Leaning against the hood of a parked 1963 Camaro in front of a bedraggled motel on Sunset Boulevard, Sarah Michelle Gellar shakes the can of beer she’s been holding, releasing an explosive spray of suds that form foamy puddles on the sidewalk beneath her high-rise heels. She giggles, obviously enjoying her brief moment of rebellion, even if it is for the sake of the accompanying photos. All legs in a short skirt, she mock-defiantly purses her glossy lips, channeling Alabama Whitman, the feisty call girl brought to life by Patricia Arquette in the 1993 crime caper, True Romance. Off camera, the 34-year-old actor no longer indulges in such childish defiance; her alcohol consumption rarely exceeds a recreational glass of wine.
A few hours later, Gellar, who currently stars as a drug addicted ex-stripper hiding from the mob (by impersonating her twin sister) on the CW’s hit series Ringer, has changed back into her everyday clothes: jeans and an AlexanderMcQueen silk scarf. “What did you do to yourself?” she asks, the register of her voice rising to a maternal squeal as she gestures toward a nasty red wound on my forearm. Before going into the embarrassing details—which, among other things, involve at least one vodka drink too many—I cover the burn with my good arm, as if to shield the sore from her inevitable judgment.
After all, Gellar, who bagged a Daytime Emmy for her starring role on All My Children before she could legally enter a dance club, has always had her shit together. She’s never been photographed, legs akimbo, getting out of a limo, and she’s never stumbled out of the Chateau Marmont and into the driver’s seat. There are even websites that host heated debates over whether or not she’s ever taken a drag from a cigarette. “Do you believe everything you read?” she asks at the mention of her assumed purity, her maternal tone giving way to incredulity.“I’ve definitely smoked cigarettes, and I’ve partied plenty.I just got it out of my system early. I was lucky enough to have had my experiences when I was younger—and out of the public eye.”
Read the full interview here.