Sarah Michelle Gellar Reveals Her Feelings on the Legacy of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’

With Buffy the Vampire Slayer celebrating 20 years since the series finale aired, Sarah Michelle Gellar is speaking up about the show’s  legacy.

The supernatural drama, which ran from 1997 to 2003 on WB and eventually ended on UPN, was based on the popular 1992 film of the same name. During COVID-19, the show saw a resurgence in popularity. And Gellar, 45, hasn’t tired of hearing fans tell her how much the series has meant to them.

“As an actor, all you ever want to do is a show that affects people, that they love and holds up,” Gellar told SFX magazine. “That is your legacy. I am so proud of what we created. It’s been a tumultuous couple of years, and understanding the show and its legacy, there is good and bad to all of it. I have gotten to a place now where we can really appreciate the show for what we created. I am so proud that during the pandemic, the show reached a whole new generation of people that still felt that it spoke to them, that it was still timely and it still meant something to them.”

Sarah Michelle Gellar Also Praises the Horror Genre for Casting More Women

Sarah Michelle Gellar, who is now starring on the Atlanta-filmed Wolf Pack on Paramount+, also went on to praise the horror genre for casting more women than other genres.

“Horror takes you to a totally different place. It’s also about the roles for women. Traditionally, there were only a few genres where women really could lead. I remember when ‘The Grudge’ came out, and I am sure it’s been surpassed, but at the time it was the second-highest, female [fronted] opening ever. I am sure it’s still in the top 10. Because they just don’t make movies with women up front in the lead,” Gellar said.

“Horror is one of the few genres where you get to do that. Having a character like Buffy, who is so three-dimensional and hits all those notes … you don’t just want to be the wife or the girlfriend.” she added.