Sarah Michelle Gellar

PART THREE

SMG: Jason brought home half of Japan in a suitcase. Just don’t tell the customs officials. The man literally, on the airplane...had more bags than me. You better have some happy relatives with some presents.

N: And everybody from smgfan gives you their love

SMG: Oh...thank you very much...to all of you. [To Jason] What was your strongest memory?

JB: I think Kyoto was probably the best place that we went.

SMG: You know...I think the amazing thing is just the experiences that we all had just collectively as a cast. I mean if you run down the list of things that we did...you’d be surprised to hear that we made a film as well. I mean...he dragged me to sumo, and I can honestly say...

JB: She did not want to go.

SMG: I...can you say “bitched”? I bitched and moaned the whole way going. I did not want to go.

JB: She bitched and moaned the whole way.

SMG: And literally I was the one screaming at the audience...like screaming at the players going “yeah, yeah” [makes cheering gestures]. So, you just learn so much and see so much.

JB: I think both of us pushed each other to kinda explore...um different sections. She brought me places that I probably wouldn’t have gone to, and I dragged her out to sumo and she was the one screaming the loudest. I think the film afforded us the opportunity to not just work on a really genius movie format with a really gifted director, but it allowed us free time to go and explore Japan, and it’s one of the most beautiful cultures and countrysides I’ve ever set foot on. So it was a great experience.

SMG: And the people too. It’s always hard to be a tourist in a place where you don’t speak the language and for me and my personal travelling experiences...it was the most welcomed I’ve ever felt. And everybody was so kind and so helpful and we would go into restaurants where nobody spoke English and we’d be butchering their language to...I mean...oblivion, and instead of being angry at us they were so kind and very patient with us...so...

JB: [To Sarah] Was it to the sumo? We asked a police officer how to get back to the train....

SMG: [in agreement] The sumo

JB: When we were leaving the sumo wrestling arena, and the guy dropped what he was doing, got us a map and then took us by our hand and pointed us in the direction.

SMG: The weird thing is the murder rate went up in those 5 minutes something fierce in Tokyo.

JB: Just a very generous society.

Crowd member: Hey Buffy. How you doing?

SMG: [Gestures to self] Saaarah. [Gestures to Jason] Jaaason and Sarah. [she’s laughing]

Guy: Sarah and Jason. How’re you doing?

JB: Good. How you doing?

Guy: I’m fine. Um, first thing I’m glad you’re here at Comic Con. I think we all are. We all love you two, so decided to give a shoutout there.

SMG: Thank you.

JB: Thank you.

Guy: My first question is...how do you feel like the years on Buffy has helped you in The Grudge...like any training....

JB: Well my years on Buffy...

SMG: How were your years on Buffy?

[Crowd shouts about him being in an episode]

SMG: Yes he is. Um, goodness, I hope I got better. I hope in 8 years I learned something. Everything is preparation for everything you do. You know hopefully you take and you learn. I got the chance to work with some pretty amazing, talented actors who I stole plenty from, and...

JB: I think the second season was probably the strongest. Don’t you agree?

[Crowd laugh]

SMG: Jason, why would you say the second season was the strongest?

JB: ‘Cause I didn’t miss an episode.

SMG: Why didn’t you miss an episode? What did you think in season two, when Buffy slept with Angel...okay...then what happened?

JB: There was a guy who came in. I remember he had a brain tumour.

SMG: A brain tumour? That guy was great.

JB: He was a joke.

SMG: I thought he was good.

JB: I didn’t like him. Boring.

SMG: Whatever happened to him?

JB: I don’t know. [laughs all around] By the way, what was your favourite episode.

SMG: Oh God. Um, my favourite episode was probably “The Prom” actually. I don’t know...there was just something so heartwarming about it and just...

[A couple of people shout out “the musical”]

SMG: Hey, he asked me. [laughs] But um...we did...um...there was this one with the guy with a brain tumour....and, that was one of them. It’s good that we have our own jokes. I don’t think they’re even listening to us anymore.

JB: Yeah...

Crowd member: First I’d like to say I’m one of the Buffy and Angel managers from one of the internet sites in Spain. I wanted to ask you if it’s true that there’s going to be a Buffy and Angel movie?

