The Big Picture

Luke Perry stood up against unprofessional behavior on
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
, ensuring a positive environment for everyone involved.
Perry understood his privilege as a male actor and actively worked to change unacceptable behavior on set.
Despite his fame, Perry embraced playing the role of a “damsel in distress” in
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
, showcasing his versatility as an actor.

In the wake of the news that someone, somewhere, had the gall to yell at THE Rebecca Ferguson (Doctor Sleep, Dune), workplace behavior on the sets of Hollywood has once again been called into question. But, back in the early ‘90s, there was one actor who wouldn’t stand for any of it — Beverly Hills, 90210 star, Luke Perry. During a conversation with Vanity Fair about her cult-classic film that launched a franchise of TV shows, graphic novels, podcasts, and more, Buffy the Vampire Slayer director, Fran Rubel Kuzui, said that the young star saved the whole kit and caboodle. “If it wasn’t for Luke Perry, Buffy the Vampire Slayer would’ve never happened,” Kuzui, who rarely speaks about her 1992 film, stated bluntly.

Taking a walk down memory lane, Kuzui looked back on her time filming her sophomore feature just a few years after her directorial debut, Tokyo Pop, hit screens. What should have been an exciting moment for an up-and-coming female director in Hollywood was, as Kuzui says, instead rather tumultuous. A few weeks into production, Kuzui says that she had enough of the “unprofessional and unkind” treatment stemming from the crew, leading her to walk off the set. As she recalls, it was just about 15 minutes later that Perry, who was cast in one of the leading roles, came to console her. “Everybody feels really bad,” Perry said to a distraught Kuzui who responded, “Well, they should.” Hoping to fix morale and shoulder the blame for everyone involved, Perry said, “I know. And I want to apologize for it.”

Luke Perry Had A Grasp On His Privilege

By this point in her career, Kuzui could see the writing on the wall and understood why such behavior was deemed acceptable, but she was interested to know if Perry also saw things for what they were. Testing him, Kuzui said, “If I were a man, would this have happened?” Quickly responding, “No,” Perry then just sat in silence with the director before breaking the silence and asking, “Will you come back to set with me?” Laying down the ground rules, Kuzui said that “sure,” she’d accompany the young star back to set but added, “As long as everyone understands that that’s not acceptable anymore.” It was at this moment that the director said Perry did something completely unexpected, he scooped her up into his arms and started to carry her back to set. Laughing, Kuzui said, “He wasn’t a big guy, but I’m pretty small too.” While this may have been seen as a completely inappropriate gesture to some, Kuzui reflects on her close moment with Perry with joy, recognizing that as a burgeoning star with power, he could shift the entire vibe of what was happening on set.

Luke Perry Knew He Was Playing The “Damsel In Distress”
Image Via 20th Century Studios

Perry’s character, Oliver Pike, was the romantic interest for Kristy Swanson’s titular fighter of the undead. Like audiences would see down the road in the series through characters like James Marsters’s Spike and David Boreanaz’s Angel, Pike took a backseat to Buffy’s (Swanson) heroism. While this may have been a dealbreaker for some men – especially those as famous as Perry was at the time – Kuzui said that the Riverdale actor completely relished his time as a helpless side-kick, often referring to Pike as the “damsel in distress.”

Because we tragically lost Perry back in 2019 when he was just 52 years old, we’ll never get to hear his responses to Kuzui’s ultra-kind sentiments surrounding her time with the actor on the set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You can check out his quirky role for yourself as the title is now streaming on Max.

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