Buffy star eliza dushku shows her support for charisma carpenter

* DUSHKU, 40, SPOKE OUT IN SUPPORT OF CARPENTER ON THURSDAY  * SEVERAL OF CARPENTER'S COSTARS HAVE STOOD BY THE ACTRESS AFTER SHE CALLED CREATOR JOSS WHEDON 'TOXIC' AND

'CRUEL' IN A TWITTER POST ON WEDNESDAY * THE ACTRESS, WHO PORTRAYED CORDELIA CHASE IN THE DRAMA FOR FOUR YEARS, CLAIMED WHEDON CALLED HER FAT AND FIRED HER AFTER SHE GOT PREGNANT

IN 2003   * BUFFY STAR SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR, 43, POSTED: 'WHILE I AM PROUD TO HAVE MY NAME ASSOCIATED WITH BUFFY SUMMERS, I DON'T WANT TO BE FOREVER ASSOCIATED WITH THE NAME JOSS

WHEDON' * GELLAR ADDED: 'I STAND WITH ALL SURVIVORS OF ABUSE AND AM PROUD OF THEM FOR SPEAKING OUT'    * WHEDON, 56, HAS YET TO RESPOND TO THE ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT  By

DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER Published: 17:35 EDT, 12 February 2021 | Updated: 22:50 EDT, 14 February 2021 Buffy The Vampire Slayer actress Eliza Dushku spoke out in support of her costar Charisma

Carpenter, after the actress accused show creator Joss Whedon of abuse. Dushku joins several stars of the show who have made statements in support of Carpenter who earlier this week accused

Whedon of bullying and cruelty during her time on the show up until he fired her in 2003.  On Thursday Duzku, 40, added her support to Carpenter with a heartfelt message on social media.

'CC, my heart aches for you and I'm so sorry you have held this for so long. Your post was powerful, painful, and painted a picture we'll collectively never un-see or

un-know.'  Dushku, who played Faith on the hit show from 1998 to 2003, shared: 'I frequently think of the saying, 'we are as sick as our secrets'. Our secrets indeed make

and keep us sick.  'What I'm learning more and more — and have personally found most valuable — is that profound healing can only come from naming and disclosing what actually

happened, the necessary first step (once someone's ready) to freeing ourselves from our secrets, untold truths which have kept us isolated, ashamed, and held hostage. 'Neglecting

to 'name' the power/gender/sexual/racial abuse epidemic in the entertainment industry (and for that matter society in general), enables the abusers and only emboldens and

ultimately fortifies abusive systems. May you and countless others feel the solidarity and connection you have likely missed for too long.'  The actress concluded: 'From courage,

comes change and hope. It starts and will end because of courageous truth-tellers like you. I admire, respect, and love you.' Following Dushku's post, James Marsters, who played

British vampire Spike on the series, made a statement on Twitter on Friday. 'While I will always be honored to have played the character of Spike, the Buffy set was not without

challenges. I do not support abuse of any kind, and am heartbroken to learn of the experiences of some of the cast. I send my love and support to all involved.' the 58-year-old actor

wrote. Another former Buffy star, Michelle Trachtenberg, earlier this week claimed Whedon was 'not allowed in a room alone' with her during filming of the show. Trachtenberg

supported her co-stars when they spoke out about the alleged bullying going on behind the scenes of the phenomenally successful TV show - and branded his behavior as 'Very. Not.

Appropriate' on Wednesday. A day later on Thursday, she updated the caption to her own Instagram post and wrote: 'The last. Comment I will make on this. Was. There was a rule.

Saying. He's not allowed in a room alone with Michelle again.' Trachtenberg, now 35, was 14 when she was cast on Buffy as Sarah Michelle Gellar's little sister Dawn Summers in

2000. On Wednesday Carpenter called out Whedon for his behavior on the show and Gellar posted a statement in support.  Trachtenberg reposted Gellar's statement and originally wrote: 

'Thank you @sarahmgellar for saying this. 'I am brave enough now as a 35 year old woman....To repost this. Because. This must. Be known. As a teenager. With his not appropriate

behavior....very. Not. Appropriate.' In a comment, Trachtenberg added: 'What he did was very bad. But we win. By surviving!' Gellar starred in the titular role of Buffy for

all seven seasons that ran from 1997 to 2003. After Carpenter went public, Gellar posted a short statement on her social media which read: 'While I am proud to have my name associated

with Buffy Summers, I don't want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon.' Seeming to back Carpenter's claims, Gellar added: 'I am more focused on raising my

family and surviving a pandemic right now, so I will not be making any further statements at this time. 'But I stand with all survivors of abuse and am proud of them for speaking

out.' Whedon, 56, has not publicly responded to the allegations being made against him.  The controversy kicked off earlier on Wednesday when Carpenter attacked Whedon in a statement on

Twitter, branding him 'toxic' and 'cruel'.  Carpenter, who portrayed Cordelia Chase on Buffy for three seasons and in its spin-off Angel, claimed that Whedon called her

fat and killed her character off after she had a baby. The 50-year-old said she decided to speak out to show solidarity with actor Ray Fisher. Fisher last summer accused Whedon of

