Sarah Michelle Gellar has admitted that she is “still not taken seriously by men” on film sets as she returns to the industry.
The 45-year-old actress, who rose to fame with her starring role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has been reminiscing about her career, from which she took a break in 2014 following the death of her friend and co-star Robin Williams.
In a new interview following the launch of his Paramount+ series Wolf Pack, he opened up about the burnout he experienced as a teenager on the fan-favorite ’90s series.
Candid: Sarah Michelle Gellar has admitted she’s “still not taken seriously by men” on film sets as she returns to the industry
Speaking about moving to the West Coast of the US after graduating high school in New York at age 16, Sarah said The Guardian about the pressure of working on the series with little time on your hands for being young.
She admitted, “22 episodes burns everyone, not just the writers… We live in a world now where TV can be eight to 10 episodes, and not murder you.”
After ending up as Buffy Anne Summers when the show came to an end in 2003, Sarah’s most notable role was as Sydney Roberts on the sitcom The Crazy Ones in 2013.
Starring opposite Hollywood royalty Robin Williams, the series ended in April 2014 and was her first series regular role on television since Mork and Mindy in the 1970s.
Teen star: The actress, 45, who catapulted to fame with her starring role in Buffy The Vampire Slayer (pictured in 1997), has been reminiscing about her career.
They were the two leads of the CBS series, as Robin, who played Simon Roberts, ran a creative agency with his daughter Sydney (Sarah) while “struggling to maintain various facets of their lives.”
But just four months later, 63-year-old Robin took her own life, and it was something that triggered a ‘reset’ in Sarah’s life.
She explained: “When we lost Robin, it was this whole reboot for me: ‘Everything is happening so fast and I’m missing it.’ at home for a while.
And despite being in the industry for over 25 years, Sarah revealed that the men on sets still don’t take her seriously.
Back in the spotlight: In a new interview following the launch of his Paramount+ series Wolf Pack (pictured at this month’s premiere), he opened up about the burnout he experienced as a teenager on his favorite ’90s series.
Breakout Role: Sarah took a career break in 2014 following the death of her friend and co-star Robin Williams, with whom she starred in The Crazy Ones in 2013 (pictured together on the show’s press tour). She died only four months. after the final episode)
“I’m still not taken seriously by men on sets,” Sarah said. I still feel the need, sometimes, to read [out] my resume, like, “How many of these shows have you done? How many experiences have you had at 2 a.m. with 250 extras, a late take, a stunt, all these things? been in it. Listen to me, for I know where I come from.”‘
It comes after Sarah said she rose to fame at a time when it was “difficult” for young actors on set.
The actress recently returned to the spotlight with her role in the new supernatural drama Wolf Pack and said she wants to create a ‘safe’ environment for the younger actors on the show.
Speaking on The Graham Norton Show last week, Sarah added that she wants to “protect” the cast, which comes after claims of bullying on the set of Buffy The Vampire Slayer became public in recent years.
Interview: It comes after Sarah said she rose to fame at a time when it was “difficult” for young actors on set.
When asked about executive producing the series, she said, “It’s important for me to be able to protect the material, and more than that, I can protect the cast.”
“I appeared in Hollywood at a time when it was difficult for young actors. It’s still not perfect, but I can help create a safe working environment.’
Graham asked the star if she was hesitant about joining another teen drama, and Sarah admitted she didn’t want to do the show initially.
She said: “I didn’t mean to read it, but then we went deeper into the mental health conversation, which is very timely. Werewolves are a metaphor for adolescent anxiety.
Show: Sarah added that she wants to ‘protect’ the cast, which comes after allegations of harassment on the set of Buffy The Vampire Slayer became public last year.
Sarah also talked about her time on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which aired from 1997 to 2003 and brought her worldwide fame.
The star joked: ‘People love to remind me that it’s 20 years. I love that people still bring it up, but I don’t need the actual date and passage of time for people to realize how old I am!’
In 2021, allegations of ‘toxic behavior’ surfaced on the set of Buffy, directed at the show’s creator, Joss Whedon.
Actress Charisma Carpenter she originally slammed Whedon in a lengthy Twitter post, claiming he called her fat and killed off her character after she had a baby.
Interview: The actress has recently returned to the spotlight with her role in the new supernatural drama Wolf Pack (LR Claire Foy, Sarah, M Night Shyamalan, Rob Beckett and Sam Smith)
Sarah said: ‘It’s important for me to be able to protect the material and, more than that, I can protect the cast.’
The actress, 50, who played Cordelia Chase on the show for three seasons and its spin-off Angel, made the allegations in a Twitter post.
Charisma said she decided to speak out to show solidarity with actor Ray Fisher. Fisher previously accused Whedon of “abuse” and “unacceptable behaviour” while he was on the set of Justice League in 2017.
She said: ‘For almost two decades, I have kept quiet and even made excuses for certain events that traumatize me to this day.
Raise your voice: Actress Charisma Carpenter originally slammed Buffy creator Joss Whedon in a lengthy Twitter post, claiming he called her fat and killed off her character after she had a baby.
“Joss Whedon abused his power numerous times while working together on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
“While he found his misbehavior amusing, it only served to intensify my performance anxiety, disempower me, and alienate me from my peers.”
Citing a series of “disturbing incidents”, Charisma claimed that her interactions with Whedon, 56, triggered an unspecified “chronic physical condition” that she said she still suffers from today, some 20 years later.
“Last summer, when Ray Fisher publicly accused Joss of unprofessional and abusive behavior towards the cast and crew during retakes on the set of Justice League in 2017, I was gutted,” he continued.
Joss has a history of being casually cruel. He has created hostile and toxic work environments since the beginning of his career. I know because I experienced it first hand. Repeatedly.’
The Graham Norton Show, BBC One, Friday, January 27 at 10:40 p.m. Also available on BBC iPlayer.