Joss Whedon: The Biography (75 page)

Introduction

“
There is a tiny story that I want to tell you” …
Whedon, interview by the author.

“
And I will always write about yearning” …
Whedon, interview by the author.

“
Helplessness was what I realized …
” Ibid.

an American television show interviewed Russians …
“Behind the Iron Closet,”
The Daily Show
.

people who “should not even be in the same room …
” Whedon, Visionaries panel.

“
If Joss Whedon had had one good day in high school …
” Greenwalt, quoted in Springer, “High School Hell.”

1. A Family of Storytellers

“
the perfect comic-book movie” …
Leitch, “The Perfect Comic-Book Movie.”

“
vivid, realistic image of wartime small-town America” …
McLeod, “The Great Gildersleeve.”

“
When I was a child, my father wrote at home” …
Tom Whedon, quoted in Rosen, “Family Tradition.”

When one of them implicated a writer …
Rosen, “Family Tradition.”

“
Lee Jeffries and Thomas Whedon were the stalwarts of the cast …
” Langguth, “Great to Be Back!”

“
My mother … was extremely intelligent …
” Whedon, quoted in BAFTA,
Joss Whedon: A Life in Pictures
.

“
You’re gonna be a writer
” … Tom Whedon, quoted in Rosen, “Family Tradition.”

“
Italian Renaissance-palazzo-style building” …
StreetEasy, “895 West End Avenue,”
http://streeteasy.com/nyc/building/895-west-end-avenue-new_york
.

“
We were living in a Westside apartment …
” Tom Whedon, quoted in Rosen, “Family Tradition.”

“
Was I the weak person who got pounded on? …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
charming, but merciless” …
Whedon, quoted in Said, “Interview with Joss Whedon.”

“
Some fathers can’t really talk to their sons …
” Joss Whedon, quoted in Rosen, “Family Tradition.”

“
extremely outspoken, strong and loving” …
Whedon, interview by the author.

“
She was very smart …
” Whedon, quoted in Nussbaum, “Must-See Metaphysics.”

“
lured back” to children’s television …
Tom Whedon, quoted in Rosen, “Family Tradition.”

“
There were always eight …
” Stone, quoted in Davis,
Street Gang
, 157.

“
While I really enjoyed all of the funny things …
” Whedon, quoted in Longworth, “Joss Whedon, Feminist,” 199.

“
There were times when I didn’t feel …
” Whedon, quoted in Havens,
Joss Whedon
, 5
.

Joss worked through his feelings …
Schiff, “Joss Whedon: Absolute Admiration for Sondheim.”

“
The notion that every choice you make …
” Whedon, quoted in Schiff, “Joss Whedon: Absolute Admiration for Sondheim.”

“
Sondheim wasn’t someone you would go to …
” Ibid.

“
He was always the funniest kid …
” Boal, interview by the author.

“
I was like nine …
” Whedon, quoted in Ridley, “Three Writers.”

“
We kicked it full ’70s” …
Whedon, interview by the author.

“
walking up and down …
” Whedon, quoted in Hibberd, “Joss Whedon: The Definitive EW Interview.”

“
He looks like an easy mark” …
Cole, interview by the author.

“
I duck under them …
” Whedon, quoted in Hibberd, “Joss Whedon: The Definitive EW Interview.”

“
You just hold onto that” …
Cole, interview by the author.

“
We were super upset …
” Boal, interview by the author.

“
It was the first horror movie I’d seen …
” Whedon, quoted in Syfy UK, “Joss Whedon—Favourite Horror.”

“
I wanted to be a part of a group …
” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

“
We’d walk down the street …
” Boal, interview by the author.

“
I gave myself this little mantra …
” Whedon, quoted in Tavi, “Yay, Geometry.”

2. “Being British” in the Land of Shakespeare (and Giles)

“
Winchester is timelessly beautiful …
” Whedon, “Higher Learning.”

“
I was lonely” …
Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

“
I was very dark and miserable …
” Whedon, quoted in BAFTA,
Joss Whedon: A Life in Pictures
.

“
I’m alone out here …
” Whedon, “Joss Whedon: From Buffy to Dr Horrible,” Sydney Opera House.

“
ice cold room” …
Whedon, “Higher Learning.”

“
When there was a lull …
” Ibid.

“
somebody makes these [films] …
” Whedon, interview in
Joss Whedon: The Master at Play
, DVD
.

the “reality of being human” …
Whedon, quoted in Kappala-Ramsamy, “Joss Whedon.”

“
[I] came out of the theater with an understanding …
” Whedon, Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech.

“
extraordinary epiphany of the nature …
” Ibid.

“
Oh! Other people have gone through this!” …
Whedon, quoted in Kappala-Ramsamy, “Joss Whedon.”

“
I saw them in the front row …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
difficult to teach
” … Dick Massen, quoted in Jane Massen, interview by the author.

“
American, and sometimes rather dubious …
” “Fencing Report 1981,”
Wykehamist
.

“
And if you believe that, you’ll believe anything” …
Whedon, quoted in Jane Massen, interview by the author.

“
It could have been absolutely ghastly” …
Jane Massen, interview by the author.

“
We’d have class for an hour and twenty minutes …
” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

“
clearly surrogate [Joss] as a grown-up …
” Whedon, interview in
The Write Environment
, DVD.

“
a person of a great deal of originality” …
Jane Massen, interview by the author.

“
no grades … [and] a lot of reports …
” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

“
It was only when I got to college …
” Whedon, quoted in Gilbey, “Joss Whedon.”

