by Amy Pascale
“It was the key to the whole movie” … Whedon, quoted in Hibberd, “Joss Whedon: The Definitive EW Interview.”
“I was clearly not on the same wavelength” … Whedon, quoted in in Kozac, “Serenity NOW!”
“There are great DC books …” Whedon, interview by the author.
“Batman is the only Marvel character …” Ibid.
“he’s got the greatest rogues gallery …” Whedon, quoted in Jensen, “Buffy’s Back.”
“She doesn’t have good villains” … Whedon, interview by the author.
“I think she sort of …” Whedon, quoted in Carroll, “Joss Whedon Vows He Won’t Do Anything Silly with Wonder Woman.”
She’s “ fascinating, very uncompromising …” Whedon, quoted in Warner Bros., “Silver Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures Sign Joss Whedon.”
“She comes from a civilization …” Whedon, quoted in O’Hara, “His Whedonness Talks Serenity.”
Wonder Woman’s vulnerability is her “outdatedness” … Whedon, interview by the author.
“The fact that she was a goddess …” Whedon, quoted in Tavi, “Yay, Geometry.”
“If they will allow for you to have …” Torres, panel comments, FanExpo Canada.
a “young woman’s journey” … Whedon, quoted in Fleming, “Whedon’s a Goner for U.”
“When he was released …” Neuwirth, interview by the author.
“ full of light …” Ibid.
“Indirectly, his work …” Ibid.
“I think it’s because of my mother …” Whedon, Equality Now address, May 15, 2006.
“He’s very fond of the songs …” Basinger, interview by the author.
“You know, Miss Leslie …” Ibid.
“Joss Whedon and his wife” … Sondheim, quoted in Cole, interview by the author.
“The people who liked it …” Cole, interview by the author.
“Plot-wise, I was like …” Whedon, interview by the author.
“I wrote a script …” Whedon, quoted in Alt, “Exclusive: ‘Dollhouse’ Creator Joss Whedon.”
“I never wrote my definitive version …” Whedon, interview by the author.
“Joss will not be fighting …” Whedon, Whedonesque post, February 3, 2007.
“I think that was more of …” Smulders, interview by the author.
he “was so ground down …” Whedon, quoted in “Bryan Hitch & Joss Whedon,” Newsarama.
“I would go back in a heartbeat …” Whedon, quoted in Robinson, “Joss Whedon” (interview), August 8, 2007.
“I really kept Goners at bay …” Whedon, quoted in Gopalan, “Whedon After ‘Wonder’-land.”
“was not incredibly well-received” … Whedon, quoted in Snierson, “Joss Whedon Taps Eliza Dushku for New Fox Series.”
“a real production company” … Whedon, quoted in “Joss Whedon Goes into ‘Sugar Shock.’”
“I’m tired of not telling stories” … Ibid.
27. A New Way of Storytelling
“Karl would give me thumbnails …” Whedon, quoted in Bendis, “Brian Bendis Presents …”
“His writing chops translate really well …” Allie, interview by the author.
“What that tells me …” Ibid.
“There were definitely things …” Ibid.
“She’s … more like me …” Whedon, quoted in “Joss Whedon Goes into ‘Sugar Shock.’”
“I came back on Monday …” Lowe, interview by the author.
“The sales were great” … Ibid.
28. WGA Writers’ Strike
“I’ve told passionate Whedon fans …” Goddard, interview by the author.
“To the MPAA …” Whedon, quoted in Soloway, “Remove the Rating for Captivity.”
“pretty much all you learn …” Whedon, Whedonesque post, May 20, 2007.
“ kids we don’t care about …” Whedon, interview in Fanboy Radio podcast.
“It was a crazy three days” … Goddard, interview by the author.
“Six minutes later …” Whedon and Goddard, The Cabin in the Woods: The Official Visual Companion, 17.
The lack of scripted series ushered in … Schechner, “This Writers’ Strike Feels Like a Rerun.”
ABC, CBS, and NBC saw their prime-time ratings … Ibid.
“salaries, benefits, pensions …” Writers Guild of America East, “Minimum Basic Agreement.”
As it stood, writers were only paid … “Hollywood Writers Go on Strike,” AFP.
“the Internet has to be …” Bowman, quoted in in Fernandez, “A Line in the Sand.”