SMG: A Buffy and Angel movie...that’s actually one I haven’t heard before. Um, you know, the answer to that is that I don’t know what’s going to happen with that. I know there’s been a lot of talk about it. You know, for those of you who don’t know this....there was a Buffy movie originally, and I spent the first two years of my show trying to explain to people “no, no, no, it’s different than the movie. It’s different than the movie”....and part of the reason the movie didn’t work was because Buffy was a story, in my opinion, that needed to be told over a period of time. And it works...to me it worked better when you spent time. And it wasn’t over so neatly. I wish the finale was two hours. It didn’t seem long enough to me. [crowd cheer in agreement] And I would be really fearful of putting all of that heart and all of those characters into two hours because I know that at some point there would be a letdown...whether Xander didn’t get featured enough, or Willow...or whatever it was. And um...if someone came to me and it looked like just the perfect two hours that I thought wouldn’t disappoint...then it would absolutely be something that I would consider, but I haven’t seen that yet. But I am gonna be in the Roswell movie.

[Cheers]

SMG: [To Jason] I forgot to tell you.

Crowd member: Hi Sarah. Over here. I was wondering, I’ve read earlier that you wanted to be a journalist maybe if you weren’t acting, and I was wondering if you were taking any steps to pursue any other career...maybe college or something?

SMG: Is there something you wanna tell me I don’t know? [laughs]

Woman: Noooooo.

SMG: Thanks for the support. Is this something you think I need to consider?

Woman: No, I mean...

SMG :[Fake cries for a few seconds.]

Woman: No, I was just wondering ‘cause you seem like you get bored if you haven’t time off, and you seem like you...you know...go out for whatever you want. You have so many things...so I was just wondering if that was one of them...

SMG: That was a really good save I just want you to know. No, not at this time, but if I’m out of work for too long then...possibly. I don’t know. I definitely learned to document a lot. I know...Jason and I pretty much annoyed everybody on this film with a camera every five seconds. And I think I actually annoyed some photographers earlier today by taking out my camera. It’s still definitely a passion. But um...digital cameras have made it much easier.

Crowd member: Hi guys. I just wanna say that I wrote a research paper that focussed on Buffy and Roswell and I aced it....so thanks.

SMG: Anytime...

JB: What’d you get?

SMG: She aced it. “Aced it” means she got an A.

[everyone laughs]

[Sarah rubs Jason’s arm in a “sorry I was mean” way. Both are smiling.]

Woman: And before I ask my question I just have a request for Jason. If you and Brendan have time, please do commentaries for the Roswell DVDs. I think you guys need to get even with Shiri and Majandra. [people cheer]

JB: Yeah, I heard some rumours about that one.

SMG: I think they did it without you.

JB: Yeah, I think the second ones are coming out soon I guess and I think they did the commentary for that when I was in Japan. But I think they got Shiri and Majandra to come back and do some more. I don’t know what was said, but it’s all lies.

SMG: I don’t know. He does a commentary all the time for me. It’s good you should hear it.

Same woman: I just wanna ask you guys...on such a scary film...what was the morale like between takes, and so you have any funny stories you can share with us from the set?

[Sarah laughing in an “if only you knew” way]

[People shouting for her to tell the crowd what she’s thinking about]

SMG: Morale was good. You know, honestly...it was an amazing experience. And I’m gonna sound repetitive but you had all these people who didn’t speak the same language. And it was the most jovial, and the most fun. I mean I sound like a boring actor reciting a speech, but...[looks to Jason]

JB: Go ahead...

SMG: What? Do you feel differently?

JB: You know...we were trying to learn more about our Japanese counterparts and I think they were trying to learn more about us, and it was, it was just a really amazing experience. So in between takes I’d be trying to learn some sort of Japanese that I would butcher, and they’d correct me. I’d butcher and they’d correct me. Then I’d butcher and they’d leave me alone. And um...the same thing with their English. I mean...I have to say that most of the crew members got really, really good at English, and I just got progressively worse at Japanese. But that was the mood. It was just...sort of like very playful.

SMG: We would all sort of walk around. We had...obviously....Japanese to English...English to Japanese dictionaries. And sometimes we would just all mangle.

JB: Janglish

SMG: Most of the stories...what’s it called “Janglish”?

JB: Janglish

SMG: Janglish...

Member of crowd: Wow...this question can be addressed to both of you. For all fans, are you ever going to work with Josh Wieldon again? I mean you had something for Angel....

SMG: Wait...I’m sorry. Who did she.... Who?

Woman: This can be addressed to either one of you...

SMG: [smiling] If you’ve gotta say his name you’ve gotta say it correctly. Gotta give props...Joss Whedon.

Woman: Josh Wieldon...

[crowd getting really....um....distressed]

SMG: This isn’t going well. Joss Whedon.

Woman: Whedon. Josh Whedon...

[People shouting out “JOSS”]

SMG: [Sarah makes an action like she’s conducting the crowd to say it at the same time. Seems highly amused by the whole thing] All together everybody....

[everybody decides it’s a lost cause]

Woman: Are we ever gonna see you work with him again, either...