7. Anthony Head, who played Rupert Giles, was the first actor cast in the series. Producers knew on the first day of casting he was right for the role.
8. The role of Willow was recast after the pilot. Producers didn’t feel the original actress was quite right so enlisted Alyson Hannigan once the show got picked up.
9. The show was actually a sequel of sorts to a movie of the same name. Showrunner Joss Whedon wrote the script for the film, which was produced in 1992. A few years later he was approached about turning it into a TV series and the show was born.
10. Donald Sutherland, Luke Perry, Hilary Swank, Seth Green, Ricki Lake, and even Ben Affleck (as a bit-part basketball player) all appeared in the 1992 movie.
11. David Boreanaz was discovered by the casting director’s friend. They were struggling to cast the part of Angel until a friend spotted Boreanaz walking his dog and got him to audition because he fit the bill so much.
12. And it’s a good job they did, as he provided many laughs on set. Boreanaz used to pull his pants down between scenes to test if his co-stars could keep a straight face and stay in character.