Buffy the Vampire Slayer is truly a television show that’s shaped the landscape of….well, TV. In addition to a mix of horror, humor, and heart that won over a long-lasting fanbase, Buffy the Vampire Slayer writers have gone on to shape other genre hits, including Battlestar Galactica, Daredevil, and Lost. But none of that would be possible without its cast, as Buffy the Vampire Slayer boasts arguably one of the best ensemble casts in television history. It turns out that one of those characters could have been very different, especially considering Alyson Hannigan wasn’t the first choice for Buffy’s best friend, Willow Rosenberg.
Riff Regan was slated to play Willow in the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer pilot, which series creator Joss Whedon created to shop the show to potential networks. Whedon spent years claiming that he would never let release it, bluntly saying, “It sucks on ass,” during one interview. However, the Internet, being the Internet, had its own ideas, and the pilot did eventually leak online. Of course, it is far different from the pilot fans are familiar with, but one major change is Willow. As it turns out, Willow was a far different character when she was played by Regan.
Riff Reagan’s Willow in the Unaired ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Pilot Is Different
Watching the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer pilot and the series’ first episode, “Welcome to the Hellmouth,” is a study in contrasts. The former is about half the length of what made it onto TV, has no appearance from Buffy’s first love, Angel (David Boreanz), and had Berryman High rather than Sunnydale High, which frankly isn’t that catchy. But the biggest change is in Willow, and that’s due to Regan’s performance. Regan portrays Willow as rather shy and timid and seemingly unaffected by the fact that actual vampires stalk the halls of her high school. But more importantly, there was a lack of chemistry between Regan and Sarah Michelle Gellar, which is worrying since Buffy and Willow become lifelong friends over the course of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Warner Bros. executives would ultimately pass on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, choosing to give a series order to 7th Heaven. But the show would get a second chance at life (technically third if you remember the original 1992 movie). In Joss Whedon: The Autobiography, Amy Pascale laid out the terms WB execs gave Whedon for going forward with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and one of those terms was that Regan would have to be recast. Regan was unsurprised by this, as she had previously told Whedon that she felt Willow wasn’t the right fit for her; she ultimately ended up retiring from acting shortly afterward. Eventually, Alyson Hannigan got the role, but it turns out that there was another actress in the running for Willow.
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A ‘Yellowjackets’ Alum Was Up for Willow’s Part in ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’
In 2022, Evan Katz Ross wrote the book Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts, covering the impact Buffy the Vampire Slayer left on pop culture. While interviewing Melanie Lynskey for his newsletter, Ross mentioned that Sarah Michelle Gellar said Lynskey inspired Willow, and Lynskey verified it, adding the fact that she tried to audition for Willow. She had to overcome issues with her visa, but a meeting with Whedon led to her auditioning for the part:
I had a dinner with Joss and I don’t remember if it was an offer or if it was like, “Would you come read for it?” or what it was, but we stayed in touch after that. And then I guess they were replacing the person from the pilot at a certain point and I had stayed in touch with [Joss], and he said, “Now do you think you would want to do it?” And I had seen the pilot and I was like, “Oh, this is good,” and I kind of took my agent into it.
Though Lynskey didn’t get the part, she had nothing but love for Hannigan, calling her “absolutely wonderful.” Still, it’s interesting to wonder what Lynskey would have brought to the table if she had gotten to play Willow, especially after the original pilot proved how drastically another actor’s portrayal can be. Some of Lynskey’s roles, including seemingly ditzy stalker Rose on Two and a Half Men and former cannibal/suburban mom Shauna Shipman in Yellowjackets, definitely show that she could have pulled it off and fit with the same vibe that Hannigan brought to her portrayal of Willow.
Alyson Hannigan Was the Perfect Fit for Willow
Allyson Hannigan wound up playing Willow, and she made the part her own. While Hannigan was able to capture Willow’s shyness and sweet nature, she also made sure to grow with the character. From Willow learning magic to discovering her sexuality, Hannigan delivered a layered performance that made Willow one of the most beloved characters in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She also got the chance to deliver different versions of Willow throughout Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s run, particularly in the episode “Wish.” This episode finds Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) landing in an alternate universe where Buffy never lived in Sunnydale, which led its residents to fall prey to vampires. The alternate Willow is a hypersexualized, cruel alpha predator — a far cry from her normal self. Season 6 took it one step further, with Willow becoming addicted to magic and going on a killing spree. Hannigan brings different shades of evil to these performances; Vampire Willow is equal parts hilarious and scary, while Dark Willow is just flat-out terrifying.
While Riff Regan and Melanie Lynskey could have done a great job playing Willow Rosenberg, the character wouldn’t be the same without Alyson Hannigan. Willow’s arguably one of the pieces that makes Buffy the Vampire Slayer work: her dynamic with Buffy drives some of the show’s emotional moments, her knowledge of magic has helped save the world, and other than Buffy, she’s the one character who’s appeared in every episode of the show. The saying “third time’s the charm” is a well-worn cliché, but in the case of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and casting Willow, it couldn’t be more true.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is streaming on Hulu in the U.S.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
- Release Date
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1997 – 2003
- Network
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The WB
- Showrunner
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Joss Whedon
- Directors
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Joss Whedon
- Writers
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Joss Whedon
