Kristy Swanson: The Buffy Star Did Playboy And Is On Instagram
Kristy Swanson is on Instagram and the original Buffy star posed for Playboy back in 2002.
She was the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer before Sarah Michelle Gellar stepped into the role. And, for a time, she was one of the most sought-after actresses in the world. So, what happened to Kristy Swanson and what has she been doing lately? A lot has changed for her over the years.
KRISTY SWANSON DOES PLAYBOY
In 2002, Kristy Swanson decided to throw fans a curve and this one was a 12-to-6 knee bender. This was the year that Swanson decided to pose fully nude in Playboy. It was a photo spread that fans maybe always hoped for but never thought they’d get.
Maybe Swanson felt her movie career was stalling, maybe she just needed a little attention, according to Swanson though, “I could not pass up the opportunity to work with the renowned photographer, Phillip Dixon, and by the look of my pictorial I think I made the perfect choice.” She made the most of it.
The Playboy spread didn’t seem to hurt her career. Kristy Swanson continued to grab roles, though they were more of the TV series, TV movie variety. Things seemed to be moving along just fine for the actress until she found herself on the TV show Skating with Celebrities.
KRISTY SWANSON IS ON INSTAGRAM
The now 53-year-old Kristy Swanson is less visible but still active. With some controversial incidents 13 or so years in the past, Swanson continues to work in Hollywood.
Throughout the 2010s, Kristy concentrated on the TV side of the business. She had a recurring role on the series Psych and was seen in many TV movies such as Angels in the Snow, A Mother’s Sacrifice, Winter’s Dream, and the recently released Psych 2: Lassie Come Home. She was also part of the series SEAL Team.
Plus, she is on Instagram with about 50K followers on the social media platform. All things considered, this is a pretty low number, especially considering just how famous Kristy Swanson was at the height of her Buffy powers.
For her part, much of her Instagram feed is spent posting about Paces Hockey, of which she is the co-owner.
With more projects on her plate, Kristy Swanson continues to slay, maybe not as physically as her past suggests, but it’s nice to see her on the TV screen.
AS A TEENAGER SHE HAD ROLES IN JOHN HUGHES FILMS AND FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC
While Kristy Swanson began her career at the age of 15 on a TV series called It’s Your Move (following that up with Call to Glory, Cagney & Lacey, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents) her first real shot at relevance came when she worked on not one but two John Hughes films: Pretty in Pink and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Granted, they were not big roles, but John Hughes knew her. And back then, that was a big deal.
Kristy Swanson turned the “big deal” into her first feature starring role when she was part of horror legend director Wes Craven’s film Deadly Friend. From there she went right into the V.C. Andrews’s film adaptation of Flowers in the Attic. She was off and running.
For the next five or so years, Kristy Swanson found herself on TV movies (Not Quite Human, Nightingales, The Loner), a couple of TV series (Knots Landing, Nightingales, B.L. Stryker) while also moving over to feature films (Dream Trap, Mannequin: On the Move, Highway to Hell, Hot Shots!).
KRISTY SWANSON WAS THE ORIGINAL BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
The ’90s was Kristy Swanson’s decade. She was seen in over 20 projects that included both TV and features. But the one that set up her successful ‘90s run was when she got the role of Buffy Summers. If that name looks familiar, it should, because Buffy Summers is Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The initial release of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie wasn’t a huge critical success. It wasn’t a huge box office draw either. Writer Joss Whedon sold his script to Sandollar, which was country singer legend Dolly Parton’s production company.
The movie also starred Luke Perry who, at the time, was a big part of the megahit TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, so the production schedule had to fit his 90210 schedule.
This could be part of the reason Whedon decided to walk away from the movie. He began to be unhappy with the tone and direction the movie was taking, much different from his intended idea, so he bailed on the project. This could also be the reason why, five years later, Whedon came back with his Buffy TV series.
The differences were many from Whedon’s script to the final product, with producers wishing for a lighter touch than what Whedon intended. Regardless, Kristy Swanson performed her role as the snobbish, shopaholic cheerleader with glee, also handling the physical rigors of vampire hunting with grace.
Unfortunately for Swanson, when Whedon revisited Buffy the Vampire Slayer five years later, he brought in Sarah Michelle Gellar as the new Buffy.
In recent years there has been talk about a possible Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot. Sarah Michelle Gellar has already said she wouldn’t be taking part in that, and the specific plans were even put on pause from the studio. It would be interesting to see where Kristy Swanson landed when it came to returning to her most famous character.
SHE MET HUSBAND LLOYD EISLER ON A SKATING SHOW
Kristy Swanson joined Skating with Celebrities and was partnered with Lloyd Eisler, a former World Champion pairs skater. From the looks of things, Eisler was a happily married man, his wife Marcia just had their first child and was pregnant with their second.
But sources say, via People, Swanson and Eisler’s skating on screen was nothing compared to their “skating” off-screen, “Everyone knew there was something going on. It was obvious they were together.” Maybe not everyone.
Another of the show’s competitors, Bruce Jenner (now known as Caitlyn Jenner) was clueless. “I just noticed that they got really good (at skating),” Jenner told People at the time. “I never knew anything until I saw it on the news.” Their rumored relationship led to a real one. Eisler left his wife and their two young kids for Kristy Swanson.
Since that time, Swanson and Eisler have remained together, first having a child of their own in 2007 and then officially tying the knot in 2009. But the troubles for Kristy Swanson didn’t end there.
It may have not been a big incident, but Kristy Swanson did have an altercation with Eisler’s ex-wife, Marcia. Supposedly it happened in front of Eisler and his two small children.
Swanson was with Eisler on a scheduled visit in Kingston, Ontario to see his children when the incident happened. The confrontation between the two women ended with Kristy being charged with no charges filed against Marcia Eisler.
At the time, Kristy Swanson claimed it was Marcia who assaulted her, making sure the police took photos of the damage Eisler had done. Eventually, though, a deal was struck, and all charges were dropped.
