Twenty years after the end of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar is back to star in a fantastic new Wolf Pack series! The actress will receive the Canal+ Icon Award during the closing ceremony of CannesSeries, which salutes her entire career and her contribution to the world of series. This Tuesday, she lent herself with a broad smile and a lot of spirit to the question and answer game during a round table in front of a handful of handpicked journalists. Selected pieces.
On the prize she will receive at CannesSeries
The actress reacted to receiving the Canal+ Icon Award for her entire career on Wednesday. “I was overwhelmed with emotion. I wondered if that meant I was already dead! I put my career on hold for ten years to take care of my family. It’s a tough choice for an actress. On my return, the welcome was warm and incredible. I feel incredibly lucky: my series and my films are seen from generation to generation. It’s the pinnacle! »
On the links between “Buffy” and “Wolf Pack”
The actress made her big return to the small screen in January 2023 in the new fantasy series from Jeff Davis, the creator of Teen Wolf, available on Paramount +, in which she plays Kristin Ramsey. “I don’t see this role as a continuation of buffy. What I liked in buffy, is that the monsters were a metaphor for the horrors of adolescence. In Wolfpack, the monsters are the metaphor for what we are facing today: depression, isolation. After the pandemic, we realized how isolated we were, and how important our pack, the people who support us, are. This metaphor about the importance of the pack is what drew me to this series”.
On his role in the soap “All my Children”
Before Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar cut her teeth on the soap set All My Children, an experience that she absolutely does not denigrate. “I don’t understand actors who do it. Soaps have trained some of our greatest actors. Michael Jordan was part of the cast of All My Children, and you know who replaced him? Chadwick Boseman! They both played the same role. It’s crazy ! It’s a big playground. You can spot a soap actor from thousands of miles around. This teaches you how to hit the bull’s eye without looking at one of the 6 cameras filming you and develops your ability to learn your lines. It’s the best training ground there is! »
On growing old in Hollywood
Sarah Michelle Gellar, who has just celebrated her 45th birthday, returned to the ageism that reigns in the Hollywood industry. “I’m struggling with it right now. For every person who tells me I still look young, every day someone puts a montage of a photo of me at 19 and me now on Instagram! I’ll never be 20 again, but I like the person I am today better. Maybe not outside! (laughs) It’s really difficult for women, but for men too. It is socially acceptable for a woman to dye her hair, less so for a man. I guess it depends on the country where you live. I spent a lot of time in Japan and over there, they don’t park old people in a retirement home. We know that we can learn from their wisdom and the younger generations respect them. »
And to add: “I really liked the Cartier advertisement where we see Catherine Deneuve at all the ages of her career. She is no longer who she was at 20, but she has aged wonderfully well! We need more role models like her! »
On his desire to work in France
The actress has already filmed in France and would like to repeat the experience. “The hardest thing for me during the pandemic has been not travelling. I love to find out how other people live. My children have grown up and love to travel. The Covid has also shown that you can follow your education via Zoom. Five years ago, my husband and I could not have considered being able to take a job abroad. Now, we consider that living in another place and discovering another culture could be an enriching experience for them. I would really like to work abroad, and am actively seeking to do so! So, if someone recruits in France, I launch an appeal! »