Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy (26 page)

BOOK: Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy

7.48Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

ads

Whedon has become a wealthy man, but he isn’t driven by money. He’s become successful, but success in the conventional sense doesn’t motivate him. Joss is first and foremost a fan working for his fans, and for him success is about getting under the skin of his fans. “The most obsessive, nerd fans of this show are me and my writing staff,” he says. “I can stump anybody on any episode. I’ve said this before, but it is how I feel and I know no other way to say it exactly: I would rather have a hundred people who
need
to see this show than a thousand people who
like
to see this show.”

I would rather have a hundred people who
need
to see this show than a thousand people who
like
to see this show.—Joss

Whedon describes himself as a “bitter atheist” who finds meaning only in his creations. “I’m a scary, depressive fellow. There’s no meaning to life. That’s kind of depressing. There’s no God. That’s a bummer, too. You fill your days with creating worlds that have meaning and order because ours doesn’t. And so, yeah, I’d say the fact that I’m a pretty depressive fellow also has to do with my ambition, staving off the inevitable.”

Joss’s need to write and create new worlds seems to extend beyond the normal creative drive; it’s what keeps him going. “You know, I always get cranky when I’m not writing,” Joss admits. “I’ll be mad and I don’t know why. I just feel like I’m angry with everybody, and I hate everything, and life is a sham. Then I’ll realize I haven’t written anything. And rewriting doesn’t count. It has to be an original script.”

This explains Whedon’s intense frustration with what many would have considered a very successful screenwriting career. It wasn’t enough to be writing and contributing. Joss is a world-builder and he has to be creating worlds that he controls, that have meaning for him. Television was the only way he could achieve this.

“It makes perfect sense to me [to work in TV as opposed to films] but it definitely surprises most people,” Joss insists. “Why are the best writers in TV? Because they can control their product; they’re given something resembling respect and they see what they create come up on the screen not only the way they want it, but also within a few months as opposed to—like—four years ... I love movies and want to make more movies, but if the idea is to tell the story, then this is the best way to do that.

“Although I’ve been treated well by good people a lot of the time,” he reflected, “I have the usual bitter ‘They’re jealous of us—they need us and they hate us because they need us’ writer thing. Which is probably true. I think that on the totem pole [of film production], writers are still pretty much the part of the pole that’s stuck in the ground so that it will stay up.”

I’m a scary, depressive fellow. There’s no meaning to life. That’s kind of depressing. There’s no God. That’s a bummer, too. You fill your days with creating worlds that have meaning and order because ours doesn’t.
—Joss

Joss’s success hasn’t made him content, nor has it banished his view of himself as an outsider. He doesn’t hesitate to take on his production company or his network when he feels poorly treated. Whedon was vocal in complaining about Fox’s decision to position
Dark Angel
against
Angel
on Tuesday nights. “The fact that they put [
Dark Angel
] on opposite a show that they produce, thereby hurting it, shows that they really don’t care,” Whedon told
TV Guide Online
. “Their big picture is clearly so big that whatever I think and whatever I am doing doesn’t matter, and I resent that. But I am not a ‘big-picture guy.’ I’m just making my shows . . . I am not someone who can say, ‘Work your schedule.’” Joss is also unhappy with
Dark Angel’s
name. “I watch [
Dark Angel
]
,
and her name is not Angel, and she’s not an angel, so why the [expletive] would they call it that?” he complains.

writers are still pretty much the part of the pole that’s stuck in the ground so that it will stay up.—Joss

In a feat rarely seen in Hollywood, Whedon is producing three television series at the same time (
Buffy, Angel, Firefly
). Whedon promises to be deeply committed to each of these three series.

“This year I am going to be writing a bunch of original scripts in addition to everything else,” Whedon promises. “I’m going to shoot four episodes total of all the three shows. I’m going to keep my hand in. Plus I’m doing stuff on the side just to relax, but don’t tell anyone.”

her name is not Angel, and she’s not an angel, so why the [expletive] would they call it that?—Joss

The “stuff on the side” is likely to include developing two other series (
Buffy the Animated Series
and
Ripper
), and writing movie scripts, comic books, and songs (he wrote a song for Anthony Head’s solo album,
Music for Elevators
).

With all of his projects, with his deep commitment to the quality of
Buffy
and
Angel
, why would he agree to launch
Firefly
, a high-profile project that’s consuming the bulk of his time?