“ imprinted with personality packages” … Snierson, “Joss Whedon Taps Eliza Dushku for New Fox Series.”
“We call it …” Whedon, quoted in ibid.
her run of “crappy horror movies” … Whedon, quoted in Goldman, “Joss Whedon: Inside Dollhouse.”
“I said, ‘I love you …’” Ibid.
“It was a mistake!” … Whedon, quoted in Schneider, “Joss Whedon Preps Fox Series.”
“He had my back” … Dushku, interview by the author.
“I came out and I was …” Whedon, interview by the author.
“The easiest tactic …” Whedon, Whedonesque post, November 7, 2007.
“Marti Noxon has tried to HIJACK …” Whedon, Whedonesque post, December 6, 2007.
“I was a ’70s Upper West Side …” Whedon, interview by the author.
“CBS and Fox think …” Whedon, Whedonesque post November 17, 2007.
“The fans from day one …” Whedon, quoted in Goldman, “Joss Whedon, Friends & Fans on the Picket Line.”
“These people are going to be …” Cole, interview by the author.
“The writers … were very appreciative …” dreamlogic, Whedonesque post, November 6, 2007.
“Dear Writers …” Whedon, “From Joss Whedon: Do Not Adjust Your Mindset.”
“That’s the reason I write …” Whedon, interview by the author.
“the reuse of movies and television programs …” Writers Guild of America, West, “Writers Guild Members Overwhelmingly Ratify New Contract.”
“He thought it was a bad idea” … Cole, interview by the author.
29. Dr. Horrible, I Presume
“I wanted to write songs” … Whedon, interview in Fresh Air, February 12, 2009.
“Freedom is glorious” … Whedon, quoted in Baldwin, “The Web Has Been Wonderful.”
he was “scheming schemes” … Whedon, Whedonesque post, December 20, 2007.
“The embarrassing thing …” Joss Whedon, quoted in Rosen, “Family Tradition.”
“All of a sudden the world …” Tancharoen, quoted in “Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen,” Dr. Horrible official fan site.
“Then he got mad …” Harris, quoted in Vary, “‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.’”
“ ‘Hey, so, we have this thing …’” Fillion, interview by the author.
“The thing about Joss …” Day, quoted in Vary, “‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.’”
“[Joss] said that obviously …” Harris, quoted in Vary, “‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.’”
the “guilds haven’t been beaten down …” Whedon, interview by the author.
“I got to invent them” … Ibid.
“There’s no reason …” Whedon, quoted in Rosen, “New Media Guru.”
“The concept was so pure …” Harris, quoted in Vary, “‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.’”
“It was helpful having those years …” Boretz, quoted in “Producer, Michael Boretz,” Dr. Horrible official fan site.
“He creates that kind of environment …” Ibid.
“One of the things that makes him …” Wilcox, interview by the author.
“When I pull a favor …” Helberg, interview by the author.
“Joss knows what he wants …” Ibid.
“all kinds of guerilla filmmaking …” Harris, interview by the author.
“everybody was like a family” … Cole, interview by the author.
“More than any project …” Fillion, interview by the author.
it had “gotten backburnered” … Whedon, quoted in Vineyard, “Joss Whedon’s Hollywood Status Update.”
“Everything was in place …” Whedon, quoted in Utichi, “A Buffy-Style Kicking.”
“I kept waiting for the other shoe…” Goddard, interview by the author.
“She was so on top of it” … Whedon, quoted in Rosen, “New Media Guru.”
“We like to say we broke …” Ibid.
“Releasing it for free …” Harris, interview by the author.
“Backstage, he was even redder …” Helberg, interview by the author.
“It was very surreal” … Harris, interview by the author.
“But what he loved …” Whedon, interview in Fresh Air, February 12, 2009.
“It’s not like a huge moneymaker …” Cole, interview by the author.
“There was a picture of Dr. Horrible …” Whedon, quoted in Rosen, “New Media Guru.”
“I’ll probably regret [that idea] forever …” Whedon, interview in Fresh Air, February 12, 2009.
“ambitious and funny while still being …” Bianculli, Fresh Air, February 12, 2009.
“Those songs are as equally entertaining …” Harris, interview by the author.
