Joss Whedon: The Biography (80 page)

“
These people are going to be …
” Cole, interview by the author.

“
The writers … were very appreciative …
” dreamlogic, Whedonesque post, November 6, 2007.

“
Dear Writers …
” Whedon, “From Joss Whedon: Do Not Adjust Your Mindset.”

“
That’s the reason I write …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
the reuse of movies and television programs …
” Writers Guild of America, West, “Writers Guild Members Overwhelmingly Ratify New Contract.”

“
He thought it was a bad idea” …
Cole, interview by the author.

29. Dr. Horrible, I Presume

“
I wanted to write songs” …
Whedon, interview in
Fresh Air
, February 12, 2009.

“
Freedom is glorious” …
Whedon, quoted in Baldwin, “The Web Has Been Wonderful.”

he was “scheming schemes” …
Whedon, Whedonesque post, December 20, 2007.

“
The embarrassing thing …
” Joss Whedon, quoted in Rosen, “Family Tradition.”

“
All of a sudden the world …
” Tancharoen, quoted in “Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen,” Dr. Horrible official fan site.

“
Then he got mad …
” Harris, quoted in Vary, “‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.’”

“
‘Hey, so, we have this thing …’
” Fillion, interview by the author.

“
The thing about Joss …
” Day, quoted in Vary, “‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.’”

“
[Joss] said that obviously …
” Harris, quoted in Vary, “‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.’”

the “guilds haven’t been beaten down …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
I got to invent them” …
Ibid.

“
There’s no reason …
” Whedon, quoted in Rosen, “New Media Guru.”

“
The concept was so pure …
” Harris, quoted in Vary, “‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.’”

“
It was helpful having those years …
” Boretz, quoted in “Producer, Michael Boretz,” Dr. Horrible official fan site.

“
He creates that kind of environment …
” Ibid.

“
One of the things that makes him …
” Wilcox, interview by the author.

“
When I pull a favor …
” Helberg, interview by the author.

“
Joss knows what he wants …
” Ibid.

“
all kinds of guerilla filmmaking …
” Harris, interview by the author.

“
everybody was like a family” …
Cole, interview by the author.

“
More than any project …
” Fillion, interview by the author.

it had “gotten backburnered” …
Whedon, quoted in Vineyard, “Joss Whedon’s Hollywood Status Update.”

“
Everything was in place …
” Whedon, quoted in Utichi, “A Buffy-Style Kicking.”

“
I kept waiting for the other shoe…
” Goddard, interview by the author.

“
She was so on top of it” …
Whedon, quoted in Rosen, “New Media Guru.”

“
We like to say we broke …
” Ibid.

“
Releasing it for free …
” Harris, interview by the author.

“
Backstage, he was even redder …
” Helberg, interview by the author.

“
It was very surreal” …
Harris, interview by the author.

“
But what he loved …
” Whedon, interview in
Fresh Air
, February 12, 2009.

“
It’s not like a huge moneymaker …
” Cole, interview by the author.

“
There was a picture of Dr. Horrible …
” Whedon, quoted in Rosen, “New Media Guru.”

“
I’ll probably regret [that idea] forever …
” Whedon, interview in
Fresh Air
, February 12, 2009.

“
ambitious and funny while still being …
” Bianculli,
Fresh Air
, February 12, 2009.

“
Those songs are as equally entertaining …
” Harris, interview by the author.

“
I always want to get behind …
” Whedon, interview in
Fresh Air
, February 12, 2009.

“
Homer’s Odyssey was swell …
” Whedon, “Heart (Broken),” in
Commentary!: The Musical
.

30. Dollhouse

had done his best not to be “too embarrassing” …
Whedon, quoted in “Exclusive: Joss Whedon Talks DOLLHOUSE,”
theTVaddict.com
.

“
Joss and I found common ground …
” Penikett, interview by the author.

“
painfully convoluted sentences …
” Williams, interview by the author.

“
Did human trafficking just get …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
Some of them said …
” Ibid.

“
The Network and I had different ideas …
” Whedon, Whedonesque post, October 26, 2008.

