What Amber Benson From Buffy The Vampire Slayer Looks Like Today
Anyone who's watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer knows that along with the show's stars — which included Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, and Nicholas Brendon — the supporting cast was just as integral to the demon-filled, emotionally-charged storylines. Case in point: Tara Maclay.
Played by Amber Benson, Tara showed up "midway through the fourth season and became a hugely popular character," according to Digital Spy. Embarking on a relationship with Hannigan's character, Willow Rosenberg, viewers adored their romance and many were devastated when (*SPOILER*) Tara was killed during Season 6, Episode 19, entitled "Seeing Red." Digital Spy explained that Tara was shot "through the chest, her blood splattering all over the dress of her girlfriend..."
While that was a moment that fans surely wish had never happened, it was actually something that was supposed to occur much earlier. Apparently, the show's creator Joss Whedon originally planned to have Tara die at the beginning of Season 6. Benson told Digital Spy that, at the end of Season 5, "He was like, 'Hey! Guess what? It's so exciting! We're going to kill your character!'" Benson recalled, "I was like, 'Oh... oh, yes... That sounds... awesome... yeah.'" However, "he just kept pushing it further back," Benson said. "It kept getting pushed further and further down the line. I think there was a part of him that didn't really want to do it."
Obviously, Tara did eventually die and Benson left the show, but what is she up to — and what does she look like — today?
Would you recognize Amber Benson these days?
If you were (or are still) a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then you might assume that you would recognize any of the former cast members in a heartbeat. That might, indeed, be true when it comes to the woman who played Tara Maclay, Amber Benson. Frankly, other than the fact that she's a few years older and has hair that's slightly darker, she looks pretty much the same now as she did when she was battling bloodsuckers with Buffy and making out with Willow. So, while you might know who Benson is if you spotted her out and about, what might you find her actually doing? Well, it turns out that she's stayed true to her creative leanings.
After her time on Buffy, Benson went on to appear on shows like Cold Case, Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, and Supernatural. But it turns out that she's more than just an actor. That Shelf noted that Benson has "become a prolific creator of film, television, webseries, novels, and of course, comic books!" In fact, she "began creating a Willow and Tara comic while Buffy was still on the air, tackling a subject which was groundbreaking in media at the time..." Along with other Buffy-themed, Tara and Willow-focused comic books, Benson has also penned the spooky Ghosts of Albion series, as well as the equally "spellbinding" Echo Park series.
It's clear that Benson has never fully put Tara's witchy ways behind her, which is surely exactly what fans want.