Yellowjackets star Melanie Lynskey revealed that she auditioned for Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Since its premiere in 1997, the beloved supernatural teen drama has often been hailed as one of the best shows in television history.
The series, which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar, focused on the titular character as she battled against vampires, demons and the forces of darkness.
During its seven-season run, the show delivered critically acclaimed episodes like Hush, The Body, and Once More, with Feeling.
Buffy was also commended for its portrayal of gay characters, becoming the first-ever television show to broadcast a lesbian sex scene.
While the series continues to make waves with pop culture enthusiasts, it almost featured Lynskey as the Scoobie Gang’s resident queer witch, Willow Rosenberg.
In an interview on Evan Ross Katz’s Shut Up Evan: The Newsletter, The Informant star opened up about her audition process for the show and why she initially turned down the opportunity.
“It was kind of a visa issue, but not really. I was also not sure about doing television at the time. It was very early in my career. I had a very old-school agent who was like, ‘TV? That’s for has-beens!’ and I was like, ‘I don’t think it is anymore,'” she explained.
“Certainly, now things have really changed, but I just wasn’t super into it (TV) at the time.”
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Lynskey went on to say that after starring in the critically acclaimed drama Heavenly Creatures, Buffy creator Joss Whedon approached her for the role of Willow.
“I don’t remember if it was an offer or if it was like, ‘Would you come read for it?’ or what it was, but we stayed in touch,” she said.
“And then I guess they were replacing the person from the pilot at a certain point, and I had stayed in touch with [Joss,] and he said, ‘Now do you think you would want to do it?’
“And I had seen the pilot, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is good,’ and I kind of took my agent into it. And then it became this whole thing of, ‘Well, now you have to audition.’ So I auditioned.”
Ultimately, Lynskey lost out on the role to Allison Hannigan, who she described as “absolutely wonderful.”
“All was [cast] as it should have been,” she added.
Fortunately, Lynskey’s venture into television continued beyond Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Over the last few years, the 46-year-old has made massive waves for her roles in The Last of Us, Two and a Half Men and, of course, Yellowjackets.
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