Sarah Michelle Gellar

Despite the starring role in the Tokyo-set thriller ``The Grudge’’ (opening Friday), Sarah Michelle Gellar isn’t seeking the scream-queen crown once held by ``Halloween’’ veteran Jamie Lee Curtis.

Gellar says she isn’t ready for a career in scary movies, but the ``Buffy the Vampire Slayer’’ veteran boasts distinguished credits with ``I Know What You Did Last Summer’’ and ``Scream 2.’’

A fan of Asian culture and cinema, Gellar was so eager to star in this Americanized remake of the 2002 Japanese hit, directed by the original’s Japanese filmmaker, that she stalked producer Sam Raimi to get the job.

Before his two ``Spider-Man’’ movies, Raimi was a horror-cult king known for his ``Evil Dead’’ trilogy. He didn’t cast Gellar for her horror history, however.

``Although she has a name in horror and is very popular with the fans, it really wasn’t that,’’ he said. ``It was that Sarah pursued the project; she really wanted the part. Sarah thought that this director was brilliant. I mean, she loved Takashi Shimizu’s movie. And she wanted to be a part of something new and exciting.’’

That meant committing to a movie with a director who didn’t speak English. What might have turned out like ``Lost in Translation’’ instead was a great experience. Because ``Buffy’’ hadn’t been released in Japan, Gellar was not recognized as a celebrity on the streets of Tokyo.

``The first three months that I was there, I obviously stood out a little bit, being a little blond American girl abroad,’’ she said. ``But I had a little bit of anonymity, which is also really nice for me because I was able to really experience something that I had desired for so long - on a real level, and not coming in through a back entrance and keeping my head down at a tourist attraction. We would go to the Tokyo Tower, and I stood on that line just like everyone else.’’

Gellar laughed. ``I know that may sound kind of weird, but for me that was a great experience because that’s part of being there. Look, I’m not saying that I want to go to Disneyland tomorrow and wait in the lines, because clearly I don’t, but being able to really look up when I’m walking and see everything and not have to worry about other things was something some celebrities only dream about and never get to do.’’

``The Grudge’’ is quite different from the hijinks of Gellar’s last two hits, the ``Scooby-Doo’’ comedies. Gellar’s Karen Davis is an American in Tokyo, living with her boyfriend (Jason Behr) as he studies for an architectural degree. She volunteers to help the elderly and is sent to help a stroke victim (``Twin Peaks’ ’’ Grace Zabriskie) whose caregiver has suddenly disappeared.

Before anyone can say, ``Let’s flee back to the States,’’ Karen discovers a secret in the haunted house, along with plenty of bodies.

``The whole idea of `The Grudge’ is what happens when there is so much rage and oppression in a small space that everyone that comes in, it just infests,’’ she said.

``I never scream; I yelp a few times,’’ Gellar joked, but she’s serious about why horror films are good for women in today’s Hollywood.

``When `Buffy’ ended after eight years, you might dream, `OK, I’m ready for my big, period, sweeping drama,’ ’’ she said. ``But the reality is there are few of those made, and doing one that bombs could be career suicide.

``When you sit back and you think about it, horror movies are the field where women can really rule. This is where women can take a hold of a movie and have a proactive job - and the guy is the boyfriend. People want to see the woman be triumphant. And look at our past couple of Oscar winners: Halle Berry did `Gothika’ and then `Catwoman,’ and Charlize Theron is doing `Aeon Flux.’ I mean, there’s a reason for that, because this is where really a woman can shine. Look at Naomi Watts in `The Ring.’ As wonderful as she was in `Mulholland Drive,’ it was `Ring’ where she really got the chance to shine and people took notice. So I wasn’t hesitant.

``It’s not a horror film, in the American sense of the word,’’ Gellar added, explaining what happened when co-star KaDee Strickland (``Anacondas’’) went in for her costume fitting.

``KaDee had this button-down shirt on, and it wasn’t a very revealing shirt, but Takashi Shimizu was really concerned. He said to her, `Now KaDee, in this scene on the staircase, I’m going to do a shot from the top looking down on you. Are you going to be comfortable with that shirt, or would you like a turtleneck?’ KaDee said she almost dropped dead. She said, `There I am, coming off of `Anacondas’ where they’re ripping my shirt off - and this gentleman is concerned about my modesty.’ ’’

As for home life with hubby and ``Scooby-Doo’’ co-star Freddie Prinze Jr., Gellar said, ``It’s a lot easier when you don’t have a television show.’’

Gellar called this time in her career ``Phase 2, but I guess it’s really Phase 3, because I was a child actor. I was on a soap. I wanted to come to L.A., and everyone talked me out of it. My agent said, `You’ll never make it. Everyone leaves soaps and then comes back, and you’ve got such a great role.’

``But I was 18 years old and there were things that I wanted to do, that I wanted to experience. So I guess that was actually Chapter 2. Now I sort of feel like I’m an adult.’’

Prinze, too, has left his teen-idol era.

``He sort of got pigeonholed into a bunch of movies and had that same process where he said, `I have two options: I’m either going to continue like this and not be creatively fulfilled or I’m going to take a break for a little bit and find myself,’ ’’ Gellar said. ``He’s actually filming this movie right now in New York working with Alec Baldwin. It’s an amazing script, it sort of reminds (me) of `Stand By Me.’ I’m so glad because I felt so spoiled by `The Grudge,’ and I wanted him to have that experience of working with great actors and a great director.’’

As to whether Buffy might rise from her TV grave, Gellar did a double-take.

``Buffy killing people with her wooden cane? I don’t know,’’ she said. ``I mean, it’s not in my immediate future. It’s not something that I’m actively pursuing at the moment, but, hey, you never know.’’