It is kind of wild to think about now, but back in 1996, Julie Benz was just another actress in a crowded room hoping to be the girl who slays. She actually auditioned for the lead role of Buffy Summers. Can you imagine? Instead of the iconic, wisecracking Sarah Michelle Gellar, we almost had a version of the Chosen One played by the woman who would eventually become the show's most terrifying blonde nightmare.
Benz didn't get the part. Obviously.
But Joss Whedon saw something in her. He liked that she had this incredibly sweet, almost "clue-free" exterior that hid something sharp. So, he offered her a tiny role in the pilot. She was literally "Vampire Girl #1." She didn't even have a name yet. But that one scene—the one where she lures a high school boy into the auditorium only to reveal a monstrous face—set the entire tone for a decade of television. That girl became Darla, and Julie Benz Buffy the Vampire Slayer history was made.
The Audition That Changed Everything
Honestly, Benz has been pretty open about how she felt when Gellar walked into the room. She knew she lost the part the second she saw her. But being the "runner-up" was the best thing that ever happened to her career. By playing Darla, she didn't have to be the hero. She got to be the one who created the hero’s greatest tragedy.
Most fans forget that Darla was supposed to be a "one and done" character. She was just a plot device to show that vampires are bad. Then, the writers realized they had a massive chemistry problem—the good kind. The tension between Benz and David Boreanaz (Angel) was too thick to ignore. Suddenly, this nameless vampire girl was revealed to be Angel’s sire. She wasn't just a monster; she was his "mother," his lover, and his greatest mistake.
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Why Darla Still Matters (and Why She Was Different)
You’ve got to look at the landscape of 90s TV. Vampires were usually just guys in bad makeup growling. Darla was classic. She was elegant. She wore 16th-century gowns and Catholic schoolgirl uniforms with the same chilling grace.
She was also the only person who truly knew Angel. Before he was a brooding guy with a soul in a leather coat, he was Liam, a drunkard from Galway. Darla saw his potential for darkness and plucked him out of an alleyway in 1753.
A Journey Through the Deaths (All Four of Them)
Darla holds a weird record in the Buffyverse: she died four times. Talk about a resilient career.
- The First Dusting: In the first season of Buffy, Angel stakes her to save Buffy. It was a huge "wow" moment because it proved Angel’s loyalty to the Slayer over his own "family."
- The Human Resurrection: In the spinoff Angel, the evil law firm Wolfram & Hart brings her back as a human. Not a vampire. A dying human woman with syphilis (her original cause of death from the 1600s). This arc was heartbreaking.
- The Drusilla Incident: To save her from dying of disease, Angel tries to win her a new life through trials, but Wolfram & Hart just has Drusilla turn her back into a vampire anyway.
- The Ultimate Sacrifice: In season 3 of Angel, Darla becomes pregnant (vampires aren't supposed to do that). She realizes her soul-less vampire self will never love the baby, so she stakes herself so the child, Connor, can be born.
That last one? It’s basically the most redeemed a villain has ever been without actually "turning good." She did it for her kid. It was brutal and beautiful.
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The Real Reason She Left the Show
There’s always some behind-the-scenes drama, right? Benz has mentioned that her exit from the spinoff was partly due to scheduling. She had signed on for a miniseries called Taken (produced by Steven Spielberg, no big deal).
The writers also felt like Darla’s story had reached a natural, albeit tragic, peak. Keeping her around as a permanent mom-vampire might have gotten "soapy" real fast. By killing her off in such a high-stakes way, they preserved her legacy as one of the most complex characters in the entire franchise.
What You Can Learn From Darla's Arc
If you're a writer or just a fan of deep storytelling, Julie Benz’s performance is a masterclass in nuance. She played a 400-year-old predator who still felt like a vulnerable girl deep down.
Practical Takeaways for Fans:
- Watch "Darla" (Angel S2, E7): If you only watch one episode to understand her, make it this one. It’s a crossover that fills in the gaps of her 18th-century life.
- Observe the "Vocal Fry": Benz used a very specific, soft-spoken tone for Darla that made her more threatening than if she had screamed.
- Follow the Wardrobe: Her outfits always reflect the era she's trying to manipulate. From the Boxer Rebellion to 90s Sunnydale, her "look" was her weapon.
Julie Benz didn't just play a vampire; she defined what it meant to be a "big bad" with a soul (or at least, the memory of one). She turned a bit part into a seven-year journey that redefined how we look at villains.
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Whether you love her for the "murdery" fun she had with Drusilla or you cried when she turned to dust to save her son, there's no denying that the Buffyverse would have been a lot less interesting without her fangs.
If you're looking to revisit her work, most streaming platforms currently have both Buffy and Angel in high definition. It’s worth a rewatch just to see the subtle shifts in her performance from that first pilot episode to her final goodbye. You'll notice details in the flashbacks—like how she treats Spike versus how she treats Angel—that you definitely missed the first time around.
Actionable Insight: To truly appreciate the range of Julie Benz, watch the Buffy pilot immediately followed by the Angel episode "Lullaby." The contrast between her role as a "nameless monster" and a "sacrificial mother" is one of the most impressive character evolutions in television history. For those researching the era's casting, checking the original 1996 trade publications can provide even more context on the "almost" casting of the show's lead roles.