Charmed star Holly Marie Combs and Buffy star Charisma Carpenter on their place in pop culture, dream roles, and TV reboots

Holly Marie Combs and Charisma Carpenter united at Wizard World Chicago to discuss their experiences as women in pop culture.

If there are any two shows that best exemplify the force of women in pop culture, it’s Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

With a reboot of the former on the way, and Buffy celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, they were the prime candidates to highlight at Wizard World Chicago this year. Together, series stars Holly Marie Combs and Charisma Carpenter took the stage to discuss their experiences as iconic women in Hollywood.

It was an awkward start to the panel; there’s an irony in the fact that a man was hosting the “Women of Pop Culture” conversation. It seemed he felt he had to really push for serious conversation. But Combs broke the tension quickly, reminding the moderator, “They’re normal! Relax!”

Charisma Carpenter was just glad to see such a crowd. “Do you know how sad it would be if there were only 10 of you?” she exclaimed. But the audience was more than happy to be there. Between their respective roles on Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Combs and Carpenter have made a distinct impact on the industry.

Even so, Combs says it “feels like we still have work to do.” On that, both actresses agreed. They were specifically heated about how they are still asked to do extensive auditions at times.

It’s certainly typical for an actor to be asked to come in for an audition, but 30 page scenes are a bit much. Combs has a theory on that though. She thinks these casting folks just want to see what the actresses look like in person, what with their aging.

It’s a horrible notion, but it doesn’t exactly feel like an unheard of scenario. Actresses have been out of work for less. But Carpenter won’t let something like age stop her from pursuing her dream role as a superhero.

Ideally, she’d play Cat Woman, of DC Universe fame. Combs would happily join her as Poison Ivy; her one hesitation is that it’s a lot of green. (Either way, please sign me up for this version.)

Of course, speaking of updated versions of old stories, there was no getting around the elephant in the room: the Charmed reboot. Combs has been vocal on her distaste for the upcoming CW series, and this time was no different.

She shied away from mentioning it directly but did comment that “it makes me laugh” when a show is dubbed “a reboot for a new generation.” The conversation was steered quickly in another direction, but her point was made.

Before the conversation ended, Carpenter had her own point to make — one that echoed the idea of sharing opinions openly. She criticized how actors are often chastised for voicing their opinions on anything. “I am my actions. I am not what I do for a living” she stated passionately.

On that note, the panel wrapped, and it’s safe to say everyone was as charmed as they were slayed.

Are you excited to see the Charmed reboot? Let us know in the comments!