Sarah Michelle Gellar

Date of Birth : 14 April 1977, New York City, New York, USA

Nickname : Sassy

Height : 5’ 4" (1.63 m)

Mini Biography

Eating in a local restaurant, she was discovered by an agent when she was 4 years old. Soon after she was making her first movie, An Invasion of Privacy (1983) (TV). Besides a long list of movies, she has also appeared in many TV commercials and on the stage. Her breakthrough came with TV-series "Swans Crossing" (1992). During 1997 she became known to the cinema audience when she appeared in two movies at the cinema I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and Scream 2 (1997). But she is arguably still most associated with her title role in the long-running TV series, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997). IMDb Mini Biography By: Mattias Thuresson

Mini Biography

Emmy Award-winning Sarah Michelle Gellar, now known as Sarah Michelle Prinze, was born on the 14th of April, 1977.

She is one of Hollywood’s most versatile actresses, most commonly known for her role as "Buffy" in the Golden Globe-nominated show, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997). She also won an Emmy award for her fantastic performance as "Kendall Hart" in "All My Children" (1970).

Sarah has since been in several movies including, the romantic comedy Simply Irresistible (1999), the thrilling Cruel Intentions (1999) and the "Scooby Doo" movies as the lovable "Daphne Blake". She has also provided her voice to several movies, including the new TMNT (2007), Happily N’Ever After (2006) and Small Soldiers (1998).

She currently resides in Los Angeles, with her husband, Freddie Prinze Jr. - they have been married since 2002. IMDb Mini Biography By: Blake Smith

Spouse

Freddie Prinze Jr. (1 September 2002 - present) 1 child

Trade Mark

Frequently plays strong and independent women

Her unique nose

Trivia

Pets: Maltese terrier named Thor; Akita named Tyson.

Big fan of Dr. Seuss. Hobbies: collects rare books, especially editions of classic children’s literature.

The Burger King commercial she did in 1982 was the first commercial to ever mention a competitor by name. Consequently, McDonald’s sued her as well as Burger King. She also couldn’t enter a McDonald’s unless she was in disguise due to truth in advertising ("I only eat at Burger King" was one of her lines in the commercial). Ironically, McDonald’s was a sponsor of the WB’s hit TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997).

She studied Tae Kwon Do for five years, and now she’s taking kickboxing, boxing, street fighting and gymnastics.

One of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People. [1998]

Tattoos: Celtic symbol on her left hip, Chinese symbol for integrity on her lower back and a heart with a dagger hanging over it tattooed on the inside of her right ankle.

Ranked #1 in FHM magazine’s 100 Sexiest Women in the World 1999 and #3 in 2000.

Won 4 online TV Guide awards.

Her high school classmates include: Tara Reid, Ben Taylor, Jerry O’Connell, and Macaulay Culkin.

Her idol is Stockard Channing.

Attended the Professional Children’s School in New York City; graduated with a 4.0 grade average.

Her favorite movie is Heathers (1988).

Director Raja Gosnell wanted a real life Hollywood couple to play Fred and Daphne in Scooby-Doo (2002) - Sarah and real life boyfriend Freddie Prinze Jr. were his first choice.

Publicly announced that she is engaged to Freddie Prinze Jr.. [14 April 2001]

Roles she turned down: Juliet in Romeo + Juliet (1996), because of scheduling conflicts with "All My Children" (1970). Also due to "All My Children", she was forced to give up a role in Clueless (1995) and The Crucible (1996), both of which she had really wanted. She also turned down a role in The Faculty (1998). She turned down the roles of Sasha in Urban Legend (1998) Brittany Foster in the The In Crowd (2000), and Portia de Rossi’s role in Who Is Cletis Tout? (2001). And because of scheduling conflicts with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997), she had to turn down the role of Jenny in Gangs of New York (2002). She also turned down the lead role in Stardust (2007).

Roles considered for: Rogue in X-Men (2000); Julie Barnes in The Mod Squad (1999); she auditioned for Natalie Portman’s role in Where the Heart Is (2000); was James Toback’s first choice to play Cindy Bandolini in Harvard Man (2001). There was also major fan gossip of her starring in The Dark Knight (2008): it was rumored that she would have been The Joker’s minion Harley Quinn, or would have replaced Katie Holmes as Batman’s love interest Rachel Dawes. She was in talks to star as the Ranger in Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey (2010) and was also in talks to star as Alice (2010/I). She was considered for the lead role of Wonder Woman (????) in a proposed film by Warner Brothers. She was Charles Randolph’s first choice as Alice Maladay in his unsold HBO series entitled The Wonderful Maladys (2010) (TV).

