8 Dark Secrets Will Make You Question Everything You Knew About Sunnydale

Over 20 years since the first episode aired, Buffy The Vampire Slayer still remains one of the most ground-breaking shows of all time. From shattering the notion of what a real hero is, to portraying a girl in the top dog role and introducing new kinds of relationships, the show is still relevant today.

We all want to believe that everything ran smoothly behind the scenes of our beloved series, but as it turned out, it was far from it.

You may not be ready to learn the truth, but these secrets will certainly surprise you.

Tara and Willow kissing caused a huge stir

Now that we are in 2018, it can be hard to remember how a homosexual relationship on television caused an uproar, but it did. Buffy The Vampire Slayer was ground-breaking for its time. When Willow and Tara started dating in 2000, it wasn't explicitly said that they were a couple at first. Even after some time, WB refused to let the pair show any affection towards each other until over a year later. Willow and Tara started their relationship in the middle of season four, but it wasn't until season five that the two shared their first on screen kiss in the episode "The Body." The show's creator, Joss Whedon, even threatened to quit if the scene ended up being cut from the show.

Sara Michelle Gellar hated season six

Sure, bringing Buffy back from the dead had it's consequences, but not everyone was happy with the creative shift.

Season six was notably much darker than the show had ever been before, dealing with issues such as depression, addiction and abuse. While the issues did not resonate with the entire audience, Geller was also disturbed by her character's behavior.

Geller stated that the character change “betrayed who she was,” and she wasn't alone in that feeling.

Whedon still adamantly defends the season saying things couldn't just go back to the way they were before her death.

Nicholas Brendon's ongoing struggles with addiction

Brendon has had a rough time since Buffy The Vampire Slayer ended. His struggles with drugs and alcohol have led to multiple arrests, as well as an embarrassing appearance on Dr. Phil. Brendon had opened up about his issues on the show, but ended up walking off stage after the host mentioned that he smelled of alcohol.

In addition to his struggle with substance abuse, he has also been arrested for robbery, destruction of property and multiple counts of domestic abuse.

David Boreanaz didn't want Nicholas Brendon at the reunion

Remember how excited we were when the entire cast came together for the Entertainment Weekly 20th anniversary sit down? Some may have noticed that Brendon was absent for the interview, but was included in the group cast photo. Well, at the 2017 Wales Comic Con, Brendon opened up about the reason why and it's not what you would expect.

Apparently David Boreanaz, Brendon's former cast-mate, didn't want him in the photoshoot, so Brendon was given a later call time than the rest of the cast. He reunited with some of the cast, and was later edited into the group picture.

Eliza Dushku's Mormon upbringing caused a problem for some of her scenes

Here's something you probably didn't know: Mitt Romney was not only Eliza Dushku's bishop, but he was also her first crush.

These days, Dushku has distanced herself from her religious upbringing, but when she started Buffy The Vampire Slayer she was only 17, at the time she was still active in the church.

For religious reasons, Dushku refused to do certain scenes that were too revealing. What a difference between the actress and her character Faith, who was known for flaunting her sexuality. This caused a problem for her family, and after the sex scene with her and Xander aired, her grandmother actually called in to complain.

Dushku turned down a Faith series

While many believe that Faith's role was too short-lived on the show, the actress was ready to move on from the role.

After five years of playing the slayer "bad girl" Dushku was ready to take on other roles. Dushku went on to work with Whedon again in the series, Dollhouse.

Gellar told a magazine the show was ending before the cast knew

Towards the end of the seventh season, Sarah Michelle Gellar sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss the show's fate. She shared that she and Whedon were in total agreement about the decision that left fans crushed. Not only were fans of the show surprised by the news, so was the cast. Apparently Whedon had not broken the news to anyone else when Gellar revealed the show's end date.

Joss Whedon cheated with female employees

After 16 years of marriage, Kai Cole came forward with a scathing essay about Whedon's years of infidelity in their marriage.

When he finally came clean about the accusations, he took zero accountability for his actions.

“When I was running Buffy, I was surrounded by beautiful, needy, aggressive young women. It felt like I had a disease, like something from a Greek myth. Suddenly I am a powerful producer and the world is laid out at my feet and I can’t touch it," he said.

Inspiration: Screenrant