Sarah Michelle Gellar Names the Actor She Wants in the 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Universe

Published Mar 21, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT

Perri Nemiroff is the 2025 Press Award winner at the ICG Publicists Awards.

She's the senior producer at Collider where she hosts and produces the interview series, Collider Ladies Night, a show geared towards highlighting the need-to-know female voices in film and television.

On top of that, Perri frequently moderates post-screening Q&As and panels at film festivals and conventions including San Diego Comic-Con and New York Comic Con, and can be seen on the big screen in the Noovie pre-show segment, Close-up with Perri Nemiroff. She’s also a Top Critic on Rotten Tomatoes, a proud member of the Critics Choice Association and is a Gold Derby Expert.

Perri splits her time between Los Angeles and New York. Wherever the film and television coverage takes her, she goes!

How Sarah Michelle Gellar & Kathryn Newton Found Their Voice in Film & TV

"It was way later than it should have been."

Looking back on her early days in the industry, Gellar admitted that finding the power of her own voice on set “took me years. That took me a really long time.” She continued:

"I would say that it was way later than it should have been, and that I took a lot of experiences and things that, even though I knew in my heart they were wrong, I didn't have the voice to stand up. It's important to always advocate for yourself because no one else can advocate for you the way you can. And if you know in your heart something's wrong, you have to. It doesn't have to be the way the business used to be.”

In addition to discovering the importance of advocating for herself, over the years, Gellar has also come to prioritize her ability to support others. Others like Newton. When asked for people in the industry who lift her up, Newton immediately turned to Gellar and said, "She says things about me, and I'm like, ‘I can't believe that.’”

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We actually got a perfect example of that happening during our Collider Ladies Night interview. When I asked Newton how she manages to continue to build a filmography with so much variety in an industry that has a habit of boxing artists, Gellar was eager to emphasize, “She’s not afraid to take chances.” She added:

“I don’t mean to answer for you, but I do think that so often people get these offers and they're in your wheelhouse and you know it'll work, and so you take it, or your representatives suggest you take it. But Kathryn is so unafraid. She's unafraid of being silly. People use failure like it's a bad word in this business, and I believe failure is just your first attempt in learning.”

Newton embraced Gellar’s designation of being a performer who’s “unafraid” and continued:

“There's also something to not saying no. A lot of people are like, ‘No is your power,’ and you do have to learn to say no, but I go more like, ‘What can I make better? If I can make this movie better, I should probably do it.’ And that's given me a lot more opportunity to learn. So, I kind of say yes to everything. I’ve got to say no more often. They didn't tell me what my role was in Ready or Not. They’re like, ‘We have a role for you.’ I'm like, ‘Yes, whatever it is.’ I thought it was gonna be nothing. I think there is no secret. It's don't have expectations and just have fun. I like to have fun. Making movies is fun!”

Sarah Michelle Gellar Dream Casts Kathryn Newton in the Role of Her Choice

"Do you know how surreal that is, though?"

In addition to celebrating Newton’s fearlessness as an artist, Gellar is also determined to be there for her in any way she can. She explained:

“There weren't that many actors who were older than me who were there to protect and show the way, and all those things. And I have always said that if I’ve been lucky enough to hit the level of success, that I want to make sure that I can protect younger actors and their experiences and make sure they understand to have the voice. And so I think that I was always there for you and continue to be if you have questions. My phone is always open, I guess. I want to be able to do that for younger actors and give them the support, the props, and the tools so that they have a better experience.”

Not only does Newton greatly appreciate Gellar’s support, but it left her wanting to pay it forward.

“Do you know how surreal that is, though? Because I'm a fan of you, and so when someone you're a fan of sees something in you that they think is worth saying, ‘Hey, I think you could do something with this, maybe try,’ or, ‘You should try this,’ or even a restaurant I should go to, like really simple, it’s something you don't take for granted and you just hope that you can do it for someone else one day. You just want to be like that, too.”

Image via The WB

Yet another surreal thing Gellar told Newton during our interview? When they rolled our “fan casting” category while playing Dicey Questions and had to cast each other in the franchise of their choice, Gellar didn’t skip a beat. “Oh, I want Kathryn on Buffy. That’s so easy.” Probably no surprise, Newton was really into the idea. “I want to do that with you. I want to be in there with you fighting vampires and stuff.”

While things didn’t pan out for the hotly anticipated Buffy reboot on Hulu, the original show’s legacy is far too powerful to suspect that’s the end. And who knows? Maybe one day a revival will come to fruition and perhaps even star Gellar and Newton.

Looking for more from Gellar and Newton on their journeys as actors, and their experience making Ready or Not 2: Here I Come? Be sure to watch their full Collider Ladies Night interview in the video at the top of this article!

Release Date March 20, 2026

Runtime 108 Minutes

Director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Writers Guy Busick, R. Christopher Murphy

Producers James Vanderbilt, William Sherak, Bradley J. Fischer, Tripp Vinson