Buffy The Vampire Slayer Star Attacked by a Real Life Monster

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 27 seconds ago

On the popular TV show Buffy the Vampire SlayerCharisma Carpenter played Cordelia Chase, a member of the Scooby Gang led by Slayer who regularly fought monsters and other things that go bump in the night. When Carpenter left the show for the Angel spinoff, she even fought more creepy creatures alongside Buffy’s old beau. What most fans of this Joss Whedon franchise don’t realize, though, is that Charisma Carpenter fought a monster in real life, surviving a 1991 attack that could have killed her and her friends in easy.

Carpenter Attack Carpenter

It all started when the future Buffy the actor was swimming with a couple of friends at Torrey Pines State Beach in San Diego. All of them had nothing on their minds except serious fun in the sun, and had no way of foreseeing the horrible event that was about to happen. Charisma Carpenter and her friends soon had to survive an attack from the last person they expected to attack: a police officer.

The police officer in question was Henry Hubbard Jr., a 29-year-old cop who wasted no time threatening this trio of beachgoers. He pointed a gun at Charisma Carpenter but did not attack her directly; instead, he used the gun to try to force her to tie up her two friends. Incredibly, he refused to do so (you tell him, Cordelia!), and this gave one of his friends enough time to jump up and conquer Hubbard.

As fierce as she is in Buffy the Vampire Slayerit’s still wild to think that Charisma Carpenter was just as strong-willed in real life, surviving what could have been a horrific attack because she refused to comply with an armed assailant. Years later, the actor explained that her reaction was the result of an important lesson she was taught at a very young age. “One of the things I was told when I was 10 was whatever they’re going to do to you when they get you alone, it’s going to be 10 times worse than if they had to do it right there,” he said.

By the way, Charisma Carpenter’s quick thinking did more than save her and her friends…it also stole the opportunity for Hubbard to attack future victims. He held on to his police-issued flashlight, a selection of evidence that helped convict this police officer of the violent attack on the future Buffy a star He was eventually sentenced to 56 years in prison for a series of attacks on a Los Angeles beach that included rape, robbery, and attempted murder, and it is likely that he would have continued to attack others had he not Carpenter and his friends helped put it away.

After The Attack

As for Charisma Carpenter, she refused to let this attack define her life or who she is. Not only did he go on to kill him later (so to speak). Buffy the Vampire Slayer a Angelbut would later serve as host of the aptly named Investigation Discovery series I survived Evil. That show featured other survivors telling their own harrowing stories, and Carpenter’s own experience helped him bring these tales to life even as he offered the victims some great closure .

Certainly Buffy fans, this is all probably old news, but it’s something I learned about recently. Honestly, I didn’t think I could respect Charisma Carpenter more after watching her effortlessly become the best part of every show she stars in, but knowing she survived a violent attack in real life takes my respect to the next level. Move over, Buffy. There’s a new Slayer in town and she knows exactly how to protect her friends whenever a monster makes a move.

Source: Television line