Alyson Hannigan Wasn’t Willow in an Unaired ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Pilot
Even nearly two decades after it left the air, Buffy the Vampire Slayer remains one of television’s most beloved and influential series. In addition to the show’s signature blend of genres, the stellar cast – led by Sarah Michelle Gellar’s eponymous hero – has kept fans just as passionate about Buffy the Vampire Slayer as the first time they saw it. So it’s hard to believe Alyson Hannigan wasn’t initially part of the series’ ensemble cast.
Alyson Hannigan is a standout on ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’
Hannigan was a child actor long before Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But playing Buffy’s best friend and budding witch Willow Rosenberg gave the actor her undeniable breakthrough role. As the show’s run continued, the “Scooby Gang” evolved and changed from season to season. But Willow was a near-constant by Buffy’s side. Until she fell into dark magic, that is.
Although Willow had always been a fan favorite, Hannigan took the character to a decidedly dark place in season 6. Following the murder of her girlfriend Tara (Amber Benson), Willow submitted to dark magic – which she had been experimenting with, in the show’s thinly veiled metaphor for addiction – and went on a murderous rampage for the final stretch of season 6.
Another actor initially played Willow Rosenberg on the show
Before Buffy the Vampire Slayer became a part of television history, creator Joss Whedon made a pilot episode to convince the network to pick the show up for a full season. In this single unaired episode, actor Riff Regan – who had appeared in more than 70 episodes of the early 1990s drama Sisters – played the original Willow. But casting director Marcia Shulman knew a change was in order.
“We actually had cast someone else in the pilot, and it just didn’t work,” Shulman said in an interview on the show’s DVD release (via Hello Giggles).
“So when we got picked up, we always felt that we were going to start again and look for another Willow. … The qualities that Willow had to have are the exact opposite qualities of what actresses have to have. Sort of insecure, shy, self-effacing. Every line that somebody else would play like they were sad, Alyson was joyful about. That made her the only one for the role.”
Alyson Hannigan later starred in ‘How I Met Your Mother’
Following her brief Buffy the Vampire Slayer stint, Regan made guest appearances on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, and L.A. Doctors. But following a role in TV movie The Theory of Everything – not to be confused with the Oscar-winning 2014 film of the same name – she stepped away from acting. But Hannigan has certainly kept busy.
During her time as Willow, Hannigan landed another standout role as Michelle in 1999’s American Pie and its sequels. She also made guest appearances on Buffy spinoff Angel, That ‘70s Show, King of the Hill, and Veronica Mars. And in 2005, she started a lengthy run as Lily Aldrin on the hit CBS sitcom, How I Met Your Mother, which ended in 2014 after nine seasons.