“I always want to get behind …” Whedon, interview in Fresh Air, February 12, 2009.
“Homer’s Odyssey was swell …” Whedon, “Heart (Broken),” in Commentary!: The Musical.
30. Dollhouse
had done his best not to be “too embarrassing” … Whedon, quoted in “Exclusive: Joss Whedon Talks DOLLHOUSE,” theTVaddict.com.
“Joss and I found common ground …” Penikett, interview by the author.
“painfully convoluted sentences …” Williams, interview by the author.
“Did human trafficking just get …” Whedon, interview by the author.
“Some of them said …” Ibid.
“The Network and I had different ideas …” Whedon, Whedonesque post, October 26, 2008.
“It takes a long time to find …” Penikett, interview by the author.
“every show has its own music …” Lennix, quoted in ibid.
“A good deal of Dollhouse …” Whedon, interview by the author.
“Dollhouse was the one time …” Whedon, quoted in Hibberd, “Joss Whedon: The Definitive EW Interview.”
“I said, ‘Whoa, no way! …’” Tudyk, quoted in Adams, “Alan Tudyk” (interview).
“There’s no mediation …” Penikett, interview by the author.
“Maybe with a different creator …” Kranz, interview by the author.
“It’s kind of an elegy …” Oswalt, quoted in Wolk, “Q&A: Patton Oswalt.”
31. The Cabin in the Woods
“That was definitely one of …” Goddard, quoted in Colis, “‘The Cabin in the Woods.’”
“They’re wonderful, decent people …” Whedon and Goddard, filmmakers’ commentary, The Cabin in the Woods.
“This is basically the same …” Ibid.
“Here’s an example …” Whedon and Goddard, The Cabin in the Woods: The Official Visual Companion, 21.
“very good, funny and smart” … Jenkins, quoted in Whedon and Goddard, The Cabin in the Woods: The Official Visual Companion, 48.
“It was awkward” … Kranz, quoted in Colis, “‘The Cabin in the Woods.’”
“Joss [said that he’d] been seeing me …” Kranz, interview by the author.
“We probably saw over 100 people …” Goddard, quoted in Colis, “‘The Cabin in the Woods.’”
“Drew is a horror aficionado …” Whedon and Goddard, The Cabin in the Woods: The Official Visual Companion. 19.
“there was nobody else …” Whedon and Goddard, filmmakers’ commentary, The Cabin in the Woods.
“A person that has done …” Ibid.
“believe in yourself …” Whedon, Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech.
a “belief system that they can understand …” Ibid.
“The enemy of humanism is not faith” … Ibid.
“About two hours after starting …” Whedon, quoted in Bierly “Exclusive: Joss Whedon on ‘Dollhouse.’”
“ ‘Belonging’ is (in a very unpedantic way) …” Nussbaum, “The Fascinating No-Consent Fantasia of Dollhouse and Mad Men.”
“the opportunity to end …” Schneider, “‘Dollhouse,’ ‘Hank’ Get the Ax.”
“Every actor wants at least …” Laurie, interview by the author.
“When Joss made Buffy …” Nussbaum, interview by the author.
“I’ve had people come up to me …” Whedon, interview by the author.
“Oh, thank God” … Whedon and Goddard, filmmakers’ commentary, The Cabin in the Woods.
“You have to fight these battles …” Ibid.
32. Fanboy Dreams Come True: The Avengers
“It was very gradual …” Goddard, interview by the author.
“We needed somebody who wasn’t …” Feige, quoted in Rogers, “With The Avengers, Joss Whedon Masters the Marvel Universe.”
“I’ve known Joss for many …” Feige, interview by the author.
“I was about to go back …” Hemsworth, interview by the author.
“was always somebody that I …” Feige, interview by the author.
“The thing about the X-Men …” Whedon, quoted in Kozac, “Serenity NOW!”
“I don’t think you have anything” … Whedon, quoted in Rogers, “With The Avengers, Joss Whedon Masters the Marvel Universe.”
“What a great way …” Feige, interview by the author.
“I was like, great …” Whedon, quoted in Rogers, “With The Avengers, Joss Whedon Masters the Marvel Universe.”
“I have enough signposts …” Whedon, interview in The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith podcast.
