Yet another Buffy the Vampire Slayer alumni is stepping out of the shadows and into the light to announce their intrigue about joining the highly-anticipated sequel series. This time, James C. Leary is taking a hopeful swing at what could turn into a reprisal of his work as Clem — the kind-hearted, loose-skinned demon who excelled at kitten poker. First introduced during the show’s sixth season, the character quickly became a supporting staple and escaped Sunnydale before the Hellmouth gobbled up the town. Clem would continue his heart-of-gold legacy in some of the graphic novels that followed the original show’s end back in 2003.
Taking to Instagram, Leary shared an up-close image of his character and accompanied it with a caption that detailed his experience with the series. In it, he wrote that he was initially signed on for an “‘under five’” episode count, but came back for more because Clem “resonated” with audiences. While he’s unsure why that was, he has his inklings:
“Maybe because he was kind. Maybe because he was funny. Maybe because he wasn’t trying to be cool — and in a show full of slayers, vampires, and ancient evils, that weird softness mattered to people.”
On the darker side of his journey with Buffy, Leary says, “Never made more than $1500 a week. And yeah… that stings sometimes,” though he adds that he was able to “live out every fan’s dream” by appearing in something he loved. As for the reboot that’s now in development, the actor remains open but certain that he won’t be reached out to, writing,
“I see reboots happening. Old castmates coming back. Bigger names getting their calls. And I know how Hollywood works. Do I think they’ll call me? No. Do I think they should? Yeah. I do. But whether they do or not, I’m proud of what I did.”
What We Know So Far About the ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Reboot
With his words, Leary may be more in the know than the rest of us, as, at this time, no casting decisions have been made surrounding who will return for the reboot. Right now, we know that Sarah Michelle Gellar is set to reprise her role as Buffy Summers and will impart her wisdom to a younger slayer played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong. Beyond that, nothing is set in stone, although Gellar has made recent comments that point to her getting as many members of the band back together as she can.
Check out Leary’s full post above.