As a kick-boxing, demon-destroying superhero on the WB show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sarah is an awesome role model. And if it weren't for her perseverance - she went through over ten auditions to get the role of Buffy - we might not be glued to our sets every Tuesday night. But what's even more impressive is how human she is in real life. Last year, Sarah got involved in Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that builds houses for low-income people all over the world. She traveled to underdeveloped areas of the Dominican Republic and literally did construction: She shoveled, hammered, and carried heavy buckets of wet cement. Some celebs think that just signing a check for charity is enough, but Sarah's a take-action star-and we think that kicks butt.
"I have two tattoos. One is the Chinese symbol for sincerity, and basically it reminds me to mean what I say and say what I mean. The other tattoo is a knife dangling over a heart, which reminds me that life is a precarious balance. So always be true to yourself: You're the one who has to live with yourself; you have to walk the path that you believe is right for you.
"When I wanted to leave All My Children and go to L.A., everyone told me I was crazy. All of my agents said, 'When people leave soaps, they can't get jobs. You're popular and you've won an Emmy. Stay! Stay! Stay' But I knew that I needed to spread my wings a little bit; I needed to grow. I knew it was right for me, so I left. And I struggled. I went on five or six auditions a week for six months and couldn't get a callback. People didn't want to see me. I couldn't get arrested here. Finally the Buffy audition came along. "They originally cast me as Cordelia, but I'd been playing the stereotypical bitch for so long I said I wasn't going to do it - I wanted Buffy. It's always easy to take the route that you know. But it's also boring! You'll never know what you're capable of if you don't try. So don't be afraid of failure. I risked losing the part of Cordelia, but I said, 'Give me a chance. Let me audition again!' I did about eleven auditions for the part of Buffy. I wanted to prove I could do what they wanted. And they finally gave me the part.
"Wanting is a big part of achieving. There's a lyric I love from Chess - my favorite musical - that goes, 'You taught me, baby, how the few who win acquire what their hearts desire. It ain't practice, it ain't skill. They'll help, but not as much as wanting will.' Those are words to live by! I think it takes guts to stand up for what you believe in.'