..... It's one of those damp and gray early winter mornings in New York City, the kind that wipes out any memory of last summer's tanks and Dr. Scholl's sandals. Then Sarah Michelle Gellar walks into the studio for this photo shoot wearing huge Audrey Hepburn shades and radiating enough Pacific Coast perkiness to warm up the room. She's talking rapid fire about how she was supposed to hang out the night before with Jerry, Neve and David (that would be O'Connell, Campbell and Arquette)-you'd think she'd inhaled the entire Starbucks East Coast supply on the way over. But no, she explains with a smile, "I just hate doing interviews, so the faster I finish, the better it is for me."
.....Well, um, ok. Gotta grab another sweater after that icy gust.
.....Still, it's hard not to have a tiny little drop of sympathy for 20-year old Sarah. Consider her week: "I came in at 6 a.m. on Tuesday and worked until one in the morning, went home, fed my dog, packed my bags, went back to work at 7 a.m., worked until 2 a.m., got on an airplane, got here at 3 p.m., got up at six to do Regis & Kathie Lee, did the Got Milk campaign, went on Letterman and did MTV Live." (By the way, all that was said without any oxygen intake.)"Right now I'm probably working toward an early grave," Sarah sighs, seated in the makeup chair with a script on her lap. "I'm tired and I complain sometimes, but this is my career and I love it."
.....What's not to love? The Buffy the Vampire Slayer star has not only made tv fun to watch again, she's also scored in a double shriekfest this year-I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream 2. Since landing a Burger King commercial at age 4, Sarah has been gearing up for this moment. After a string of roles that included portraying a young Jacqueline Onassis in A Woman Named Jackie (for which she missed the eigth-grade trip to Busch Gardens), Sarah landed on All My Children-where she won an emmy for playing Kendall, the sanity-challenged daughter of diva Erica Kane. "As soon as Sarah walked in the door, I knew she was something special," recalls AMC casting director Judy Wilson. "She has that combination of possessing terrific range, being adorable and having a little spice."
.....Sarah seemingly slays everyone with her talent. "We had first cast Sarah as Cordelia," says Buffy creator Joss Whedon. "She has said that she had to audition nineteen times for Buffy, but that's a total exaggeration. It wasn't more than seventeen." In any event, he was psyched about his casting choice. "The show couldn't happen with anyone else," he says. "When Buffy's flighty, silly or addled, it's more charming because Sarah brings so much intelligence and depth to the character."
.....Indeed, Sarah has turned what could have been a vapid Valley Girl (as Buffy was portrayed in the movie that inspired the TV series) into a five-foot-three-inch powerhouse with killer clothes who kicks, stabs and punches her way through Liberty High. She's funnier than Dharma. Better dressed than Rachel. And could teach Scully a thing or two about alternate universes. "Not everyone can relate to those beautiful, rich, popular girls on TV," Sarah says. "Buffy's not the most popular girl, she's not the smartest, but she's like,'This is who I am, and I like me.'" Oh, and there's that little added perk of successfully smooching with the enemy, the chiseled bloodsucker Angel. (Look out for Buffy and Angel to "take that very special Buffy next step," Sarah says cryptically.)
.....Not that Sarah can find time for in-person inspiration to play love scenes. "Like any job, there are sacrifices," she says. "Yes, everyone misses having a boyfriend, but I'm twenty years old and right now my career comes first."Sounds convincing, but she launches into a vehement venting session when Feburary 14 is mentioned. "Valentine's Day is a masochistic holiday," she fumes. "If you're in a relationship, then this is the one day you're supposed to say I love you and send gifts to ensure that it means more than the other 364 days of the year; and if you're single, you feel miserable." Breath. "There you have it." Breath. "My biggest complaint is in school when it's Send the Roses Day-somebody's always left out. I always got roses, but I would give them to someone who hadn't gotten any."
.....You can tell Sarah's the type to value girl bonds. She's still way tight with her childhood best friends, Brittany and Ashley. And the Buffy set doubles as the Friday night preparty when Sarah's posse swings by. At work Sarah mostly hangs with costar Alyson Hannigan, who plays the nerdy hipster Willow. Lately they've been swapping gifts, and Sarah is pondering what to bring back to California for Alyson. Recent gifts were a Hanson poster and a talking tree. "Alyson gave me this man with his pants down; when he farts, he blows bubbles," she laughs hysterically. "It's horrible. Mine were funny, hers were disgusting."
.....Even the makeup artist, who wields an eyelash-curling torture device, laughs at the flatulence description. He's finished face-painting, which signifies the completion of this not-fast-enough chat. Visibly relieved, as if she's crossed one more thing off her to-do list, Sarah hurries over to pose for the camera. Then she's on her way to an exceedingly hectic 10 hours of appointments.
.....How long Sarah-who has recently miniaturized to a size 2 despite a penchant for California Pizza Kitchen-can endure this grueling pace is uncertain. "She comes in and she's like, 'I'm exhausted today,'" says Whedon. "And I'm like, 'What a shock!' But as soon as the cameras roll, she gives 100 percent, every time." When Buffy wraps in May for the summer, Sarah will film two or three more movies. One likely contender is Cruel Inventions, a romantic drama costarring Ryan Phillipe, her costar from I Know What You Did Last Summer. And then it's back to high school for at least one more season. "We're going to keep doing Buffy as long as we have good stories to tell," she says. "This is a show that needs to go out at it's highest point." Before that happens, there's at least one story line that Sarah's just dying to explore. "I want to do Buffy in a coma," she deadpans. "It'll be a two-parter."