Michelle Trachtenberg: I Couldn't Be Alone With Joss Whedon on 'Buffy' Set

Michelle Trachtenberg addressed Joss Whedon's alleged 'not appropriate behavior' after 'Buffy' costar Charisma Carpenter's accusations — read more

Using her voice. Michelle Trachtenberg continued to address the allegations about Joss Whedon‘s behavior on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer set after Charisma Carpenter‘s accusations recently made headlines.

On Thursday, February 11, the 35-year-old Gossip Girl alum added to her previous statement about the 56-year-old director, claiming that there were restrictions put in place on set.

“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,” Trachtenberg wrote via Instagram alongside a screenshot of costar Sarah Michelle Gellar‘s statement.

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A post shared by Michelle Trachtenberg (@michelletrachtenberg)

One day earlier, Carpenter, 50, released a lengthy statement on social media accusing Whedon of misconduct while working on the supernatural teen drama, which aired for seven seasons from 1997 to 2003, and its spinoff series, Angel.

“For nearly two decades, I have held my tongue and even made excuses for certain events that traumatize me to this day,” the Lying Game alum claimed. “Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. While he found his misconduct amusing, it only served to intensify my performance anxiety, disempower me, and alienate me from my peers. The disturbing incidents triggered a chronic physical condition from which I still suffer.”

The Veronica Mars alum said that she felt “powerless and alone” during her time working with Whedon, who was previously accused of unprofessional behavior by Ray Fisher on the Justice League set in 2017. Carpenter went into detail about her experiences with Whedon, alleging that he made “ongoing, passive-aggressive threats to fire me, which wreaks havoc on a young actor’s self-esteem. And callously calling me ‘fat’ to colleagues when I was four months pregnant, weighing 126 lbs.”

At the time, the Nevada native said she “swallowed the mistreatment and carried on” because she assumed she had “no other option.” Shortly after her statement made headlines, Gellar, 43, showed support for her former costar and denounced Whedon’s behavior.

“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,” the Cruel Intentions star wrote via Instagram on Wednesday. “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 and am proud of them for speaking out.”

Trachtenberg initially shared Gellar’s message on her own Instagram account on Wednesday, adding, “hank you @sarahmgellar 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 Ice Princess actress later commented on her own post, writing, “You. Are my rock!! What he did was very bad. But we win. By surviving!”

Whedon has yet to address the claims made against him, but several members of the Buffy universe have supported Carpenter in the wake of her accusations. Amber Benson, who played Tara on the series, tweeted about the effect of working in such a “toxic environment” on Wednesday.

“It starts at the top,” she wrote. “@AllCharisma is speaking truth and I support her 100 [percent]. There was a lot of damage done during that time and many of us are still processing it twenty plus years later. #IStandWithRayFisher #IStandWithCharismaCarpenter.”

Us Weekly has reached out to Whedon’s rep for comment.

This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Meredith Nardino

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