Richard Cartwright/20th Century Fox Tv/Kobal/ShutterstockIt’s hard to come to terms with the passing of Dolly Parton: the country singer and activist was the kind of figure who seemed almost immortal. Sadly, that wishful thinking doesn’t factor into our reality, but Parton’s contributions will live on with us forever — one of the most surprising being her support of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar joined the chorus of voices mourning Parton’s passing this Tuesday, reminding fans of some lesser-known trivia about the series. Gellar shared a clip of Parton discussing her love for Buffy — and her uncredited role as producer. “I thought Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a wonderful little show,” Parton told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live in 2021. Her Sandollar Productions, which she co-ran with her then-manager, Sandy Gallin, “were a small part of that. And I was very, very proud to be part of that.”Sandollar’s role in Buffy’s legacy is actually much more significant than Parton let on in 2021. The duo also produced the original Buffy film in 1992, championing the story even despite its lackluster box office performance. It was Berman who approached writer Joss Whedon about turning the film into a series through Sandollar Television. Parton remained on as a producer throughout the show’s seven seasons, and it’s not hard to see why. Parton played a significant role in getting Buffy the Vampire Slayer off the ground. | David Becker/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images“The very first mission statement of [Buffy] was the joy of female power,” Whedon told Metroactive in 2002. “Having it, using it, sharing it.” That was essentially Parton’s MO, too: throughout her decades-spanning career, she searched for ways to empower everyone and champion equality. Buffy was also designed to subvert the trope of the blonde, helpless bimbo. At first glance, a series about a high school vampire hunter might not be totally up Parton’s alley — but when boiled down to its essentials, it makes so much sense to learn that she was involved with the story from the very beginning.Though Gellar and the Buffy cast never met Parton on set, the actress revealed that Parton would find other ways to show her support. “We never saw her,” Gellar told Jimmy Fallon in 2023. “We’d get Christmas gifts in the beginning that would have our name... then one day, somebody asked her about it, and she complimented the show and my performance.” In her post mourning Parton’s passing, Gellar affirmed that the singer’s support “is everything to me.” Parton’s support feels even more significant after the report that Searchlight’s planned Buffy reboot won’t be moving forward at Hulu. There are plenty of reasons for a show’s cancellation, but something as ambitious as Buffy might not have had support from Hulu executives. Buffy needed someone like Parton in the ‘90s — and still does today. | Richard Cartwright/20th Century Fox Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock“We had an executive on our show who was not only not a fan of the original, but was proud to constantly remind us that he had never seen the entirety of the series and how it wasn’t for him,” Gellar revealed to People after the reboot got the axe. “That tells you the uphill battle that we had been fighting since day one, when your executive is literally proud to tell you that he didn't watch it.”It just shows how rare it is to find a champion like Parton, particularly with female-led stories. Parton was one-of-one, but the world — and the industry — would be a much brighter place if we all took cues from her.Buffy the Vampire Slayer streams on Hulu.