Editing Cordelia Chase (section)

== Conception and casting ==
Cordelia was originally intended to serve as a dramatic foil to the series' main character Buffy Summers. Adapting the concept of the movie into a television series, Whedon decided to reinvent the character of Buffy. The shallow cheerleader of the [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film)|1992 ''Buffy'' film]], as played by [[Kristy Swanson]], had grown more mature and open-minded. Buffy now identified with the social outcasts, such as Willow and Xander. As a result, Cordelia Chase was created to embody the traits of that shallower Buffy.<ref name=Welcomecomm>{{cite video|people=[[Joss Whedon]]|title=Commentary for ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' episode "Welcome to the Hellmouth"|medium=DVD (Region 2)|location=United States|publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]|date=2000}}</ref> Despite portraying a shallow, [[valley girl]] [[stock character]], actress Charisma Carpenter felt that Cordelia in early seasons was not "one-dimensional", nor was she "as superficial as people thought". At the same time, Carpenter was critical of her frequent role as the [[damsel in distress]].<ref name=Zap2itCordy>{{cite web|url=http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271%7c75376%7c1%7c,00.html |title='Angel's' Cordelia Speaks the Truth |access-date=2008-10-04 |work=Zap2it |date=2002-04-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825172252/http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1%2C1002%2C271%7C75376%7C1%7C%2C00.html |archive-date=August 25, 2007 }}</ref> ''Angel'' co-creator and [[executive producer]] [[David Greenwalt]] describes Cordelia in her ''Buffy'' years as "a somewhat shallow, somewhat vain, somewhat self-centered but [a] lively and honest character who spoke her mind".<ref name="I'm Cordelia">{{cite video|people=Joss Whedon, Charisma Carpenter, Kelly A. Manners, David Greenwalt, David Boreanaz, Alexis Denisof (interviews)|date=2001-12-10|title=I'm Cordelia (''Angel'' Season One DVD featurette)|medium=DVD (Region 2)|publisher=Twentieth Century Fox}}</ref> Indeed, even not when superhuman, she showed a lot of hardiness.

Charisma Carpenter had originally planned to read for the role of Buffy, but was late for her audition and instead tried out for Cordelia. Carpenter, who had dressed casually for the role of Buffy—who she believed "could really be herself"—felt unprepared to read for Cordelia because she "was definitely a character to dress for". Although she had only fifteen minutes to prepare for the character, the producers were "really responsive" to Carpenter's audition, and she left feeling confident she had got the part.<ref name=WG1>{{cite book|last=Golden|first=Christopher|author-link=Christopher Golden|author2=Nancy Holder|author2-link=Nancy Holder|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Watcher's Guide Vol. 1|publisher=Pocket Books|year=1998|location=[[New York City|New York]]|pages=[https://archive.org/details/buffyvampireslay01gold/page/203 203–206]|isbn=978-0-671-02433-8|url=https://archive.org/details/buffyvampireslay01gold/page/203}}</ref> After Carpenter's audition, actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, who had been offered the role of Cordelia before Carpenter, was asked to come back and audition for the part of Buffy. [[Bianca Lawson]] originally won the role of Cordelia Chase, but turned it down due to other contractual obligations. Lawson would later be cast as vampire slayer [[Kendra (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Kendra]] in the show's second season.<ref name="SatS">{{cite book |title=Sex and the Slayer: A Gender Studies Primer for the Buffy Fan|last=Jowett|first=Lorna|year=2005|publisher=[[Wesleyan University Press]]|location=[[Middletown, Connecticut]]|isbn=978-0-8195-6758-1|title-link=Sex and the Slayer: A Gender Studies Primer for the Buffy Fan}}</ref> Carpenter, proud of her own character's growth across the two series, did not envy Gellar for winning the role of Buffy over her.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/buffy/angel/interviews/carpenter/page1.shtml BBC Cult Interviews|Charisma Carpenter Better Than Being Buffy]. BBC Cult section.<!--Needs "cite web" template--></ref>