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After stepping away from the spotlight for years to focus on her family, Sarah Michelle Gellar is poised for a big comeback. The actress, who first rose to fame for her titular role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has been taking on a couple of projects lately, most recently starring in the Netflix film Do Revenge and the Paramount+ series Wolf Pack.
And while it isn’t clear yet what else is coming up from Gellar, the actress has hinted that she’s just getting started.
Sarah Michelle Gellar Decided To Hit Pause On Acting Following Robin Williams’ Passing
Back in 2014, Gellar and the late comedian were playing a father and daughter running an ad agency together in the CBS comedy The Crazy Ones. Like many, news of Williams’ passing left the actress in shock and disbelief.
The tragedy also made Gellar reflect on her own life and that’s when she knew it was time to walk away from acting at least temporarily.
“I’d hit a wall,” the actress recalled while speaking with Us Weekly. “Robin [Williams] had passed away. I had two young children at home and I just sort of needed to refocus for a little bit.”
In fact, both Gellar and her husband, Freddie Prinze Jr., decided to take some time away from the cameras to raise their young family. The actor also gradually made a comeback recently starring in Peacock’s reboot series Punky Brewster.
The Actress Returned To Hollywood By Chance
Now, even while Gellar was taking time off, she never lost her interest in acting. And just when she was starting to think about getting back to work, Do Revenge director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson expressed interest in working with her too. That said, it wasn’t clear how they would make this happen at first.
“There was no role,” Gellar clarified. “Jenn is a big Cruel Intentions fan and just said, ‘Do you think we can write something?’” At the same time, the actress didn’t think Do Revenge was the right project for her since the material seemed to be for a younger demographic. But eventually, Robinson got her interested.
“I’ve taken quite a few years off, and I was just getting into the mindset of, OK, I think I’m ready to go back to work, but I wasn’t 100 percent there yet. They sent me the script, and I said, it’s not really for me. I mean, if I was in my 20s, I would be clawing to star in that,” Gellar explained.
“But let me meet with Jenn. Within the first 10 minutes I realized, Oh, she’s my new best friend. I said, ‘I want to come in and chew some scenery and go home. I just want to dip my toes in the water.’”
Robinson also couldn’t believe that Gellar was up for it. “They also say don’t meet your heroes, which, for the most part, I’ve found to be true. Sarah blows that away,” the director said of Gellar.
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“She was a collaborator, she brought excitement to the set and I think her involvement fundamentally changed what the movie means to me.”
Together, the two women created Gellar’s Do Revenge character as they found inspiration from one of Gellar’s most iconic roles. “We designed the office together. We even tried to give the headmaster a name, de Merteuil’s real name from Dangerous Liaisons,” the actress continued.
“But it felt a little too hammer on the nail.”
Aside from Do Revenge, Gellar also went on to join the cast of the Teen Wolf prequel, Wolf Pack. And this time around, the actress also signed on to the project as a producer with the goal of providing younger stars with safety nets that weren’t made available to Gellar when she was their age.
“I have made it very clear from Day 1 that if there are things the production wants to talk to them about, I want them to go through me. Because I’ve been there. And I want [the performers] to always have a safe space,” she said.
“But also, I always try to come in with a smile on my face and set a tone on a set. We’re all equals. It doesn’t matter what job someone does, they get treated exactly the same.”
She Plans To Go ‘Full-Full Throttle’ When The Time Is Right
And while it seems like Gellar is ready to keep going, the actress has also clarified that she doesn’t intend to focus on her entertainment work full-time just yet. However, she does see this happening in the future when her children are off to college.
“I feel that that’s the full-full throttle,” Gellar explained. “I love what I do, and I’m really loving it in a different and much more joyous way.”
For now, Paramount+ hasn’t announced if Gellar’s Wolf Pack will return for a second season. Whatever comes next for the actress, she’s also made it clear that it’s never been about making a big, splashy comeback.
Instead, she’s made a decision to return to acting because it is her passion and it’s a job that brings her happiness. “I didn’t dream of success like this, so now I’m in the fun phase where it’s all gravy,” Gellar remarked.
“I’ve been on all the magazine covers, I have awards, all that stuff – I want to just have fun.”
