Oh yes. From everything I've seen and read, yes, Whedon could be and often was an a-hole.
Most television show-runners are. It's a nasty business. The entertainment business is the worst business to work for - filled to the brim with serial bullies, and narcissists. I got stories from people that made me want to run in the opposite direction screaming.
My brother has stories about Oliver Stone (who peed on his sets to mark territory), Tim Burton (who was an absolute perfectionist and bullied his assistants and made them work without sleep), Spielberg - who paid production assistants to follow his kids around to collect good ideas, Scean Young - he had to fill her bathtub with ice and water and risk electrocution - so she should get into character and the director (Kit Carson) made him do it. Sam Shepard stole writing credit on Paris, Texas from Kit Carson who wrote the film and directed it.
I can go on.
It's kind of amazing we've gotten great shows and great content out of it. It's odd, but I actually like Gellar better now than Whedon - she's sane.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2020-10-23 01:28 am (UTC)Most television show-runners are. It's a nasty business. The entertainment business is the worst business to work for - filled to the brim with serial bullies, and narcissists. I got stories from people that made me want to run in the opposite direction screaming.
My brother has stories about Oliver Stone (who peed on his sets to mark territory), Tim Burton (who was an absolute perfectionist and bullied his assistants and made them work without sleep), Spielberg - who paid production assistants to follow his kids around to collect good ideas, Scean Young - he had to fill her bathtub with ice and water and risk electrocution - so she should get into character and the director (Kit Carson) made him do it. Sam Shepard stole writing credit on Paris, Texas from Kit Carson who wrote the film and directed it.
I can go on.
It's kind of amazing we've gotten great shows and great content out of it. It's odd, but I actually like Gellar better now than Whedon - she's sane.