Her biological father (Arthur Gellar, 60) was found dead from unconfirmed circumstances in his Manhattan apartment. [9 October 2001]

Ranked #16 on the Maxim Magazine’s Hot 100 of 2002 list.

Has said that if she wasn’t an actress she’d want to be a journalist or a writer of childrens books.

On October 17 2002, her wax model, by Madame Tussaud, was unveiled at the "Trail of Vampires" exhibition.

Voted 9th most beautiful person in the world in South Africa’s People magazine (2002).

#8 on Google.com’s most searched women in 2002.

Presented an award at the Glamour Awards 2003.

Guests at Sarah and Freddie’s wedding included actors Dulé Hill, Shannen Doherty, Eva La Rue, Adam Shankman and close friend and bridesmaid to Sarah, Lindsay Sloane.

In 1999, she signed a contract with Maybelline to become the company’s first celebrity spokeswoman since Lynda Carter in the late 1970s.

During the 2001 Teen Choice Awards (August 20, 2001), "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997) co-star Michelle Trachtenberg presented her with the Extraordinary Achievement Award for being a good role model and for her charity work (especially for Habitat for Humanity).

She auditioned first for the role of Buffy on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997), but the producers thought she was better suited to play Cordelia. She auditioned as Cordelia, but pursued the role of Buffy, ultimately winning it over many other girls.

Her wedding gown was designed by Vera Wang.

She signed on to Scream 2 (1997) before even reading the script.

She told Wes Craven while filming Scream 2 (1997) that she does her own stunts all the time on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997), but she was far too scared to be thrown off a balcony for her death scene in the film.

She beat out Rebecca Gayheart for the role of Cici in Scream 2 (1997).

Daughter-in-law of the late Freddie Prinze and Kathy Prinze.

Is an avid fan of the New York Yankees and the New York Knicks.

Is an only child; coincidentally, so is the original "Buffy Summers," Kristy Swanson.

Her most frequent collaborator to date has been husband Freddie Prinze Jr., working with him six times: I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997); She’s All That (1999); Scooby-Doo (2002); Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004); Happily N’Ever After (2006) and in "Robot Chicken: Operation Rich in Spirit (#1.17)" (2005). Incidentally, she has also worked with Freddie’s frequent collaborator Matthew Lillard four times: She’s All That (1999); Scooby-Doo (2002);Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004); and "Robot Chicken: Operation Rich in Spirit (#1.17)" (2005).

Ever since playing the title role in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997), she has had a reputation as a "stickler" for on-the-set safety. This showed when Charles Cyphers guest-starred in an episode of BTVS: while filming, he accidentally got hit on the head with a piece of pipe. Although Cyphers was not seriously injured, Gellar "snapped to it," and angrily lectured the BTVS crew about said mishap.

Ranked #45 in Stuff magazine’s "102 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002).

Is a natural brunette. Dyed her hair blonde for her role in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997).

Her favorite singer is Mariah Carey.

Ranked #45 on the Maxim magazine’s Hot 100 of 2003 list.

Hosted the MTV Movie Awards in 2002 along with Jack Black.

Is a fan of English soccer team Arsenal.

In addition to liking the Yankees, Knicks and Giants, she is also a fan of the Dodgers.

Has spent a lot of time in Australia, filming, and on holiday visiting friends. Attended New Years Eve celebrations on the shores of Sydney Harbour, December 31, 1999.

Ranked #26 on the Maxim magazine’s Hot 100 of 2005 list.

Ranked #18 in the Top 100 TV Teen Stars.

Ranked #64 in FHM magazines’s 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005.

Like her title character on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997), Gellar has been an accomplished ice-skater since childhood...when she skated competitively for some time, until her mom made her quit to focus more on school and acting. Coincidentally, Sarah was born within 5 months of figure-skating legend Nicole Bobek, during the same year.

Ranked #94 in FHM magazine’s 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006.

Was invited to reprise the role of "Buffy Summers" in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2002) (VG), and also in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds (2003) (VG). Turned down both jobs because she had insisted on seeing their scripts, and never did.

For her and Freddie’s fifth anniversary, she changed her last name to Prinze. On their anniversary, she showed [Freddie] her new driver’s license.

Ranked #1 on Maxim magazine’s "Hottest Women of Horror Movies" list.

