She has remained a leading “Scream Queen” for nearly three decades – from her unforgettable performances in I Know What You Did Last Summer and Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Scream 2 and The Grudge.
Now, actor Sarah Michelle Gellar continues on with the blood and thrills – but this time around, by investigating the bizarre occurrences as Tanya Martin on the new Dexter: Original Sin series, which is now streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime.
Playing the head of forensics at Miami Metro, Dexter: Original Sin is an origin story to how Dexter Morgan became both a crime solver and the strategic serial killer, known previously from the Dexter television projects that came before, starring Michael C. Hall, who returns as the narrator on this prequel episodic storytelling.
I sat down with Gellar, 47, to discuss her new series, her journey so far with taking on beloved on-screen characters and her thoughts on the entertainment industry today.
Jeff Conway: I’m curious – the term “Dexter” has become synonymous with blood over the years. So, in real life, are you squeamish towards blood yourself? I mean, on this new show, Sarah, you play what they call in the first episode, “The Boss Lady of Forensics.”
Sarah Michelle Gellar: I’m a mother, I mean – but wait, you know what’s so funny when you said that? I just had a realization that I forgot until this very moment. Okay, when I graduated high school – I don’t know why this like literally jumped into my head – do you know what I named my first car? My first car was named Dexter! I literally forgot about that until just literally this moment.
Conway: Full circle moment! I’m happy I brought that memory back to you, Sarah.
So, being such a legacy television person before Dexter, with projects like Buffy, have you noticed that your mindset towards stories and characters has evolved over the years, of what really interests you?
Gellar: Yes, to a degree – it’s actually a little bit of both. It’s evolved, but it’s also proven a point of what kind of characters I like. I enjoy women that have a point-of-view, that are strong, that are there to break barriers, break ceilings. And so, I think that “through line” has definitely continued.
Conway: What are you enjoying most about television today? What is it about the industry today that you are enjoying, maybe more, in a different way?
Gellar: I mean, I think that we’ve had a really rough couple of years, between COVID and the strike and all of that, and it just puts into perspective how lucky we are to be on a show. We had the privilege of shooting this in Los Angeles, where a lot of crew lived and they didn’t have to leave their families. At night, when we wrapped – they could go home to them. I think you don’t take that for granted now, that you might have quite a few years ago.