From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
   https://screenrant.com/buffy-vampire-slayer-willow-recast-riff-r   
   gan-alyson-hannigan-reason/   
      
   Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Why The Original Willow Was Recast   
      
   Alyson Hannigan portrayed Willow for all 144 episodes of Buffy the Vampire   
   Slayer, but actress Riff Regan was the first to be cast in the role.   
      
   BY KARA HEDASH   
   MAR 29, 2020   
      
   Actress Alyson Hannigan portrayed Willow Rosenberg for all seven seasons of   
   Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but she wasn't the only person cast in the role.   
   Riff Regan was originally cast as Buffy Summers' best friend for the TV   
   series created by Joss Whedon. Regan only completed the unaired Buffy pilot   
   before the role was recast, leading to Hannigan getting her chance at a   
   breakout role.   
      
           [ the unaired pilot can be found online if you look for it, maybe on   
   YouTube]   
      
   Willow attended Sunnydale High with her closest friends, Buffy and Xander.   
   She was a bit of a nerd with a shy personality, which made her a target of   
   bullies at times. Despite the ridicule, Willow retained her upbeat demeanor.   
   Upon learning of Buffy's identity as a Slayer, she helped found the Scooby   
   Gang, often acting as her friend's sidekick. As the series went on, Willow   
   emerged as a powerful witch. In addition, she grew more confident in her own   
   skin and eventually came out as a lesbian.   
      
   Before the official Buffy premiere, "Welcome to the Hellmouth," debuted in   
   March 1997, an unaired Buffy pilot was created in 1996. The   
   twenty-five-and-a-half-minute pilot followed a similar plot to the broadcast   
   counterpart, but there were a few major differences, including Regan's   
   portrayal as Willow. The pilot was used to pitch the series to networks, but   
   Whedon had been outspoken about not being a fan of the finished product.   
   Those who have seen the low-quality production will instantly notice that   
   Regan didn't seem like a fit for the series. She didn't have chemistry with   
   the rest of the cast, and the character came off as timid. The version of   
   the character never grabbed the attention of the audience in the way   
   Hannigan's Willow managed to, so it was no surprise that the role was   
   recast.   
      
   Hannigan Put A Different Spin On Willow Rosenberg   
      
   Aside from the role of Principal Flutie, the role of Willow was the only   
   part that required a recast after the series was picked up by The WB. Before   
   Buffy came to fruition, Hannigan had a few years of acting under her belt.   
   She appeared in the film My Stepmother Is an Alien, as well as the shows   
   Free Spirit, Roseanne, Almost Home, and Touched by an Angel. When Hannigan   
   auditioned for Willow, she gave the teenager a sense of innocence and an   
   upbeat attitude. She defined the character differently than Regan, giving   
   Willow a sense of pride, making her eager to help her friends, not burdened   
   by it.   
      
   It's no question that Whedon made the right choice in hiring Hannigan to   
   play Willow. The character appeared in all 144 episodes, making her and   
   Buffy the only two characters to do so. Hannigan also gained a loyal fan   
   base, especially for her part in representing the LGBT community on network   
   TV. The actress reprised her role as Willow for three episodes of Angel, and   
   has voiced the character in several spinoff projects. Regan, on the other   
   hand, retired from acting a few years after exiting from Buffy the Vampire   
   Slayer. She has since found opportunities working for a non-profit and   
   working at a start-up in Boston.   
      
      
      
      
      
   David   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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