“
It takes a long time to find …
” Penikett, interview by the author.

“
every show has its own music …
” Lennix, quoted in ibid.

“
A good deal of Dollhouse …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
Dollhouse was the one time …
” Whedon, quoted in Hibberd, “Joss Whedon: The Definitive EW Interview.”

“
I said, ‘Whoa, no way! …’
” Tudyk, quoted in Adams, “Alan Tudyk” (interview).

“
There’s no mediation …
” Penikett, interview by the author.

“
Maybe with a different creator …
” Kranz, interview by the author.

“
It’s kind of an elegy …
” Oswalt, quoted in Wolk, “Q&A: Patton Oswalt.”

31. The Cabin in the Woods

“
That was definitely one of …
” Goddard, quoted in Colis, “‘The Cabin in the Woods.’”

“
They’re wonderful, decent people …
” Whedon and Goddard, filmmakers’ commentary,
The Cabin in the Woods
.

“
This is basically the same …
” Ibid.

“
Here’s an example …
” Whedon and Goddard,
The Cabin in the Woods: The Official Visual Companion
, 21.

“
very good, funny and smart” …
Jenkins, quoted in Whedon and Goddard,
The Cabin in the Woods: The Official Visual Companion
, 48.

“
It was awkward” …
Kranz, quoted in Colis, “‘The Cabin in the Woods.’”

“
Joss [said that he’d] been seeing me …
” Kranz, interview by the author.

“
We probably saw over 100 people …
” Goddard, quoted in Colis, “‘The Cabin in the Woods.’”

“
Drew is a horror aficionado …
” Whedon and Goddard,
The Cabin in the Woods: The Official Visual Companion
. 19.

“
there was nobody else …
” Whedon and Goddard, filmmakers’ commentary,
The Cabin in the Woods
.

“
A person that has done …
” Ibid.

“
believe in yourself …
” Whedon, Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech.

a “belief system that they can understand …
” Ibid.

“
The enemy of humanism is not faith” …
Ibid.

“
About two hours after starting …
” Whedon, quoted in Bierly “Exclusive: Joss Whedon on ‘Dollhouse.’”

“
‘Belonging’ is (in a very unpedantic way) …
” Nussbaum, “The Fascinating No-Consent Fantasia of
Dollhouse
and
Mad Men
.”

“
the opportunity to end …
” Schneider, “‘Dollhouse,’ ‘Hank’ Get the Ax.”

“
Every actor wants at least …
” Laurie, interview by the author.

“
When Joss made Buffy …
” Nussbaum, interview by the author.

“
I’ve had people come up to me …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
Oh, thank God” …
Whedon and Goddard, filmmakers’ commentary,
The Cabin in the Woods
.

“
You have to fight these battles …
” Ibid.

32. Fanboy Dreams Come True: The Avengers

“
It was very gradual …
” Goddard, interview by the author.

“
We needed somebody who wasn’t …
” Feige, quoted in Rogers, “With The Avengers, Joss Whedon Masters the Marvel Universe.”

“
I’ve known Joss for many …
” Feige, interview by the author.

“
I was about to go back …
” Hemsworth, interview by the author.

“
was always somebody that I …
” Feige, interview by the author.

“
The thing about the X-Men …
” Whedon, quoted in Kozac, “Serenity NOW!”

“
I don’t think you have anything” …
Whedon, quoted in Rogers, “With The Avengers, Joss Whedon Masters the Marvel Universe.”

“
What a great way …
” Feige, interview by the author.

“
I was like, great …
” Whedon, quoted in Rogers, “With The Avengers, Joss Whedon Masters the Marvel Universe.”

“
I have enough signposts …
” Whedon, interview in
The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith
podcast.

“
I kept telling my mom …
” Whedon, quoted in John, “Joss Whedon: ‘I Kept Telling My Mum Reading Comics Would Pay Off.’”

“
When are you going to make a real …
” Whedon, interview in
Studio 360
.

Leterrier, who reportedly had expressed interest …
Beaks, “Louis Leterrier Officially in the Running.”

