We cared about Giles specifically because it was Anthony Head
It’s always interesting to consider which actors in a role resonate. In almost every possible casting scenario, the actor playing the stuffy mentor of teenage vampire slayer Buffy and her friends, would go on to be celebrated by a small number of dedicated fans of the show with very little interest outside of that.
Anthony Head resonated. The actor, credited on Buffy: The Vampire Slayer as Anthony Stewart Head, died at the age of 72 with extensive coverage across media news sites and more mainstream publications. His role on that show, like for much of the cast, would be the role that he will be defined by.
As vampire slayer mentor by night, school librarian by day, Rupert Giles was a beloved character on the show. There was even talk at one point of spinning the character off into his own series produced in the UK. It’s a shame that never came to pass. The broad enthusiasm for Giles can be attributed to the specific performance that Head delivered on the show. Why did it resonate? Who can say… TV chemistry isn’t a science and anything can and did happen atop Sunnydale’s hellmouth.
Looking back at Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, a show that I adored for much of its run, I struggle with it now. The very specific Joss Whedon dialogue grates, with that frustration amplified by a young cast who delivered performances that I don’t feel aged very well. But, amid all of that was this very capable, very engaging performance by Anthony Head.
Following Buffy, Head was a constant presence on screen, seen in high profile productions like Little Britain, Merlin, Free Agents, Doctor Who, Bridgerton, and Jack Ryan. He was also a recurring villain in Ted Lasso.
Head returned to the UK after Buffy concluded, raising his daughters alongside his animal welfare advocate partner Sarah Fisher. Head remained with Fisher from 1982 until her death in December.
By all reports, he was a good, decent guy.
News Desk
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is the first movie to cross the $1 billion mark at the box office this year. Read: THR
If you’ve been watching one of TVs best rich-people-are-troubled dramas, Your Friends & Neighbors, you might be keen on this end-of-season interview with star Jon Hamm and creator Jonathan Tropper. Read: Variety
Four Corners, Australia’s flagship current affairs show (marking 65 years on air this August), is set to overhaul its editorial processes and restructure its reporting team. Read: SMH
Paramount Skydance (full corporate name: Paramount Skydance Sheinhardt Wig Company, fyi) says it may be willing to sell off assets in order to get EU regulators to approve its acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery – regulators are apparently concerned about the overlap of Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. Read: Bloomberg
James Mangold’s TV series remake of his 1997 film Cop Land has landed at Paramount+. Read: Deadline
My sympathies go out to 2/3 of those who lost their jobs last week as part of layoffs at the Vinyl Group-owned Mediaweek. Read: Mumbrella
Hulu has ordered a pilot inspired by the underrated and horribly outdated 1996 Jim Carey film The Cable Guy. The new show would star New Girl’s Damon Wayans Jr and Jake Johnson. Read: Deadline
Trailler Park
Among Us, based on the video game, is streaming now on Paramount+
Based on the global gaming phenomenon, Among Us follows a group of eccentric Crewmates who must root out an Impostor in their midst before they fall victim to its villainous designs.
Michelle Forbes reprises her role as Ro Laren in video game Star Trek: Shadow Frontier, coming soon to PC, PS5, Xbox, and Switch 2.
Somehow Crazy Taxi is back. Crazy Taxi: World Tour be on XBOX in 2027, seemingly with The Offspring still a key part of its soundtrack.
That’s the newsletter for the today.
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