On her vacation to Hawaii with her husband, Freddie Prinze Jr., she took surfing lessons [January 21, 2008].

Friend of Mädchen Amick. The actresses’ became pals when Amick costarred with Gellar’s husband Freddie Prinze Jr. in his ABC sitcom "Freddie" (2005).

Had an allergic reaction to the Japanese water while filming The Grudge (2004). They had to put garbage bags over her legs for her shower scene in the movie due to this allergic reaction.

Her favorite books are "The Princess Bride" and "Gone with the Wind". The Princess Bride (1987) is also one of her favourite movies.

She broke a bone in her hand while filming the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997) episode "Homecoming".

Signed onto Southland Tales (2006) before even reading the script. She thought the writer/director Richard Kelly presented a world and an idea, and a concept to her so thoroughly that she couldn’t say no.

Replaced Kate Bosworth, in Veronika Decides to Die (2009).

Ranked #18 on Wizard magazine’s Sexiest Women of TV list (March 2008).

Ranked #5 on Maxim Magazine’s Hot 100 and Woman of the Year in 2008.

Has been long time friends with actor Seth Green, and has collaborated with him quite a few times. They can be found together in Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997) and "Robot Chicken" (2005).

Ranked #32 on FHM Magazine’s 100 sexiest women of 2008, which earned her the title of Comeback Queen because she wasn’t even on the list last year and she had 4 movie screen outings.

Resides in L.A. with husband Freddie Prinze Jr..

Is close friends with actresses Shannen Doherty and Lindsay Sloane.

Turned down a role in both Stardust (2007) and Romeo + Juliet (1996). Both roles later went to Claire Danes.

Is allergic to cats and has a phobia about broken glass.

Is mentioned by name in a song called "Harder" by Xzibit.

In Los Angeles, she led a viewing of A Powerful Noise (2008), a documentary about women fighting adversity. Actress Natalie Portman held another viewing in New York City [6 March 2009].

She and actress Mila Kunis have a special credit at the end of every "Robot Chicken" (2005) episode.

Became good friends with actor Lee Pace while filming Possession (2009/I). Together, they later attended the "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy," Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Her favorite actors are Tom Cruise, Daniel Day-Lewis, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Uma Thurman, and Sandra Bullock.

People Magazine announced that she is expecting her first baby in the fall with husband Freddie Prinze Jr. [9 April 2009].

She is the ambassador of the charity CARE, which helps fight world poverty. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama gave a $25,000 contribution to the charity CARE.

Ranked #39 on FHM magazine’s 100 sexiest women of 2009, which earned her the title of Eternal Flame because she’s still in the top flight of the list after so many years of being # 1 in 1999.

Her favorite colors are red and pink.

She had a baby shower for her first child and a few of the guests that came were Michelle Trachtenberg, Kristin Chenoweth, Shannen Doherty and Eva La Rue [1 August 2009].

She and husband Freddie Prinze Jr. gave birth to a girl, Charlotte Grace Prinze, on September 19, 2009 in Los Angeles.

Ranked #9 on TV Guide’s Sexiest Sci-Fi Women of all Time [2009].

In an Entertanment Weekly.com countdown of the top 25 biggest Emmy nomination snubs, she was ranked #22 for her starring role on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997); the show itself was ranked at #3.

Was five months pregnant with her daughter Charlotte when she completed filming for her unsold HBO pilot, The Wonderful Maladys (2010) (TV).

Returned to work 18 months after giving birth to her daughter Charlotte in order to begin filming "Ringer" (2011).

She and "The Nestle Share the Joy of Reading Program" raised funds to help support the importance of reading and raise awareness on illiteracy [10 May 2011].

Voices herself in escalation map pack of Call Of Duty’s Call of the Dead (2011) (VG), along with actors’ Danny Trejo, Robert Englund and Michael Rooker. She is also the first playable female character in all of the Call of Duty games.

She threw a baby shower for her Cruel Intentions (1999) co-star Selma Blair. Actress Jaime King also helped Gellar with the event. [21 May 2011].

She has played the same character (Buffy Summers) on three different television series: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997), "Angel" (1999) and "Robot Chicken" (2005).

Attended two separate San Diego Comic-Cons as a panel guest: one in 2004 to promote The Grudge (2004) and one in 2011 to promote "Ringer" (2011).

Is a big fan of pop singer Kylie Minogue. She attended her Fever2002 tour when she was in Australia shooting a movie there.

