In an interview with Jules Asner, Sarah Michelle Gellar said that at her last reading she and one other actress were up for the part of Buffy but didn't say who the other girl was. Does anybody know who the other actress was that made it to the final casting cut?

I had heard that Charisma Carpenter (Cordy) was supposed to play Buffy.

I hadn't heard that, but I had heard that Gellar was originally slated for Cordelia.

Katie Holmes was in the running as Buffy.

That was the part she auditioned for, but I don't know how far in the process she made it before they had her read for Cordy.

The girl (I forget her name, Amy, Amanda?) who has a recurring role on the show that used to be a rat at one time was going to be Buffy. She was in S1 as the daughter of the witch who traded bodies w/ her because she was wasting her youth, then she got into witchcraft w/ Willow and ended up getting turned into a rat. After she got turned back she's the one who turned Willow onto the bad magic, and most recently was the one at the Wicca group Willow went to when she got turned into the dude.



SMG was going to be Cordelia, and then Joss Whedon though SMG would make a better Buffy, the other girl was dropped altogether and Charisma Carpenter was brought in as Cordelia.

Actually, after casting SMG as Cordy, they ran into a roadblock in casting Buffy, so SMG begged them to let her audition for the part of Buffy, and the rest of history.

And yes, the actress who played Amy (rat-witch) was up for the part, but just didn't have "it" to play Buffy. Her name is Elizabeth Anne Allen.

Bianca Lawson also auditioned for Cordelia, and I think she actually got the role before having to drop out. She later turned up as Kendra.

And Christian Kane auditioned for Riley before getting cast as Lindsey on Angel.

I remember something about Melissa Joan Hart being up for the part as well.

Wasn't Sabrina on the air on at that time? Unless she wanted out of Sabrina, I find her an unlikely contender.

Buffy was a midseason replacement show in 1997.

The actress who played Darla also auditioned for the roll of Buffy.

I heard that Alicia Silverstone, Drew Barrymore, and Alyssa Milano were also possibilities...it was on some AMC show...but that might have been the movie they were talking about...its been like several months since I saw that backstory thing.