“
insiders at Marvel Studios …
” Phillips, “‘Avengers’ Talk, Comic Book Signings.”

Deadline Hollywood was reporting …
Fleming, “Whedon to Direct Marvel’s ‘The Avengers.’”

“
that is not an official thing …
” Whedon, Visionaries panel.

“
Oftentimes in the Marvel fan community …
” Feige, interview by the author.

“
There’s been much made of superheroes …
” Ibid.

“
Joss looks at these characters …
” Ibid.

“
I did spend a lot of time …
” Whedon, quoted in Sciretta, “/Film Set Interview: ‘The Avengers’ Writer/Director Joss Whedon.”

Steve Rogers “ is looking at this world …
” Ibid.

“
The motherfucker lives in you …
” Whedon, quoted in Hiddleston, interview by the author.

was “very sweet” in his appraisal …
Hiddleston, interview by the author.

“
I was like, ‘Dude …’
” Ibid.

“
I literally plugged in …
” Ibid.

“
‘I want to dive off the deep end …
” Whedon, quoted in Hiddleston, interview by the author.

“
it was funny to come full circle …
” Hemsworth, interview by the author.

“
Mark was my dream choice …
” Whedon, quoted in Wilding “Joss Whedon and Mark Ruffalo.”

“
Joss said, ‘I’m excited …’
” Ruffalo, interview by the author.

“
For me, it’s a tough part …
” Ibid.

“
The way I see it …
” Ruffalo, quoted in Jensen, “‘Avengers’: New Hulk Mark Ruffalo.”

“
It was like ‘Female Agent #12’ …
” Smulders, interview by the author.

“
I wrote an entire draft …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

“
Even though The Empire Strikes Back …
” Whedon, interview in
The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith
podcast.

“
[The script] was funny …
” Gregg, interview by the author.

“
Joss, I am so excited …
” Hiddleston, e-mail to Whedon, shared with the author by sender.

“
Tom, this is one of those emails …
” Whedon, e-mail to Hiddleston, shared with the author by recipient.

“
You know, ironically …
” Whedon, interview by the author.

33. Buffy Lives, Again?

“
the deep struggle she had …
” Anderson, quoted in Boucher, “Joss Who?”

“
a hideous idea” …
Head, quoted in Bricker and Moorhouse, “
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Star Calls Movie Reboot a ‘Hideous Idea.’”

“
opportunity to take something …
” Carpenter, quoted in Hernandez, “Exclusive: Charisma Carpenter on a Possible ‘Buffy’ Remake.”

“
There’s no public outcry …
” Green, quoted in Hoevel, “Seth Green Talks ‘Robot Chicken.’

“
I love the Buffy that I played …
” Gellar, interview by the author.

“
This is a sad, sad reflection …
” Whedon, quoted in Dos Santos, “Joss Whedon Reacts to
Buffy
Movie News.”

“
OK, if worse comes to worst …
” Goddard, interview by the author.

“
If you’re going to bring it back …
” Boucher, “‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Movie Looking for New Writer.”

“
I wouldn’t want to be …
” Noxon, quoted in “‘I Am Number Four’ Writer Marti Noxon,”
MTV.com
.

“
The people who feel …
” Whedon, quoted in Robinson, “Joss Whedon” (interview), September 5, 2001.

34. Avengers Assemble

He asked all the actors for their notes …
Weintraub, “35 Things to Know About THE AVENGERS.”

“
At the beginning I’m an open book” …
Whedon, quoted in Weintraub, “Director Joss Whedon.”

the storylines seemed “cobbled together” …
Weintraub, “35 Things to Know About THE AVENGERS.”

“
It wasn’t broke …
” Downey, quoted in Weintraub, “Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans.”

“
It was the first chance I had …
” Jackson, interview by the author.

“
my favorite response” …
Whedon, quoted in Weintraub, “Director Joss Whedon.”

“
But then I got it …
” Renner, interview by the author.

“
We spent a long time talking …
” Ruffalo, interview by the author.