Said that she is constantly mistaken for actress Kellie Martin in looks and voice, that if asked for an autograph, she would sign her name as "Kellie Martin" to those fans who mistake her.

Personal Quotes

[about her father] Just because you donate sperm does not make you a father. I don’t have a father. I would never give him the credit or acknowledge him as my father.

[on being a teen idol] This is what I’ve waited for my whole life.

[High school] My biggest complaint is school when it’s Send-the-roses day. Somebody’s always left out. I always got roses, but I would give them to someone who hadn’t gotten any.

[Horror Movies] I’m always the one who gets killed. And I want it to be really gory. Body parts all over the place. Mangled!

[on Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon]: "They’re unbelievable. They’re an inspiration to young love."

[on job pressures] There’s so much pressure on all of us right now. On Katie Holmes, on James Van Der Beek and myself, to do these movies, and do as much as you can because there is the slight feeling that one day your phone will stop ringing. It’s not about the craft, per se. It’s so easy to fall for it all because people remind you constantly that as fast as it comes, it can go. And I think there is this sort of paranoia, this need to keep working. And I know that I felt it, and for the first three years of the show, I never had more than a week off, except for Christmas. That was it.

[on being ’skinny’] How can women be as thin as we are? We have personal trainers to work us out. We have specially prepared meals.

[on the Internet] I got a computer and I’m learning how to use it. I collect antique books, so I used it to get my copy of ’Les Liaisons Dangereuses,’ and I use it for travel, to look up customs. I went to Fiji, and I looked up all this stuff before I went, like ’Don’t wear a hat in someone’s house because it’s rude, and don’t wear shoes.’ You’ve got to think there’s something better I can do with my time than log on to the Internet and say, ’Ooo, let’s find out about me!’ I think that would frighten me a little bit.

[on what the word "feminist" means] I don’t call myself a feminist because feminism has a negative connotation. It makes you think of women who don’t shave their legs. But feminism is not just about not being weak. It’s about being able to take care of yourself. Just because you might care about what you look like or what the opposite sex thinks of you, it doesn’t make you not a feminist, although it’s a word I hate. Do I consider myself a strong female individual? Uh-huh. Can I take care of myself? Yes.

[on her kissing scene with Selma Blair in Cruel Intentions (1999)] It was a great kiss. It even had a saliva trail.

One of the greatest gifts my job has given me is that my mother, who gave up her entire life for me, doesn’t have to work any more. I’m now in a position to repay her for her devotion.

I am militant about drugs. You want to do ’em? You’re out of my life.

[on posing nude] Right now I can’t picture posing, but I don’t believe in saying never... There might be a time when I got pregnant and felt really beautiful and wanted to have a nude picture.

[on what she would do if she wasn’t acting] I would go to college to be a journalist. I always wanted to write for Time or Newsweek.

You’ll never know what you’re capable of if you don’t try.

I don’t understand why James Bond has to be a man all the time. When Pierce Brosnan retires, why not one of us?

[on why she was happy to get married:] I’m so grateful I don’t have to go looking for a man on a Saturday night. I was always terrible at chatting up men. [December 10, 2003]

[about "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997)] To me, the scariest elements of horror films are the things that could really happen. And what is more scary than high school? ... What I like about the show is that it reminds you it’s O.K. to be different. What people think isn’t necessarily true. If people walk away with half of that, we’ve done our job. [New York Times, April 27, 1997]

[on playing Kendall Hart on "All My Children" (1970)] I seduced my stepfather, and when he wouldn’t sleep with me, I slept with the stable boy, cried rape, and my mother stabbed him with a letter opener. Then I went to jail for perjury, burned my parents’ divorce papers, and locked up my little sister. I think that was all in the first week. [New York Times, April 27, 1997]

[on attending the Professional Children’s High School in Manhattan] Everybody there had a talent, and everyone was respected. If somebody didn’t like you — they didn’t talk to you! They didn’t make fun of you, punish you. You could, you know, mess around with how you dress. You really had that chance to find yourself, and I thank God for that school. I went to that school feeling amazingly untalented. That school was my lifeline. Let me tell you something — talent night at our school? There was nothing like it.

Horror films are where women can shine and have a chance to lead. They always save the day in these films.

[on gay marriage] I have good friends, gay couples, who’ve been together for 18 years. It drives me crazy that in the eyes of the law, their love isn’t acknowledged when I have girlfriends who have married four times by the age of 25.

[on religion] I don’t believe in organized religion and I never have.