“Because I’m an idiot,” Whedon jokes. But behind the jokes it’s clear that Joss has an almost obsessive need to create new worlds. From a fan perspective, this may be a good thing, but has he taken on too much? The 2002—2003 television season promises to be his most challenging yet.
Firefly
remains a high-profile project with an uncertain future, so Joss must concentrate his efforts on the success of this show. And with the departure of David Greenwalt, and Marti Noxon’s maternity leave, Joss must inevitably pick up much of the slack on
Buffy
and
Angel
.

Whedon is not willing to choose between his shows; he’s committed to all of them and fervently denies that he is detaching himself from any of them. “I haven’t been as hands-off as people like to think. This season, I was there, except when I was shooting the
Firefly
pilot. But yeah, everything I saw that I could have made better or had a different vision for, I go, ‘Aaaarrgh!’ But then, I’ve always done that.”

So, is Joss headed for meltdown? His answer doesn’t inspire confidence. “I’m going to be more involved in
Angel
and
Buffy
even than I was last year. At the same time I’m going to be completely immersed in
Firefly
. And the trick to it all is increased efficiency. I’m also going to be home more, too. I have all of the New Year’s resolutions. It really is a case of efficiency. We juggled some writers. They are all aware that they have to step up in ways they haven’t before. That’s [a] great opportunity for a writer or writer/producer. I have built this family, and although Daddy [Greenwalt] left and we all feel bad about that, I still have a huge extended family who are great, creative people. It’s just a question of using the time and using the people and making sure that no one is ever not busy.

I’m going to be more involved in
Angel
and
Buffy
even than I was last year. At the same time I’m going to be completely immersed in
Firefly
. And the trick to it all is increased efficiency.—Joss

“Is it impossible? Yes! Are we going to accomplish it? Yes! Because I won’t abandon
Buffy
this late in the game. I won’t abandon
Firefly
this early in the game and I especially won’t abandon
Angel
right in the middle of its power.
Angel
is the one that no one really knows about. It’s flying under the radar. It had such a good year.”

Joss and a very preganant Kai Cole.

No one has made money yet betting against Whedon, and so far in the season, he’s been delivering quality in all three shows. But where does he go from here?

The early seasons of
Buffy
allowed Joss to wrestle with the demons of his youth, with the alienation and misery of high school life. In the later seasons of
Buffy,
in Angel, and now, in
Firefly
, Joss is grappling with larger issues, with adulthood and responsibility in a dark and meaningless world.

But Whedon is entering a new world himself. He and his wife, Kai Cole, are expecting a child at the end of 2002. Whedon promised himself that he would spend more time at home, a promise he found difficult to fulfill. But with a new child, Whedon will have to make some difficult choices.

If Whedon is like most fathers, his perspective on life and meaning will change profoundly with the birth of his child. Joss’s work is intensely personal and connected with his history and worldview It’s fascinating to consider how a new child will affect his work.

With all his accomplishments, it’s sometimes difficult to remember that Joss is still a young man, that his best work is probably still ahead of him. And much of this work will likely be in film. Whedon has not abandoned this dream, but he is waiting to build the clout to do it his way. “I’ve gotten into this stage where basically I’m looking to develop something that I’m going to direct,” Joss explains. “That’s all about trying to make a movie that’s made by me. Something that I can look at and say, ‘That’s good.’ Everything that’s happened before has sort of fed into this kind of attitude of ‘Nobody cares about the writer.’

“The two worlds. Although people can move between them easily, they don’t have much to do with each other. I’m still nobody. They’re starting to notice me now, so that could change. But nobody in Hollywood seems to be saying, ‘Hey, let’s go talk to that “Sweden” guy’ When you get to, like, Stephen King level, then they want to film your sweatsocks. ‘You wrote down a phone number? I’ll option it!’ But I’m not at that level.”

But he’s getting closer. It won’t be long before Whedon gets an opportunity to write and direct a major iconic film, the next
Spider-Man
or
Batman
. Or he’ll get the freedom to develop a world of his own, in the mode of
Star Wars, Terminator
, or
Alien
. Either way, expect Whedon to blossom into one of the great filmmakers of his generation. But don’t expect him to go Hollywood. Joss will always be a writer first, a true fan, and a geek at heart.