“
I was very aware that my interest …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
You can’t write from a political agenda …
” Ibid.

“
It was the year that Superman [III] came out …
” Tom Whedon, quoted in Rosen, “Family Tradition.”

“
Sometimes people are flexible …
” Basinger, interview by the author.

“
I’ve had two great teachers in my life” …
Whedon, quoted in Stafford, “Slayage Conference.”

“
The way everyone in the film department …
” Cole, interview by the author.

“
[There were] people who understand theory …
” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

He wrote a paper on Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds …
Stafford, “Slayage Conference.”

“
His papers seemed so natural …
” Basinger, interview by the author.

“
where the simplicity is …
” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

Basinger explained that her students felt …
Stafford, “Slayage Conference.”

“
I was terrified” …
Whedon, interview by the author.

“
When somebody didn’t get it …
” Basinger, interview by the author.

“
I had an old photograph …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
Pretty much what I had learned …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
They both showed great talent …
” Basinger, interview by the author.

“
ward off the evil spirits
” … Whedon, interview by the author.

3. Crash Course in Television

“
That freaked me out a little bit” …
Whedon, interview in
Making It with Riki Lindhome
podcast.

“
young, hip, and cool” …
Ibid.

“
It was the most terrifying experience …
” Ibid.

“
We didn’t ever shoot it …
” Ibid.

“
I had no idea how huge …
” Whedon, interview in
The Write Environment
, DVD.

“
It came down to about the middle …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
Very ’80s, slick, like frat boy” …
Whedon, interview in
Making It with Riki Lindhome
podcast.

“
something creepy happened …
” Whedon, interview in
The Write Environment
, DVD.

Barr “changed the landscape …
” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

“
had a feminist agenda …
” Ibid.

“
I know he meant that …
” Whedon, “Joss Whedon: From Buffy to Dr Horrible,” Sydney Opera House.

“
total chaos” …
Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

“
It’s us against the world …
” Ibid.

It was a plot twist …
Whedon, quoted in Hibberd, “Joss Whedon: The Definitive EW Interview.”

“
It made me realize …
” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

“
Because they just … they had nobody …
” Ibid.

“
It’s totally the same …
” Whedon, interview in
Making It with Riki Lindhome
podcast.

“
That was the first script of mine …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
It was quite extraordinary” …
Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

“
If you met my mom …
” Whedon, quoted in Benedictus, “The Ladies’ Man.”

“
It was about Michael Jordan” …
Whedon, interview by the author.

at least $3,000 a week …
Klaus, “The War of the Roseanne.”

“
The idea … came from seeing …
” Whedon, quoted in Havens,
Joss Whedon
, 21
.

“
more power than was imaginable” …
Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

“
There is no way you could hear the name …
” Ibid.

“
jolly fun” …
Whedon, interview in
The Write Environment
, DVD.

“
I just wanted to be able …
” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

“
It was a very talented ensemble …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
This is terrible” …
King, quoted in ibid.

“
He was far across the room …
” Cole, interview by the author.

“
I like your boots
” … Whedon, quoted in ibid.

“
the fact that we were at a gay bar …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
We sort of celebrate …
” Cole, interview by the author.

“
My husband and I were both here …
” Basinger, interview by the author.

“
Oh, God no. I’m trying to fix it!
” … Cole, quoted in Whedon, interview by the author.

“
It was very important” …
Whedon, interview by the author.

4. The Blonde in the Alley Fights Back

“
When we’re kids …
” Fran Kuzui, quoted in Tracy,
The Girl’s Got Bite
, 3
.

“
The original script of ‘Buffy’ …
” Fran Kuzui, quoted in Miller, “From Box Office Hit to Serenity of Temples.”

“
That theatrical, neo-surf speak” …
Saralegui, interview by the author.

“
Buffy’s the one who’s …
” Perry, quoted in Tracy,
The Girl’s Got Bite
, 4
.

Buffy “ isn’t a vampire movie …
” Fran Kuzui, quoted in ibid., 6
.

“
Fran Kuzui came in …
” Whedon, quoted in Ken P., “An Interview with Joss Whedon.”

“
Kristy Swanson [said] …
” Ibid.

“
He had a very bad attitude …
” Whedon, quoted in Robinson, “Joss Whedon” (interview), September 5. 2001.

“
You can’t sit down at your desk …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
They thought the movie was very serious …
” Kaz Kazui, quoted in Tracy,
The Girl’s Got Bite
, 7.

“
OK, that made me feel a bit better …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
I didn’t know that you people existed!” …
Ibid.

“
Paul’s adjustment was about spinning …
” Ibid.

“
a comedy, but also a satire …
” Swanson, quoted in Diamond, “‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer.’”

“
this is not going to be a critically acclaimed movie …
” Perry, quoted in ibid.

5. The World Upends

“
At this time a lot of people turn to …
” Whedon, director’s commentary, “The Body.”

“
no solution, catharsis, or anything else …
” Ibid.

“
I wanted to be very specific …
” Ibid.

“
Ha ha ha, you little naive fool …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
His very simple advice …
” Ibid.

“
I would go upstairs and start writing …
” Whedon, quoted in Legel, “COMIC CON.”

“
If you look carefully at The Getaway” …
Whedon, quoted in Robinson, “Joss Whedon” (interview), September 5. 2001.

“
That’s a movie that goes genuinely insane …
” Whedon, quoted in Bailey, “12 Things We Learned from Joss Whedon’s SXSW Talk.”