Alyson Hannigan

Grateful Alyson Hannigan successfully rebuffing Willow

Forever grateful, Alyson Hannigan has only fond memories of portraying Willow Rosenberg - a chameleon-like Wiccan and the only Jewish member of the notorious Scooby Gang - on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

“Personally, it was an amazing experience as I got to meet and marry the man of my dreams on that show,” said Hannigan, still very much in love with Alexis Denisof, the smooth, dark and handsome Wesley Wyndham-Pryce on “Buffy” during the 1999 season. “I also got to work with great people for seven years and have funds for life.

“It was such a blessing to have a job like that for so many years, but it also spoiled me professionally because I became accustomed to great writing and working with challenging people,” she continued with a mock sigh.

The perky, 32-year-old brunette has completed a successful season co-starring as Lily - the smart, opinionated kindergarten teacher who definitely wears the tight pants around her boyfriend, Marshall (Jason Segel) - on the half-hour comedy series “How I Met Your Mother.”

“The pilot script was funny, witty and with heart,” she said. “And each character has a distinct personality.”

She also liked the show’s brisk pace and the premise of telling the entire story in flashbacks, but wasn’t sold until she discovered that it was a “hybrid” program without a live audience.

“I was bummed out at first thinking it would be a single camera series, meaning long, long work hours just as on ‘Buffy’ that didn’t even leave me enough time to go to the dentist.”

With approximately 60 scenes per episode, one gets the best of both camera worlds, according to Hannigan.

“It’s complicated, but we’re able to speed things up by combining pretaped, single-camera scenes with multiple-camera scenes,” she said. “So, everyone on the show has a life off the set.”

Hannigan is stoked about the comfortable environment provided by Neil Patrick Harris (Barney), an old friend, Josh Radnor (Ted) and Cobie Smulders (Robin).

“And Lily, a really cool chick, is a lot like me,” she laughed.

“Well, she kind of looks like me, and we have a lot of the same facial expressions,” Hannigan said. “Though I’m a little taller than she is.”

The familiarity is also of great comfort to her real-life husband, who so far has appeared in three “Mother” episodes as Sandy, the obnoxious Metro News anchor.

Her most recent feature film, “Date Movie,” is a spoof on every big-screen romantic comedy spit out by Hollywood over the years. And reading lots of movie scripts that have nothing in common with “Buffy” and Willow.

“I’ve been there, done that,” she sighed. “There is no reason to do it again.”

Born in Washington, D.C,, but raised in Atlanta, Ga., by her real estate agent mother until she was 10, Hannigan crawled into show business when her father, then a photographer, featured her in several print ads. Only months later, she appeared in TV commercials hyping products ranging from McDonald’s hamburgers to Oreos cookies.

After her parents’ divorce, Hannigan moved to Los Angeles with her mother to test the tepid waters of the entertainment business at the age of 12. She gradually worked her way into the local economy with a fat film role in “My Stepmother is an Alien” (1988) and guest shots on such shows as “Roseanne” (1988), “Picket Fences” (1992) and “Touched by an Angel” (1994).

Hannigan went on to significant international success with “Buffy,” backed up with movie appearances, including solid work in “American Pie” (1999), “American Pie 2” (2001) and “American Wedding” (2003), but swears she will never subject her own children to the TV and film industry.

“It’s a vicious business that engulfs every aspect of a kid’s life. You’re in the shark tank, with people looking to get you at every audition: ‘What do you mean you’ve got a call back ... for that!?’ ”