Sarah Michelle Gellar It was jet lag from her commute. She had just returned to Los Angeles from filming the upcoming “Teen Wolf” spin-off her series in Atlanta for several days. Her decision to participateA pack of wolves,” The star and executive producer relied partly on the freedom to stay in LA with her family and commute to the set.
After a long hiatus from acting, the now 45-year-old actress is in the nascent stage of what she calls an “adult career”.
“I think I’ve earned it in a very honest way,” she said in a recent video call.
First: A Small Role in a High School Dark Comedy”take revenge.” (releases Friday on Netflix), directed by Jennifer Catin Robinson. More than 20 years after Gellar played the cross-carrying, cocaine-spitting Kathryn Merteuil in “Cruel Intentions,” she’s once again surrounded by scheming teens onscreen. . Only now, she’s the principal who gives them advice.
“I don’t want to be 17 no matter what,” she said. “Maybe 32, but not 17.”
Geller started acting childhood In the 1980s, “cruel intentions When “I know what you did last summer,” and the TV seriesBuffy the Vampire Slayer.
(Geller wrote in 2021 after “Buffy” creator Joss Whedon faced abuse allegations statement She said she stood “with all survivors of abuse” and was “proud that they spoke up.”whedon is disputed He admitted many of the accusations, but admitted that he had an affair with a young female cast member and that there were situations he “should have handled better.”
Calling from the LA home where she lives with her husband, Freddie Prinze, Jr., and their two children, Geller was greeted by a black-and-white “Hamilton” book, signed by the original Broadway cast and a People’s Choice Award. I was sitting in front of the bookshelf. Lin-Manuel Miranda). These are edited excerpts from our conversation.
How did your role on ‘Do Revenge’ come about?
I’ve taken quite a few years off and OK, I think I’m ready to go back to work, but I’m not 100% yet. I mean, if I was in my 20s, I would have wanted to be in it. But let me meet Jen. Within the first ten minutes of her, I realized she was my new best friend. I said I just want to dip my toes in the water. “
When they sent you the script, was it to play the principal?
there was no role. Jenn is a huge Cruel Intentions fan and said, “Do you think you could write something?” And then we came up with a character together. We designed the office together. They even tried to give the headmaster the real name of De Merteuil of “Dangerous Liaisons”. But it felt a little too nail-biting.
Jen, in her mind, the principal teeth Your “cruel intentions” character has grown. Was that how you played?
absolutely. I always wonder what Kathryn is doing now? who will that person be? But we really wanted her to be a women’s champion as well, she’s building her woman up for what you have to face as a woman.
In “Do Revenge,” Drea (played by Camila Mendes) is a semi-morally bankrupt character similar to Kathryn, but Drea gets a happy ending. Wish Kathryn had a redemption arc in ‘Cruel Intentions’?
No, I believe that not everything in life ends with a happy bow. It never had a happy ending. Young people today see things differently. They feel they deserve a happy ending, so they go out and get it. I think that’s really positive.
Filmed for NBC pilot Before that, the reboot series of ‘Cruel Intentions’ fell apart Interested in revisiting in a new way now?
Do not know. It was an absolutely crazy time. Not against NBC, but ‘Cruel Intentions’ is straight streaming. On the first day, I was like, ‘This is not going to work. It’s not just a network show. If it’s a network show, it’s not my “Cruel Intentions.” So I was really grateful.
You have been in this business for a long time. Did she have a generally good experience in this industry as a teenager or young woman?
No, it was really hard. When I appeared, there were no great female roles. She was a girlfriend, a wife. That’s why Buffy was so spectacular because she really had something to do.
It was on the script side. And then there’s the other side of her being a young girl in business, which helped because she grew up in New York, so she had a bit of a street feel. But it wasn’t easy. And though I’ve been through quite a bit, I’ve chosen not to — I don’t win by telling my story, emotionally, for me. I saw people and was very impressed. But in this world where people are torn apart and victims are blamed and humiliated, I will keep my story here.
Earlier this year you posted a selfie “We can’t take back the past, but we can fight for the future.” Is there something behind it that you wanted to share?
Especially now that I am participating in the project as an executive producer. For example, “Wolfpack”.I have these two young girls and two young boys [acting] Moreover. From day one, I made it very clear that if the production wanted to talk to them, they wanted me to go through them.and i want to [the performers] To ensure a safe space at all times.
But I also always try to come with a smile and set the tone on set. No matter what job you do, you will be treated exactly the same. When I was on “Buffy,” I made sure I did every job at least once so everyone knew what they were doing. I held a boom. I tried to mix the sounds, but I was really bad at it. focus pull. I think a lot of young actors say, “My job is to say my lines.” not really. Your job is to be part of the whole team.
you and freddy got married 20 years. What do you think is the reason for that longevity?
I think we live in a very disposable world now. When I was a kid, when my TV broke, I took it to a repair shop to have it fixed. Now, if your TV breaks, get a new TV. I think we see relationships like that sometimes. You have to be willing to go to work. That’s what we’ve always wanted to do. It has its ups and downs, but it never walks away.
So is this the start of a full-blown SMG renaissance?
I think so. Sometimes you have to leave in order to miss something. I worked all my life. Hooray “Crazy Ones” [opposite Robin Williams] when my son was a few weeks old. I figured I could do this for the next five years and be a mother. I saw what you did to And I needed that opportunity to be a parent and exist.