1. Sarah Michelle Gellar was up for the lead in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch before accepting the role of Buffy.

2. Although she almost wasn't even Buffy. She was originally up for the role of Cordelia, while the actress who played Cordelia, Charisma Carpenter, auditioned for Buffy. Producers made them swap roles.

3. Carpenter was reluctant to take the role of Cordelia as she had already played a bitchy character in Aaron Spelling's Malibu Shores. Her agent told her she couldn't be typecast because no one knew who she was, so she admitted defeat and signed up.

4. Carpenter was 27 years old when the show first aired, making her one of the oldest actors ever to play a teenager.

5. Selma Blair and Katie Holmes were also up for the role of Buffy.

6. Ryan Reynolds almost played nerdy sidekick Xander – but ended up turning it down.