It’s Buffy Now that she is an executive producer, the Vampire Slayer and Cruel Intentions star claims she needed the “authority” to change attitudes on set – and even get staff an Uber if they needed it – to move on from her childhood experiences in the industry.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, known for her famous role as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, returns to the supernatural with her new program Wolf Pack.
As an executive producer, she wants to make sure the only monsters she confronts are onscreen.
Gellar noted, “I needed a set that was conversational, collaborative, and where everyone had a say.”
“When I was growing up in this field, we were told not to, and if we did, we were considered problematic.
“And I don’t think this is a Hollywood thing – when you’re new in a job, you tolerate a lot of things that should be unacceptable, and I needed the ability to alter that and to be on the set that I wanted to be on, and not just that I wanted to be on, but that everyone wanted to be on.
“Playing pretend is fun, but there are long hours, risky stunts, and other things. And I needed it to be a safe environment for everyone.”
Gellar’s biggest fears and how she left Buffy’s “toxic” set for Wolf Pack
Gellar is no longer among the youngest cast members of Wolf Pack. She investigates a wildfire that appears to have reawakened a mystery entity, changing the lives of two youngsters.
The Wolf Pack actor used her personal experiences to console the younger cast and crew.
“I was like, ‘Here’s my cell phone, contact me,'” she added.
She continued, “It’s difficult when it’s your producer, boss, and network, and everyone has a bottom line. I don’t have one, I’m here to make everything work properly.
“Also, not just for the players, but also for the staff and production assistants: If you’re too exhausted and the hours are too long, please let me know. Uber is a simple way to avoid work-related car accidents, and guess what? If the production budget won’t cover it, I’ll order you an Uber.”
The most terrifying things in life frighten us emotionally.
Twenty years have passed since the conclusion of Buffy, and Gellar claims that she returned to the genre not because of the legendary monsters themselves, but because of what they represent.
“This beast is a metaphor for dealing with fear,” the actress said.
“That’s a term we use a lot right now, we’re all experiencing it, we’re assaulted with news 24 hours a day, seven days a week and what it does and this constant flow of information.
“The concept is that anxiety is your body operating at optimum performance, but we don’t know what to do with that, so when you harness that, you can make that your superpower – and what would we be capable of if we had the tools to deal with anxiety?”
How star prevailed COVID
But she acknowledges that she almost didn’t become involved with Wolf Pack at all. First declining when asked to see the script and joking that “beast instinct” eventually prevailed.
“The concept of the pack resonated with me. It was the correct time, as we were just emerging into COVID and without my pack, or pod, if you will, I would not have survived,” Gellar stated.
“And what it’s like to be without it, and how lonely that is.
“I startled myself when I said yes, it surprised Jeff [Davis, the show’s creator]. And it surprised my team – it was a very emotional response to material that meant something to me,” she remarked.
