Sarah Michelle Gellar Kicks Off
This article was obtained from TV Guide, 1997.

      Sarah Michelle Gellar earned her acting stripes in an Emmy-award-winning stint as Erica Kane's conniving daughter on All My Children, and as the young Jacqueline Bouvier in a TV-movie. But nothing could have prepared her for some of the spooky side effects of playing Sunnyvale High's slayer, Buffy. The 19-year-old New Yorker has already developed a recurring nightmare (after an episode about an evil ventriloquist's dummy) and filmed scenes in a real cemetery (on Friday the 13th!). She really knew the role was getting to her when a "vampire" at Knott's Berry Farm jumped out to scare her and she gave him a karate chop. Quite normal for Buffy, who gets into an average of two fights per episode. "I had been working until 5 A.M.," Gellar says. "I had to explain to the poor guy."

      BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER MARCH, THE WB

      Stars: Anthony Head, Nicholas Brendon, Charisma Carpenter, Alyson Hannigan, Sarah Michelle Gellar

      The concept: The X-Files meets My So-Called Life

The premise: A teen endowed with the power to kill vampires discovers her school is located on a center of demonic energy. Guided by her mentor (a librarian) and joined by pals, she fights an array of supernatural beasts.

      They say: "We're going to stress horror and action a little more than the movie," says creator Joss Whedon, whose writing credits include the 1992 "Buffy" movie and "Toy Story." "We can do a horror movie every week that's a high school metaphor. The mean kids actually get possessed by hyenas and eat people instead of just picking on them."

      We say: Whedon is obviously tuned in to pop culture. The episode we saw, about cheerleading tryouts, achieves a wickedly wry tone that reminds us of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video. The appealing young cast should attract teens, while the dark tone should pull in fans of the 1987 film "The Lost Boys."

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