'abuse' and 'unacceptable behavior' while on the set, in 2017, of Justice League. 'For nearly two decades I have held my tongue and even made excuses for certain

events that traumatize me to this day,' Carpenter wrote. 'Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working together on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and

Angel. 'While he found his misconduct amusing, it only served to intensify my performance anxiety, disempower me, and alienate me from my peers.' Amber Benson, who played Tara

Maclay, chimed in on Twitter, saying: 'Buffy was a toxic environment and it starts at the top. '[Carpenter] is speaking truth and I support her 100%. There was a lot of damage done

during that time and many of us are still processing it twenty plus years later.'  Emma Caulfield, who played Anya Jenkins, also shared Gellar's post on Instagram, writing:

'In the wise words of my friend @sarahmgellar.'      Citing a series of 'disturbing incidents', Carpenter claimed her interactions with Whedon, 56, triggered an

unspecified 'chronic physical condition' that she said she still suffers from today, some 20 years later. 'Last summer, when Ray Fisher publicly accused Joss of abusive and

unprofessional behavior toward the cast and crew during reshoots on the Justice League set in 2017, it gutted me,' she continued.  'Joss has a history of being casually cruel. He

has created hostile and toxic work environments since his early career. I know because I experienced it first-hand. Repeatedly.' Whedon has not yet responded to the allegations made by

Carpenter. A DailyMail.com request for comment has so far gone unanswered.  Carpenter claims Whedon would regularly make 'passive-aggressive' threats to fire her throughout the

filming of the two shows, which she said 'wreaks havoc on a young actor's self-esteem.' The actress further alleged that Whedon would 'callously' mock her and call

her fat to other members of the cast and crew when she was four months pregnant, despite weighing just 126 lbs, she said. 'He was mean and biting, disparaging about others openly, and

often played favorites, pitting people against one another to compete and vie for his attention and approval,' Carpenter continued of Whedon. She claimed in one instance Whedon called

her in for a sit-down meeting to 'interrogate and berate' her regarding a tattoo she had gotten during filming to help her cope with 'a volatile work climate that affected me

physically.'  Carpenter said she has previously made excuses for Whedon's alleged behavior, 'repressed her own pain' and even, on occasion, publicly stated she would be

open to working with him again. 'Only recently, after years of therapy ... do I understand the complexities of this demoralized thinking,' she wrote. 'It is impossible to

understand the psyche without enduring the abuse. Our society and industry vilify the victims and glorify the abusers for their accomplishments.' Carpenter said she wished she'd

spoken out against Whedon sooner, but said she now hopes she can 'create space for the healing of others who I know have experienced similar serialized abuses of power.' Whedon

previously addressed the 'killing off' of Carpenter's character in a 2003 interview with TV Guide . 'We felt like we had taken that story...about as far as it could go.

It just seemed like it was time because we were revamping the show, and then pairing it down...it just seemed like a good time for certain people move on,' he said at the time. Prior to

Carpenter's Wednesday post, the most recent allegation of toxic workplace behavior against Whedon was made by actor Ray Fisher, who accused him last summer of 'gross, abusive,

unprofessional, and completely unacceptable' while on the set of Justice League in 2017. The claims also included allegations that Whedon had attempted to digitally alter the complexion

of an actor of color in post-production. 'What set my soul on fire and forced me to speak out about Joss Whedon this summer was my becoming informed that Joss had ordered that the

complexion of an actor of color be changed in post-production because he didn't like the color of their skin tone,' Fisher told Forbes. 'Man, with everything 2020's been,

that was the tipping point for me.' He went on to add that several characters played by actors of color had their roles significantly cut or eliminated altogether.   Whedon has

staunchly denied the claims, saying in a statement to Entertainment Weekly: 'The individual who offered this statement acknowledged that this was just something that he had heard from

someone else and accepted as truth, when in fact simple research would prove that it was false.' The director continued: 'As is standard on almost all films, there were numerous

people involved with mixing the final product, including the editor, special effects person, composer, etc. with the senior colorist responsible for the final version's tone, colors,

and mood. 'This process was further complicated on this project by the fact that [original director] Zack [Snyder] shot on film, while Joss shot on digital, which required the team, led

by the same senior colorist who has worked on previous films for Zack, to reconcile the two.'  Then in October, Fisher revealed that his Victor Stone/Cyborg character had been removed

entirely from the upcoming DC Universe movie, The Flash, amid the tensions.  WarnerMedia investigated the claims made by Fisher last year, announcing in December it was taking 'remedial

action', though declined to offer specifics. Carpenter said Wednesday that she recently participated in the investigation, 'because I believe Ray to be a person of integrity who

is telling the truth,' she said.  'His firing as Cyborg in The Flash was the last straw for me. Although I am not shocked, I am deeply pained by it. It troubles and saddens me that

in 2021 professionals STILL have to choose between whistleblowing in the workplace and job security.'  Fisher replied to Carpenter's tweet thanking her for speaking out.

'Charisma Carpenter is one of the bravest people I know. I am forever grateful for her courage and for her lending her voice to the Justice League investigation. Read her truth. Share

her truth. Protect her at all costs,' the actor wrote. Watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Stan in Australia.