No, that’s what bothers me. That’s how they think. Okay, this is a summer...I remember that it used to be you could see great movies any time. Now it’s like summer is for blockbusters, fall is for the movies that they can’t fit into any other time, that’s like September. Then Oscar movies start, it used to be post Thanksgiving. Now the awards are earlier so it starts earlier. January is when they dump movies. And it’s just so... it seems to me so obvious that wouldn’t it be better for the marketplace to have these movies spread out? Not just people don’t only go to the movies in summer time. If that was the truth, then in the summer time they would count the whole week’s worth of the box office but it’s still only a weekend. So why does it matter...sorry, I get a little upset. It’s just frustrating.

Basically I only like to choose films that I don’t understand. As long as they’re greater than my mental capacity, I figure I gotta be doing something artful, right? Isn’t that what makes something art when you don’t understand it?

I wish, and I wish so much for the film industry right now. I wish so much for originality and I wish so much and I think that we’re caught in this difficult cycle right now because our studios are corporations now. I keep talking about the old 1940s, where one guy with a cigar and a scotch made decisions for a studio and now, because there are all these computer corporations basically, technology companies and there’s so much else that goes into a decision that it’s very difficult to get films that are different, that are off the beaten path, made. It’s much easier to get something unoriginal made than to get something original.

"Simply Irresistible (1999) was just a bad choice - and for that it was a great learning experience. I wasn’t ready to make that movie. I was too young. The script was not ready. I knew in my heart before I left to make it that I should back out".

[on how she would like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997) and her work on it to be remembered] I hope positively. One thing about the show was it was never categorized. It was drama, comedy, action, horror, all of those things combined. And I just want people to remember it as a fabulous run, a fabulous seven years.

In this day and age, everything is so cross-marketed that the lines have blurred, in my opinion, between what is an actor and what is a celebrity. What is reality? All you have to do is pick up a magazine or turn on the television and you can get ideas from places that five years ago you couldn’t.

[Working in LA filming Southland Tales (2006)] That’s so weird. It’s one of those things that’s like you go on location and you’re there for a week getting ready. Here it’s like you’re walking the dog, you’re paying the bills and then 10 minutes later, you have to go to work. It’s a very sort of odd- - I’m grateful for it and so glad to actually film a movie in Hollywood. Although some of these locations are pretty far. I could probably fly to some of them.

[on her doing movies and Freddie Prinze Jr. doing his show] It’s funny in the sense of he’ll say to me, ’You don’t understand. You’re doing a movie. I’ve been on my feet all day.’ I’m like, ’For real? For real I don’t understand?’ So that’s kind of odd. And the times are funny because I’m on nights and he’s more organized in terms of...or last week he was getting out of the house at like 3:30 in the morning.

[Her advice for her husband, Freddie Prinze Jr. on his sitcom "Freddie" (2005)] Do a sitcom. Don’t do a one hour. That was actually my advice. He was going to do a one hour. I was like, ’Are you crazy? You know what people make for sitcoms and how little they work, right? You see all of our friends on sitcoms.

You know what? I only see myself doing films that interest me and that are a little bit off the beaten path. I will go wherever that takes me. I just - - I always say it just can’t be generic. I can’t be the girlfriend or the wife or the - - you can’t play the characters that I’ve been blessed to play and then do that. I can’t be the girl in the film.

I think the best piece of advice I’ve ever gotten is to trust myself and go for my dreams. I got that from my mom.

Being sexy is being confident. It’s important to know you don’t have to have silicone breasts falling out and a thigh-high skirt. Sometimes you meet people and they think, ’Another cute little blonde actress.’ That’s not who I am. - on rather being known as clever than sexy.

[on not wanting children at this point] You can’t be selfish and have a child. Right now I want to live my life and have fun. I want to go sit in my Jacuzzi and drink wine all night. [December 2007]

I had to twist his [Freddie’s] arm and leg to see Moulin Rouge! (2001) Although he enjoyed it once we were there. In fact, there was a moment during the evening when I swear I thought he was going to leave me for Nicole Kidman but then, who could blame him? I’d probably leave him for Nicole if she asked. She’s hot!

It sounds clichéd, but when women turn 30 they find themselves. You become more comfortable in your own skin. Last night on Letterman I wore this skintight Herve Ledger dress. Two years ago, three years ago? I would never have worn it. - Gothman Magazine.

