In the 1990s, a relatively unknown Emma Caulfield Ford was cast as Anya Jenkins in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Originally meant to appear in only two episodes, the lovable, former-demon Anya quickly became a fan favorite, and Caulfield Ford was added to the main cast. While she won our hearts in the ’90s, the actor seemingly all but disappeared from the screen until her recent turn as Sarah Proctor/Dottie Smith in Marvel’s WandaVision.
Her first prominent role was in Beverly Hills 90210, playing the part of Brandon Walsh’s girlfriend, Susan Keats. Two years after her departure from 90210, Caulfield Ford captivated Buffy viewers as Anya with her touching combination of vulnerability and humor. While Anya easily could have been a one-note character, she was able to make the ex-demon feel human.
Her performance left a lasting impression with Buffy viewers, and Caulfield Ford has been steadily working since. In 2003, she starred in the horror film, Darkness Falls, and appeared in the satirical Bandwagon with other Buffy cast-members. She continued to act, mostly in television, appearing in shows such as ABC’s Once Upon a Time and The CW’s Supergirl until her appearance in Marvel’s WandaVision.
In WandaVision, the actor played a Westview resident named Sarah Proctor who became Dottie Smith in the alternate -50s sitcom universe of Wanda’s creation. Caulfield Ford lit up the screen as a housewife trapped in an alternate reality and inspired thousands of fan theories about the true nature of her character.
What is she up to now?
Recently, the actor opened up to Vanity Fair about her MS diagnosis. MS, or multiple sclerosis, is defined by The Society of Multiple Sclerosis as “an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.” MS symptoms can vary from person to person, and Caulfield Ford first started seeking medical attention after feeling partial muscle numbness. She received her diagnosis while working on TeenNick’s Gigantic in 2010 and kept her illness a secret out of fear of losing work. “I didn’t want to give anyone the opportunity to not hire me,” she told Vanity Fair. “I knew in my bones that if you talk about this, you’re just going to stop working. That’s it.”
Working in high temperatures on WandaVision inspired the actor to come clean with her MS diagnosis. “Everyone was melting, but it is exponentially worse for someone with this. It becomes like, ‘Oh, God, am I suddenly going to go limp?'”
In the interview, Caulfield Ford revealed that her 6-year-old daughter also inspired her to publicly disclose her MS. “I know that she has a 30 percent greater chance of coming down with this,” she told the publication. “It’s better for me to at least be vocal about this and be out there to try to help the MS Foundation and other groups who are doing research.”
Caulfield Ford will be reprising her role as Sarah Proctor/Dottie Smith in the WandaVision spinoff, Agatha: Coven of Chaos. Not much is known about the show, but the actor will be supporting Kathryn Hahn’s return as Agatha. Caulfield Ford described returning to Agatha as “super fun” and mentioned that she has a few projects on “the imminent horizon.” The show is slated for release in winter 2023.
