At NYCC 2023, the cast and creator of Slayers: A Buffyverse Story told us everything we need to know about the newly released audible original drama. Let Geek Girl Authority be your guide on this return to the Hellmouth.
Amber Benson started off the panel by calling for solidarity amongst writers by saying we need to keep fighting the good fight. People need to realize we are real people who deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.
When asked how Slayers started, writer Chris Golden said the idea was there but he needed to be sure everyone would be on board. He knew if Amber Benson was involved, the cast, crew, and fans would be invested because they trust her. Holding back tears, Benson responded by saying she adores everyone she works with after being through the fire together.
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Benson was asked her favorite part of the series and she quickly answered, Juliet Landau wanting to do naughty things to me. Charisma Carpenter as a slayer also made the list as well as the return of Anyanka. The most exciting part, of course, is a new slayer for 2023. Benson says she believes Laya Deleon Hayes is going to be huge and this truly is the dream team.
Other cast members agreed that Hayes brought her A-game to this project. James Marsters said after seeing Hayes perform he became nervous and started reviewing his lines. After saying this, he requested the house lights be brightened so he could see his friends in the audience. He has such a warm and friendly stage presence and genuinely seems happy to be there.
When asked what his favorite part about making the series was, he mentioned he caught a cold and was contained in his own glass booth while recording. The cold wasn’t so great but watching everyone perform from his own little glass case was amazing. He particularly praised Juliet Landau who he said is fearless and not concerned with looking cool. She is okay with being weird and unsettling and is always looking for the surprising.
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Marsters and Landau agreed that the chemistry between Spike and Dru picked right back up again. Marsters is amazed at how 200 years of history between these two can be portrayed through a voice. The audience was then treated to a little Spike and Dru improv.
James Charles Leary who is returning in Slayers as the demon Clem, says his favorite was getting to work with the cast. The way the series was recorded was more like a conversation than simply reading lines. Being in the room together and actually talking to each other made it more dynamic. Then they would sort of act out the action scenes and he said they were like kids playing pretend.
In Slayers, we will see characters from Buffy that have never interacted before. There will be new relationships developed among old characters and new characters mix the bag up even more. Emma Caulfield gushed about Juliet Landau, comparing her work in this series to that of Meryl Streep. Both actresses agreed it was nice to finally get to work together.
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James Marsters agreed that Landau certainly killed this performance and said she is the big bad driving the train of evil in this series. Marsters also mentioned how impressed he was by Charisma Carpenter’s portrayal of Cordelia. He said that Carpenter was able to complete Cordelia’s story arc without losing who she was as a character.
Our new slayer, Indira, played by Laya Deleon Hayes, had a lot to say about Cordelia as well. She said there is a beautiful relationship between Cordelia and Indira. The new slayer looks to Cordelia for guidance much like a sister. Hayes said every scene with Carpenter felt like they were present in the moment just talking and listening to each other. Carpenter then described Hayes as their real-life slayer leading them through the world of voice acting.
Charisma Carpenter then became emotional as she explained that she was hesitant at first about the project. But after she learned that Golden and Benson were heading the series, she knew they would create a safe space for her to work. Carpenter is grateful for the warm reception by fans and justice for Cordelia, finally.
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Writer Chris Golden was immensely impressed by the cast’s ability to portray emotion through their voices. He said if the fans could have seen them performing in the booth altogether, they would be even more impressed by the series. The emotion is real and at times they even made each other cry. Golden urges fans to listen for the raw emotion when listening to the series.
One part that really got to me was Charisma Carpenter getting teary-eyed about the Slayers billboard on Sunset Boulevard; she said she wished her mom was here to see it. I’m not going to lie, this teared me up a little as well. I know your mom is proud of you Charisma, we all are.
Laya Deleon Hayes pointed out that she was not previously familiar with the Buffy universe and Juliet Landau pointed out that she wasn’t born yet. Yes, the newest slayer was born after the original show ended (this hurt my old bones). Hayes says even though she was not familiar with Buffy, she always felt welcome and prepared in an established and well-loved universe. As actors, you cannot put a price on a safe working environment.
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Marsters mentioned that if the series is listened to in Dolby surround sound, it sounds like you are in the room with the characters. When someone is thrown across the room, it sounds like they are actually thrown across the room. He then suggests having a watch/listen party with your friend that has surround sound; that sounds like a great idea!
Audio work is a new experience for some of the cast. Emma Caufield talks about how worked up she would get playing three different versions of her character, a human, a demon, and a dog. They would all be having a conversation with each other. She did a little demonstration and it seems she has a pretty good hold on things.
My favorite part of this panel was James Marsters explaining that because the cast has been doing signings since the series was released, they haven’t been able to listen to it. He said he was asking fans at signings if they had listened to it and if it was any good. He then replies as an imaginary fan, “Yeah, you were OK.”
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Amber Benson closed by saying when they were working on Slayers, she was not sure if this whole audio series thing would work. But after the project was completed she very confidently (through tears) said, it works, it’s good. You can tell that everyone involved in this series is incredibly passionate about it and I look forward to revisiting the Hellmouth with old and new friends.
Slayers is now available on Audible.
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