“I kept telling my mom …” Whedon, quoted in John, “Joss Whedon: ‘I Kept Telling My Mum Reading Comics Would Pay Off.’”
“When are you going to make a real …” Whedon, interview in Studio 360.
Leterrier, who reportedly had expressed interest … Beaks, “Louis Leterrier Officially in the Running.”
“ insiders at Marvel Studios …” Phillips, “‘Avengers’ Talk, Comic Book Signings.”
Deadline Hollywood was reporting … Fleming, “Whedon to Direct Marvel’s ‘The Avengers.’”
“that is not an official thing …” Whedon, Visionaries panel.
“Oftentimes in the Marvel fan community …” Feige, interview by the author.
“There’s been much made of superheroes …” Ibid.
“Joss looks at these characters …” Ibid.
“I did spend a lot of time …” Whedon, quoted in Sciretta, “/Film Set Interview: ‘The Avengers’ Writer/Director Joss Whedon.”
Steve Rogers “ is looking at this world …” Ibid.
“The motherfucker lives in you …” Whedon, quoted in Hiddleston, interview by the author.
was “very sweet” in his appraisal … Hiddleston, interview by the author.
“I was like, ‘Dude …’” Ibid.
“I literally plugged in …” Ibid.
“ ‘I want to dive off the deep end …” Whedon, quoted in Hiddleston, interview by the author.
“ it was funny to come full circle …” Hemsworth, interview by the author.
“Mark was my dream choice …” Whedon, quoted in Wilding “Joss Whedon and Mark Ruffalo.”
“Joss said, ‘I’m excited …’” Ruffalo, interview by the author.
“For me, it’s a tough part …” Ibid.
“The way I see it …” Ruffalo, quoted in Jensen, “‘Avengers’: New Hulk Mark Ruffalo.”
“It was like ‘Female Agent #12’ …” Smulders, interview by the author.
“I wrote an entire draft …” Whedon, interview by th
e author.
“Even though The Empire Strikes Back …” Whedon, interview in The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith podcast.
“[The script] was funny …” Gregg, interview by the author.
“Joss, I am so excited …” Hiddleston, e-mail to Whedon, shared with the author by sender.
“Tom, this is one of those emails …” Whedon, e-mail to Hiddleston, shared with the author by recipient.
“You know, ironically …” Whedon, interview by the author.
33. Buffy Lives, Again?
“the deep struggle she had …” Anderson, quoted in Boucher, “Joss Who?”
“a hideous idea” … Head, quoted in Bricker and Moorhouse, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer Star Calls Movie Reboot a ‘Hideous Idea.’”
“opportunity to take something …” Carpenter, quoted in Hernandez, “Exclusive: Charisma Carpenter on a Possible ‘Buffy’ Remake.”
“There’s no public outcry …” Green, quoted in Hoevel, “Seth Green Talks ‘Robot Chicken.’
“I love the Buffy that I played …” Gellar, interview by the author.
“This is a sad, sad reflection …” Whedon, quoted in Dos Santos, “Joss Whedon Reacts to Buffy Movie News.”
“OK, if worse comes to worst …” Goddard, interview by the author.
“If you’re going to bring it back …” Boucher, “‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Movie Looking for New Writer.”
“I wouldn’t want to be …” Noxon, quoted in “‘I Am Number Four’ Writer Marti Noxon,” MTV.com.
“The people who feel …” Whedon, quoted in Robinson, “Joss Whedon” (interview), September 5, 2001.
34. Avengers Assemble
He asked all the actors for their notes … Weintraub, “35 Things to Know About THE AVENGERS.”
“At the beginning I’m an open book” … Whedon, quoted in Weintraub, “Director Joss Whedon.”
the storylines seemed “cobbled together” … Weintraub, “35 Things to Know About THE AVENGERS.”
“It wasn’t broke …” Downey, quoted in Weintraub, “Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans.”
“It was the first chance I had …” Jackson, interview by the author.
“my favorite response” … Whedon, quoted in Weintraub, “Director Joss Whedon.”
“But then I got it …” Renner, interview by the author.
“We spent a long time talking …” Ruffalo, interview by the author.
“What part of that sentence …” Whedon, interview in “Joss Whedon: Why He Chose an Irish Man to Film Avengers.”