Buffy: Cordelia Was Black, But The WB Told Whedon to Make Her White

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https://www.cbr.com/buffy-cordelia-w...d-black-actor/

Joss Whedon wanted Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Cordelia to be played by a black actor but was blocked by The WB's fears of interracial couples.



Whedon’s former PA George Snyder explained the original plan for Cordelia in Slayers & Vampires: The Complete Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Buffy & Angel. "Originally, Joss was looking for a black actress for the role of Cordelia," he revealed. "But one of the stumbling blocks there was the way we knew Joss anticipated the relationships shifting and changing. There was some concern at the network at the time that interracial relationships would be problematic. At that point, the WB was a different kind of network. I know that came up and Joss said, 'I can’t have restraints on how I mix and match the dynamics. That’s part of the fun of the show, that Willow is in love with Xander, Xander is in love with Buffy, Cordelia can’t stand any of them yet finds herself drawn to Xander.' Joss decided it wasn’t worth fighting that fight at that particular time, but he didn’t want to be hindered in the dynamic of the shifting triangles."

Even though Charisma Carpenter landed the role of Cordelia, Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast a number of black actors over the years. In addition to Phill Lewis' Mr. Platt, there was Bianca Lawson's Kendra, Leonard Roberts' Forrest Gates, K. Todd Freeman's Mr. Trick and even a cameo from Ashanti as the demonic Lissa. Moreover, while Whedon missed out on having an interracial relationship in Buffy's formative years, later seasons introduced this with Giles and Olivia Williams (Phina Oruche) having a brief fling and Faith's relationship with Robin Wood (D.B Woodside). Still, the series was criticized for a lack of diversity, and all of the above were relatively minor characters.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ran on The WB from 1997-2001 before it transferred to UPN for its final two seasons. While the series was known for tackling themes of love and loss, the network was less comfortable with the idea of an interracial coupling between Xander and Cordelia. Only recently, Whedon tackled another issue of diversity and said he wished he'd made Hannigan's Willow bisexual from the start. Similar to the idea of having Cordelia being played by a black actor, Whedon admitted there were concerns Willow's sexuality wouldn't have been accepted at that time.

That said, news of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot was officially confirmed in 2018 and suggested things will be different, with an African American actor as the next female lead.