"Lime Magazine Interviews Sarah Michelle Gellar"
Source: Lime Magazine
Transcribed by: Jacinta
You've been keeping your romance with Freddie
Prinze, Jr. fairly quiet of late. Is that part of an anti-paparazzi
strategy?
More or less. We both like to spend quiet time together and
because I have a pretty heavy shooting schedule with Buffy,
that doesn't always make it easy for us to just relax together.
So we're trying to enjoy our relationship as free from any
media stress as possible. So far we haven't had too much difficulty
staying out of the headlines. We're happy together and not
really worrying about how much attention our relationship
gets.
How stressful is it to be part of a celebrity couple?
Sometimes you'd prefer some anonymity, and most of the time
no one ever disturbs us if we're at a cafe or restaurant together.
Of course, being in this business means that people fall in
love with characters and want to have some contact with you,
and that's fine, too. It's more the press that can be a problem
when a lot of lies get printed. We haven't seen too much of
that and that's why we're trying to keep as low-profile as
possible. It's tough enough maintaining any sort of relationship
without also having to worry about your image.
Is Scooby-Doo a film that showcases a different
side of you? After all, your character, Daphne is such a departure
from Buffy...
Absolutely. Daphne is just so out there and bold and kind
of outrageous with her short skirts and those wild outfits.
She has a self-confident streak that I've never had in my
own life. It was empowering in a way for me to put myself
in her designer shoes. What's interesting about doing a comedy
like Scooby is this sense of charming innocence that
comes with the characters.
How does making a comedy like Scooby-Doo compare
to working on Buffy?
Doing a series like Buffy is hard work. It's physically
demanding because you work from morning until about 9pm. And
it's also psychologically taxing because you have to put yourself
into the head of this girl who is constantly being threatened
and trying to define some kind of identity and life for herself.
This may sound silly, but Buffy has a lot of fine edges and
I think that's why people appreciate her and her struggle.
Working on Scooby was one of the best things I've ever
done in my life. It was pure joy and a really great personal
experience for me.
You've expressed a desire to concentrate on your film
career. Does that mean you're going to be leaving Buffy
sooner rather than later?
I don't know how long Buffy will stay on air. We're
definitely going to do one more season according to our contract
and then we're all going to take a look at where we stand.
I certainly haven't made up my mind on what I'm going to do.
I enjoy the work and I think the story lines have become more
and more interesting, and that's the most important thing
for me — to make sure we aren't repeating ourselves and
allowing Buffy and other characters to evolve in serious ways
that most series never allow. That's why I'm quite proud of
Buffy and what we've achieved.
Are you a very ambitious person?
I think so, even though it's been hard for me at times to
be as fearless as I would like to be in pursuing my goals.
Since I spent my adolescence as a working actress, I was isolated
in many ways from a lot of other kids I would meet at school,
and sometimes I was made to feel very strange and insecure
by that experience. So it's taken me time to get to the point
where I'm more relaxed about who I am, what I want from life.
Even though I was very successful as a teenager and earned
a lot of money, I never felt cool or very comfortable in my
own skin.
What changed you?
Actually, getting the part of Buffy, bringing her to life
and making the series work has been a big part of my evolution.
Because the series has always tried to establish different
layers in her personality, I honestly feel I've grown with
Buffy as my alter ego. We've both become more self-confident
and assertive and aware of our goals. My life as Buffy has
many parallels with my own personal development and my sense
of self-worth.
You're enjoying success on many levels, in film, TV and
now in your personal life in your relationship with Freddie
Prinze, Jr. Do you feel things have come together for you?
I'm beginning to get that sense about life. I've had an incredible
opportunity to be part of a high-quality and successful series
like Buffy, but I still want to prove myself in film.
I was very happy to have had a chance to be in both commercial
and more serious-minded projects, and I would like to continue
to enjoy that freedom. I also like feeling that most of my
life is ahead of me. It's an exciting place to be.
Note from Webmistress: The reason that there isn't a real title for this article or a date or various other bits of information is that I didn't find this article - Jacinta transcribed and sent it to me. So credit goes to her and if you know any other details about this, please let me know.