Screamstress Interview: Joss Whedon of “Dollhouse”

I had the opportunity to talk with Joss Whedon, creator of “Dollhouse” and many other shows and movies, including “Firefly” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (which I’m just watching for the first time, and loving it). And I can’t leave out the smash-hit musical internet series, “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.”

“Dollhouse,” which airs on Fox, Friday nights at 9 p.m., revolves around a futuristic lab (the “dollhouse”) where various people (the “dolls”) are implanted with false memories and skills in order to complete assignments. When the assignments are done, their memories are wiped clean until the next assignment.

One of the dolls, named Echo (Eliza Dushku), is starting to become aware of what’s happening. At the same time, someone on the outside is trying to get close to Echo, possible to bring the Dollhouse down.

I’ve watched the first two episodes, and while I’m not completely hooked on the show at this point, I’m hooked enough to keep watching.

There’s been so much hype around the show (because it’s Joss Whedon, for cripes sake), so I think people are expecting it to be this phenomenal series right off the bat. But shows usually don’t work that way. They need time to build, especially Joss Whedon shows. I think that was the case with both “Buffy” and “Firefly,” which created enough stir to be made into a feature film called “Serenity.”

Read on for his thoughts on rewriting the “Dollhouse” pilot, working with good people, a resurgence of “Dr. Horrible,” and yet more comic book chapters for “Buffy.”

Jane: How does “Dollhouse” differ from your earlier shows?

Joss: I think this show definitely went through a tougher process, tough in a different way than the other shows. It’s probably most similar to “Angel,” in the sense of what we had in our minds about “Angel” was ultimately different than what the network did. Our version was a little darker, and in this instance, it wasn’t so much a question of reworking the show as it was a question of reworking how we get into it. There were definitely some differences of opinion about what was going on and what we were going to stress in the show.

Jane: What was involved in rewriting the pilot?

Joss: The original pilot explained everything that happened, but came at it very sideways. [Fox] said let the audience see an engagement, so they understand that every week, she’s going to go to a different place and be a different person. That part was simple enough. It was my idea to do a new pilot, because once I was clear on what it was they needed – which I planned to provide in the show anyway — it seemed like a no-brainer to give them something they could get behind more.

Jane: You’ve said the sexual aspect of the show makes some people nervous.

Joss: Part of the mandate of the show is to make people nervous. It’s to make them identify with people they don’t like and get into situations they don’t approve of, and also look at the heroic side of things and wonder if maybe they were wrong about what motivated those, as well. So we’re out to make people uncomfortable, but maybe not our bosses so much.

Jane: The nature of the show is a bit dark, but even with the first two episodes, you can tell it’s going to be humorous, too.

Joss: There’s a lot of fun and humor in it, too. It doesn’t have the inherent silliness that both “Buffy” and “Firefly” had, or even “Angel.” This has to be a little bit more grounded in order for it to play, or it would become campy. With vampires and spaceships and horses, we had more leeway to be a little less realistic in how we plotted things. But humor is a part of the show all over the place. We have really funny actors, and these situations do become absurd. Besides, we would get really bored if we didn’t.

Jane: How did the concept of “Dollhouse” come about?

Joss: There’s the story of lunch with Eliza (Dushku), where we were talking about what kind of stuff she should play, and I thought she should play lots of different things. Then this show happened. Beyond that, I’m very interested in concepts of identity –what is our own, what’s socialized, can people actually change, what do we expect from each other, how much do we use each other and manipulate each other, and what would we do if we had this kind of power over each other? In our increasingly virtual world, self-definition has become a very amorphous concept, so it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot.

Jane: You’ve done so many different types of projects. Where do you find your inspiration?

Joss: Ultimately, it’s the story and the people I’m working with. I’ve gotten pretty good at putting together a group of people, both in the writing and acting, who are not just really gifted and delightful to learn from and to watch, but are just good people to be around. Creating an environment that is fun and safe and creative is difficult and enormously important.

Jane: What do you think about the Friday night timeslot?

Joss: Honestly, I really do see the opportunity there. It’s about growing a fan base, both for “Dollhouse” and for “Terminator” [which precedes it at 8 p.m.]. I think “Terminator” is a remarkably good show, and the kind of show that makes sense to be paired with “Dollhouse,” so I feel great about that. Plus, I get to see all these posters with Summer [Glau] and Eliza together, and that’s just too cool.

Jane: Can you talk about “Cabin in the Woods,” your feature film coming out next year?

Joss: Ultimately, it’s my take on the classic horror movie. Which means that it’s a classic horror movie, but we also have something specific to say about it – in a different way of saying it than we’ve seen before. I think after everyone sees it, they’ll love it so much that there will be no more need for movies. That’s how it’s going to be.

Jane: Any updates on a “Buffy” movie?

Joss: Nobody has ever broached the subject from the studio side. I think everybody is busy working, so I think that it probably won’t happen. That’s my guess, but I never know. The landscape changes constantly, but until somebody who has millions of dollars asks me that question, the answer is pretty much the same.

Jane: And what’s up with “Dr. Horrible”?

Joss: That’s another case of everybody being very busy, but we are definitely committed to the idea of Dr. Horrible reappearing somehow.

Jane: You’ve said you won’t do a comic series for “Dollhouse,” but are you going to do a season nine for “Buffy”?

Joss: We’re slogging our way through season eight, but we definitely have a season nine in mind. We’ve talked about doing more “Serenity” comics, and we’ve even talked to Dark Horse about a potential for some “Cabin” tie-ins. “Dollhouse” is the least visually oriented of all of these, and therefore, lends itself the least to being a comic. But comics are in my blood as much as any other medium.

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