‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Juliet Landau Would Return as Drusilla in Reboot

As fans eagerly await to hear if Hulu will officially place a series order for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot that was announced last week, one of the show’s original stars, Juliet Landau, says she’d love nothing more than to reprise her role of Drusilla. Landau joined the show in Season 2, portraying Spike’s (James Marsters) vampire lover, and would continue making sporadic appearances in the main series, as well as its spinoff, Angel, until both ended in 2003 and 2004, respectively.

Speaking with RadioTimes, Landau, now 59, says she has no qualms about returning for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot. She most recently appeared in the 2020 feature film A Place Among the Dead, and the TV series Claws, which ended in 2022. When it comes to Buffy, though, it’s an automatic yes from her, no matter her schedule.

Landau’s character of Drusilla quickly became a fan-favorite when she showed up in Season 2, playing Nancy to Spike’s Sid. Her eccentric demeanor and the way she spoke in riddles managed to draw audiences into her aura, and want to learn more about where she came from. While it was assumed that Spike was the one who had turned her into a vampire, such was not the case when it was revealed that when living as a young psychic in Victorian London, it was Angel (David Boreanaz) who made her a creature of the night after driving her mad. For his part, Boreanaz seems to not be playing a role in the reboot yet, and recently wished star Sarah Michelle Gellar well in her adventures.

Juliet Landau Says Fans Need to Give the ‘Buffy’ Reboot a Chance

While the response from fans to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot has been overwhelmingly positive for the most part, there are a small set of naysayers who question whether it’s going to work, and believe the past should be left in the past. This writer, like Landau, is of the opinion that now is the perfect time for a reboot, and agrees with her that if some folks are turned off by it, they can always change the channel rather than hate-watch the show and share their negativity online.

“Give it a chance and see if it’s your cup of tea. And if it’s not, there’s plenty of other stuff to watch. And if it is, roll your sleeves up and come and support!”

The pilot episode of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot is to be directed by Academy Award-winner Chloé Zhao, and written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman; three outstanding women who have carved out their own paths in Hollywood. For Landau, she’s eagerly anticipating what they manage to come up with:

“I think that there are so many powerful female characters in the original and Chloé is such a brilliant director and has such a unique, special voice that I’m just excited about those possibilities.”

Like us, Landau is also hoping the Buffy reboot will feature a mix of fresh and familiar faces, which we’ll be sure to report back on when those casting decisions have been made. In the meantime, be sure to check out all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer streaming now on both Hulu and Tubi.