‘Buffy’ Star Sarah Michelle Gellar Shuts Down Reboot Haters

Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar has very little time for people who don’t like a reboot.

In a new interview with USA Today, the star said she thinks both reboots and revivals serve a purpose in the entertainment ecosystem, creating “work that not just stands the test of time (and) that people still remember, but they still enjoy.”

“I’ve been fortunate enough that I’ve had work that people remember from all different times,” Gellar said. “If your art that you’ve created is still meaningful and also as the world changes that it still has emotional resonance to the fans, that’s all we could ever ask for.”

In the past, Gellar has been squirrely about the idea of coming back to Buffy, but time changes all people. And it’s not the first time she has returned to an old role, appearing earlier this year in the latest I Know What You Did Last Summer as Helen Shivers from the original film. Gellar knows audiences can be harsh on reboots and sequels, but she told USA Today that criticism is best avoided by making these comebacks good on their own merits, “capturing the DNA of the original” without too much rehashing.

That’s the plan for the new Buffy series, which sees Ryan Kiera Armstrong in the main vampire slayer role and Gellar as a recurring supporting character. The actor separately told IGN that the new series felt special because it’s not just playing the hits: “The heart of Buffy was always about found family—that sense of belonging and being loved for who you are—and that’s more important now than ever. The fact that people still carry such love for the show after all these years is incredibly special.”

The untitled Buffy sequel recently wrapped filming on its pilot, and the full series is set to air on Hulu.

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