| Sarah Michelle Gellar Articles & Interviews ELLEgirl OCT/NOV 2004 |
| Pictures from this article: |
| WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME? Sarah Michelle Gellar often wonders if she has toilet paper one her shoe. By Gia Kourlas Photographed by Gilles Bennison Styled by Laurie Trott You would think that after seven years of playing a badass vampire slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar wouldn’t be afraid of anything. But the 27-year-old actress is just as insecure as the next girl. She worries about people staring at her and the possibility of “never working again,” as she puts it. That said, things are pretty good for Ms. Gellar. She lives in Los Angeles with her cute husband, Freddie Prinze Jr., and their two dogs, and she is starring in the English-language remake of Takashi Shimizu’s Japanese horror film The Grudge, In which the curse of anger is passed on like a virus. (If you thought Buffy had its scary moments, this movie will really freak you out.) After her ELLEgirl photo shoot, Sarah Michelle headed uptown to her posh New York hotel to chat about life after Buffy and her latest obsessions: Tokyo and Nicole Richie’s performance on The Simple Life. ELLEgirl: What were you like at 17? SMG: I don’t think I was that different. I’m still the person who, if people are looking at me, I’m like, I must have toilet paper on my shoe. And nine out of ten times I probably do. ELLEgirl: What were your favorite movies when you were a teenager? SMG: The Princess Bride was definitely up there. Grease. Heathers! When I first became friendly with Shannen Doherty, it was so hard for me to separate. I would, like, quote the movie. ELLEgirl: I’m sure that was fun for her. SMG: [Laughs] Yeah—she was very amused. I couldn’t help it, though. ELLEgirl: Didn’t you go to both the High School of Performing Arts and the Professional Children’s School in New York City? SMG: Yes. I got asked to leave Performing Arts because you’re not supposed to work when you go there. So then I went to PCS, which I had always avoided because I thought it was a school of actors. It turned out to be the most amazing experience. Yes, there were actors, but also there were musicians from Juilliard and ballerinas from the School of American Ballet, and everyone was from around the world. ELLEgirl: You live in Los Angeles, but you’re really a Manhattanite. What neighborhood did you grow up in? SMG: 77th Street and First Avenue—the Upper East Side. It’s funny—I don’t think I realized how much I missed the city. My best-best friend, whom I’ve known since I was five, lives here, so I have a reason to visit. I was a bridesmaid in her wedding in November and I swear I was fine at my own. At hers, I was a wreck. ELLEgirl: What was it like to get married so young? SMG: The thing is that in this country everybody used to get married really young. And then it became really late. And now everyone’s getting married younger than I did. ELLEgirl: Do you like being married to Freddie? SMG: Yeah. The one thing about my show was that I was in one place nine months a year, so it was a little easier. Now I’m back to being all over the place, but I make it a rule not to be away any longer than I have to. You do the best you can. ELLEgirl: The Grudge is supposed to be positively terrifying. SMG: I made the mistake of watching the original alone at 10:30 P.M. It was awful! I don’t normally get affected, but [Shimizu] really gets into the characters, and he knows how to leave you hanging. ELLEgirl: How did you get involved? SMG: A friend of mine told me about the remake and I was like, ding, ding, ding! I just really wanted to be a part of it. I’d just come back from Scooby 2. So much of what I did was always based on Buffy’s schedule. This was the first time I could do something entirely because I wanted to do it. And being in Japan for three months was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. ELLEgirl: Had you ever been to Tokyo? SMG: Never. Everything was so different. The people could not have been nicer or more gracious; it’s a culture based on respect and honor and history, and to be a part of that is so amazing. You go into these little shops and you don’t speak a word of Japanese, and they don’t speak English and somehow you end up staying for two hours and having dinner at their family’s house. Now sushi is the mainstay of my diet. ELLEgirl: Did you have a ton of lost-in-translation moments? SMG: There were so many weird cultural things. Even something as simple as going to the bathroom. Their toilets are so complicated that that becomes a chore. ELLEgirl: And you have to take off your shoes everywhere, right? SMG: Yeah. I’d put on my Juicy sweats and my Ugg boots and sometimes I’d forget to wear socks! We’d go out to dinner and I’d be barefoot. ELLEgirl: Did you shop much? SMG: I didn’t, because there was too much to see. But the fasion there is amazing. I bought great leg warmers, but somehow in L.A. it looks like I’m channeling Jennifer Beals from Flashdance. It doesn’t look as cool. ELLEgirl: Japanese girls have great style. SMG: I know. And I was lucky, actually, because I was living where all the cool teenagers were. It was great to wander around back alleys and explore the culture. Too much smoking, though. I can’t stand cigarette smoke. ELLEgirl: Did Freddie get to visit you in Tokyo? SMG: Unfortunately, he didn’t get the chance. But all he wanted for his birthday was a Japanese sword. He was like, “Don’t you get on the plane without a sword!” I got him one. ELLEgirl: Do you carry any grudges? SMG: I try not to. It really weighs down your life. ELLEgirl: How good is your intuition? SMG: You know, it’s not that great. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt—to a fault. ELLEgirl: You’re an optimist? SMG: I’m an optimist when it comes to other people. Otherwise, I’m a typical actor: I’m never going to work again. You know? [Laughs] ELLEgirl: Are you ever intimidated? SMG: We did a shoot on the street today, and I was in tears. Like, crowds of people looking at you? ELLEgirl: Buffy was a pretty strenuous role. What’s it like to not live in pain? SMG: Let me tell you, my back is like a new person’s. I haven’t had a broken bone in forever. ELLEgirl: How many bones did you break? SMG: A few. More were cracked, which is worse because at least if you break them you get sympathy and a cast. ELLEgirl: Could you ever beat someone up? SMG: [Horrified] I would never—I don’t even need to think about the idea. Physical violence, I’m not that big on. No! I could never hit anyone. ELLEgirl: Do you have stalkery Buffy fans? SMG: Yeah, but most of the time, people just want to thank you. That’s why we made that show—it was about the fans. Most shows these days, it’s seven episodes. And now we have reality TV. It’s making us look incredibly bad—having been abroad for just three months, reality TV is a horrible view of our country. There are no morals left in any of this stuff! ELLEgirl: Does that include The Simple Life? SMG: I thin Nicole Richie is the funniest person on television. ELLEgirl: Will there be a Buffy movie? SMG: It was a movie, and it was not a very well-received one. My concern with a film is, how can we do it justice? We went out on top, and I like staying there. That doesn’t mean that I won’t change my mind. I am a woman! It’s my prerogative to change my mind as often as I like. SMG’S FAVORITE THINGS Color: Pink Designer: Juicy Smell: Jasmine and gardenia, and coffee in the morning Animal: Dog Holiday: Thanksgiving Gem: Diamond Band: Black Eyed Peas TV Show: Fleet Street (“I love James Spader!”), 24 and Law and Order: SVU SMG’S LEAST FAVORITE THINGS Crowds Airports Déjà vu “Anything I don’t have a quick answer for” Germs SMG’S GUID TO L.A. AND NEW YORK Coffee L.A.: Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf NYC: Balthazar High-end shopping L.A.: Bleu NYC: Stella McCartney, and Jeffrey for shoes Bargain shopping L.A.: Rampage NYC: H&M Junk food NYC: Goldberg’s Peanut Chews (Sarah stocks up at Duane Reade.) L.A.: “You have to make it yourself: S’mores!” |
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