The stars you forgot were in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The iconic series was a place for many up and coming actors to get their big break
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a staple of the TV industry in the ninties early noughties, becoming a cultural phenomenon that defined a generation of viewers.
Led brilliantly by Sarah Michelle Gellar, the series —which is now available as a box set on Paramount+— followed Buffy Summers as she balanced her school life with slaying vampires, demons and other supernatural creatures at Sunnydale High. Viewers would tune in avidly every week to discover what adventure she'd embark on next, it was really quite something.
Read more: Sarah Michelle Gellar responds after Buffy fan says show saved him from tornado
The show made overnight sensations out of Gellar, James Marsters, David Boreanaz, and Alyson Hannigan from its main cast, but it also featured several guest stars who would go on to become huge stars in their own right. That doesn't mean you would have noticed them at the time.
The stars you forgot were in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Pedro Pascal
Perhaps the most high profile actor who once made an appearance on Buffy is Pedro Pascal, the Last of Us star's cameo has resurfaced in recent years with viewers surprised by his appearance on the show. The actor appeared in the episode The Freshman as Eddie, a potential college friend for Buffy who becomes embroiled in the dark forces that follow her.
At the time the actor used the name Pedro Balmaceda so you'd be forgiven for not realising he was in it. Pascal has since looked back at his time on the show, saying that it once saved his career because the residuals from his guest appearance provided him with the funds to keep working.
He told Entertainment Tonight: "My entry level lasted about 15 years. We're talking about being able to see a doctor, getting sick, having surgery, paying my rent. I had less than $7 in my bank account and a residual from Buffy the Vampire Slayer showed up and saved the day and literally is the reason I was able to stay in [Hollywood] and not give up."
Amy Adams
She may be an Oscar nominee now but early on in her career Amy Adams starred in Buffy, the actor appeared in the episode Family as Cousin Beth. Adams' character was part of Tara Maclay's (Amber Benson) extended family who tried to convince her to return home for her 20th birthday before a family curse will purportedly take over.
Rachel Bilson
Before she stepped out on The O.C., Rachel Bilson had a guest role on Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Colleen in 2003. The actor had a real blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo as a potential slayer who comes into her powers when Willow unlocked them for a group — Bilson's character Colleen appears in a fever dream sequence.
Nathan Fillion
Nathan Fillion probably has the most significant guest role of all the famous faces to cameo in the show, because he starred in five episodes as Caleb, a defrocked preacher and serial killer who came face to face with Buffy in season 7. The actor was already making a mark thanks to Firefly —also made by Joss Whedon which was cancelled after one season and became a cult hit— but he wasn't yet the star that he is now.
Wentworth Miller
Before Prison Break made him an overnight sensation, Wentworth Miller made a cameo appearance in Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Gage Petronzi, a member of the swim team at Sunnydale High. The episode sees Buffy try and protect Gage when members of the team start to be skinned alive under mysterious circumstances, despite her best efforts though Gage becomes a gilled monster that she must defeat.
Kal Penn
Kal Penn may have made a name for himself on House, How I Met Your Mother and 24, but before he starred in these shows he made an appearance on Buffy. The actor portrayed Hunt in season 4's Beer Bad, a student at UC Sunnydale.
Funnily enough this isn't the actor's only credit in the universe as he returned for the spin-off Angel to portray a new character: the demon John Hancock.
Clea DuVall
Before appearing in films like Girl, Interrupted and She's All That, Clea DuVall guest starred in Buffy as Marcie Ross, a Sunnydale High student who became invisible after being ignored by her classmates for so long. Marcie decides to use this new power for her own gains, attacking all the popular girls who were mean to her, and it was up to Buffy to stop her rampage.
Shane West
Wentworth Miller wasn't the only soon-to-be big name star to appear in the episode Go Fish, as Shane West also played a member of Sunnydale High's swimming team. West went on to star in ER, A Walk To Remember and The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Felicia Day
In the episode starring Rachel Bilson as a potential slayer there was another famous face in the crowd, Felicia Day. The actor, and geek legend, played Violet who went on to become a member of the the Slayer Organization.
Ashanti
R&B singer Ashanti played Lissa, a demon who allied with the First Evil, in the show who Buffy must fight in order to protect friend Xander. Ashanti is a Grammy-winning artist by day but has made a number of television appearances in the past, including Sabrina, The Teenage Witch and John Tucker Must Die.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is available to stream on Paramount+.