[on her character Buffy Summers] For eight years I had the pleasure of portraying a character that was the very definition of a powerful woman. In my opinion, one of the greatest examples in the history of entertainment. [2007]

As an actor, you constantly play these other characters. You’re always pretending to be somebody else, but at the same time you have to keep a handle on who you are. I think that’s where a lot of actresses get lost sometimes, because that’s tough. I can only imagine it has to be the same as a pop star because you’re not even playing a character. You’re a persona.

[After having her baby girl Charlotte] I’m not going back to work anytime soon. I’ll only have my first child once and see these milestones once. I can’t imagine not being there. We’re (she and husband Freddie Prinze Jr.) just taking it one day at a time. I’m such a cliché right now, but she is the greatest gift that anyone has ever given me, and I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to do right by her. What still overwhelms me is the reality that we created this life together, and now we are responsible for her. She is here; she is ours. I’d say that makes us pretty lucky, indeed. [November 2009]

[on the suggestion of a ’Buffy’ film, 2004] ’My concern with a film is, how can we do it justice? We went out on top, and I like staying there. That doesn’t mean I won’t change my mind. I’m a woman. It’s my prerogative to change my mind as often as I like!’

[on working with Seth Green] ’If I had my way, I’d work with Seth on every project. I think the world of him...he’s an amazingly gifted comedian and he’s also a very giving comedian.’

[on a possible Buffy reboot movie] It was a movie! It’s been made. It stars Kristy Swanson, they made it! They don’t need to make another one. I think it’s a horrible idea to try to do a Buffy without Joss Whedon, I mean that’s like honestly...to be incredibly non-eloquent, that’s the dumbest idea I ever heard.

[on the importance of reading] I love books. I’m constantly afraid we’re moving into this digital era where books are going to go away, and to me books are the basis to everything in life. Reading is how we function. It’s not just creative imagination and creative play, it’s how we function as human beings, as human adults, and if you can instill that at a young age then that’s a skill they’ll have for life.

[looking back on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997)] I think it’s gotten me to this point now where I don’t have this burning desire to accomplish anything. That was so fulfilling for me in every way that everything I do now is the cherry on top. I don’t feel the pressure to do this or have to do this or go here or do that because I feel like I’ve already won.

[on enjoying working, but not letting it take over her life] I was 18 years old when I started "Buffy," and work was my everything. Back then, no actor had worse hours than I did. Now I don’t work on weekends anymore. Everybody knows you can’t sway me on that point, so nobody even tries. Plus, my perspective on work has changed: Work doesn’t define who I am. I love what I do, but I don’t feel a burning pressure anymore. And because I’m working for fun, I get to enjoy it. I’d watch "Ringer" (2011) if I wasn’t on it! Of course, it’s not as much fun when you know what’s going to happen. It takes some of the excitement away.

[on how having a child has changed her perspective on work] I would never fault anyone’s decisions and choices, but being a parent was so important to me. I just couldn’t be the parent who goes from country to country and leaves their child, or schleps their child with them.

[on finding it difficult to understand people who view returning to TV after strictly working in film is a step down career-wise] I don’t feel like I didn’t succeed - The Grudge (2004) is still the second-highest female opening ever. And "Ringer" (2011) doesn’t feel like a retrograde step, not to me. That is the weird perception, but I think it’s slowly changing.

[on whether or not she is fed up with looking back and talking about "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997)] Fed up with it? No! No, no, no! I’m so proud of it, and I actually like talking about it more now than I did then. Because I was 19, 20. Sometimes I think, to get true perspective, you have to step away, to realize the impact that something had.

[on how "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997) affected the course of television] "Buffy" came at the right time ... Now you see these great roles on television all the time. Glenn Close in "Damages" (2007)? One of the greatest actresses of all time. Sally Field in "Brothers & Sisters" (2006)? TV is where the roles are. Without wishing to sound obnoxious, I do think it changed the course of television. It certainly changed genre television. It just came at the right time for that.

Salary

Cruel Intentions (1999) $500,000

Scooby-Doo (2002) $1,500,000

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997) $75,000 per episode (Seasons 1-5), $100,000 - $150,000 per episode (Season 6), $350,000 per episode (Season 7)

Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004) $4,500,000

The Grudge (2004) $600,000

Where Are They Now

(June 2005) shooting Southland Tales (2006).

(January 2008) New York.

(May 2008) Filming Veronika Decides to Die (2009) in New York.

(April 2009) Revealed that she and her husband are expecting their first child in the Fall.

(May 2009) Filming pilot in New York for The Wonderful Maladys (2010) (TV).

(September 2009) Gave birth to her first daughter