Sarah Michelle Gellar Explains How Buffy the Vampire Slayer Prepared Her for Wolf Pack
In the late '90s and early 2000s, Sarah Michelle Gellar was the queen of teen content. Not only did she star in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but she appeared in films such as I Know What You Did Later Summer, Scream 2, Cruel Intentions, and more. Currently, you can catch the iconic actor in Do Revenge on Netflix, and she'll soon be starring in Wolf Pack, Paramount+'s Teen Wolf spinoff series. Gellar recently had a chat with The New York Times, and talked about how her seven-year run as Buffy helped prepare her for Wolf Pack.
"Especially now, I go into my projects as an executive producer," Gellar explained. "Wolf Pack, for example. I have these two young girls and two young boys [acting] on it. 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."
Gellar added, "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 ... When I was on Buffy, I made sure that I did every job at least one time so that I understood what everyone did. I held the boom; I tried to mix sound – I was really bad at it; focus pulling. I think a lot of young actors go, 'My job is to show up and say my lines.' Not really. Your job is to be part of the whole team."
It's not surprising to hear Gellar wants the younger actors on Wolf Pack to be in a safe space considering the allegations made against Buffy the Vampire Slayer showrunner, Joss Whedon. Whedon came under fire after Justice League star, Ray Fisher, accused the director of mistreatment on the movie's set. Fisher's decision to come forward inspired Charisma Carpenter to do the same. Carpenter played Cordelia Chase on Buffy and Angel, and wrote in a statement that Whedon "abused his power on numerous occasions." The post caused an array of actors from Buffy and Angel to offer their support and share their own experiences. Gellar, Michelle Trachtenberg, Amber Benson, Eliza Dushku, J. August Richards, Anthony Head, and more have all made public statements in support of Carpenter.
Wolf Pack is also set to star Armani Jackson, Bella Shepard, Chloe Rose Robertson, and Tyler Lawrence Gray. Production on the series began at the end of June in Atlanta. The series is based on Edo Van Belkom's book series of the same name and "follows a teenage boy [named Everett] and a girl [named Blake] whose lives are forever changed when a California wildfire awakens a terrifying supernatural creature. Wounded in the chaos of its attack, the teens are inexplicably drawn to each other and to two others [named Luna and Harlan] who were adopted sixteen years earlier by a park ranger after another mysterious wildfire. As the full moon rises, all four teens come together to unravel the secret that connects them — the bite and blood of a werewolf."
As for Buffy, it was announced in 2018 that a reboot was in the works with Whedon. It was revealed that Agents of SHIELD alum Monica Owusu-Breen was set to pen a script and serve as the showrunner. However, executive producer Gail Berman recently appeared on The Hollywood Reporter's TV's Top 5 podcast (via TV Line), and said the reboot is now "on pause."
Wolf Pack is expected to debut later this year on Paramount+. All seven season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are currently available to stream on Hulu.