from actress Sarah Michelle Gellar expressing support for Charisma Carpenter.
“While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon,” Gellar wrote on Instagram. “I am more focused on raising my family and surviving a pandemic currently, so I will not be making any further statements at this time.”
“But I stand with all survivors of abuse,” she added, “And am proud of them for speaking out.”
Michelle Trachtenberg backed the abuse allegations, saying that a rule was enacted for her to never be alone with Joss Whedon again after an unnamed incident.
“Thank you [Sarah Michelle Gellar] for saying this. I am brave enough now as a 35 year old woman….To repost this. Because. This must. Be known. As a teenager. With his not appropriate behavior….very. Not. Appropriate. So now. People know. What Joss. Did. The last. Comment I will make on this. Was. There was a rule. Saying. He’s not allowed in a room alone with Michelle again,” the actress said.
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Actress Eliza Dushku, herself a survivor of sexual abuse and who played Faith on the hit show, also came out in support of Charisma Carpenter.
“CC, my heart aches for you & I’m so sorry you have held this for so long,” Dushku wrote on Instagram. “Your post was powerful, painful, and painted a picture we’ll collectively never un-see or un-know. Thank you. I hadn’t known it and I won’t forget it.”
“May you and countless others feel the solidarity and connection you have likely missed for too long. From courage, come change and hope. It starts and will end because of courageous truth-tellers like you. I admire, respect, and love you,” she added.
In a lengthy post on social media earlier this week, Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia on “Buffy” and the spinoff show “Angel,” said that she decided to come forward with her story after actor Ray Fisher publicly accused Joss Whedon of misconduct during reshoots of “Justice League.”
“For nearly two decades, I have held my tongue and even made excuses for certain events that traumatize me to this day,” she began.
“Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working together on the sets of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Angel,’” she wrote. “The disturbing incidents triggered a chronic physical condition from which I still suffer. It is with a beating, heavy heart that I say I coped in isolation and, at times, destructively.”
Related: ‘Angel,’ ‘Buffy’ Actress Charisma Carpenter Accuses Joss Whedon Of Misconduct