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"When kids experience a lot of wealth
early on and freedom from absentee parents like my character in Cruel
Intentions, it can breed terror. They don't understand how to
value anything and I think it's very sad. I know from my own,
personal life that I value things far more because they're down to my own
hard work." "I've
always been mature for my age. I do have a lot of insecurities, but
I'm not going to put them on display." Sarah's
been dating actor Freddie Prinze Jr snce January, although the pair have
managed to keep their relationship pretty much under wraps.
"I'm surprised we managed to keep it quiet for as long as we
did," she reveals. "I
always take time to sign autographs and talk to fans who come up to me in
the street," says Gellar. "What I can't do now is go to
bars and hang out with my friends as there will always be people there who
know who I am and who want to talk."
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To
some, it may seem as though Sarah Michelle Gellar, 23, has it all: she's
talented, successful, and in a steady relationship with 24-year-old actor
Freddie Prinze Jr. However, as the actress - who's just wrapped
shooting Harvard Man, playing a cheerleader who enlists the help of
the mafia to rig her boyfriend's basketball match - reveals, fame and
celebrity do have their drawbacks...
star: Having acted
since you were three, do you ever regret having grown up under public
glare?
No, for so many
reasons. You have to understand that my notoriety only came about
four years ago, it didn't come until I was ready to handle it. When
I was growing up in New York, I worked on, you know, maybe one project a
year - whether it was a Broadway show or a soap opera - so I was really
able to grow up completely and had a pretty normal childhood, away from
the spotlight. When I was about 12 or 13, I wanted to move to LA,
but my family and my agent decided it would be best for me to grow up in
New York and have a full teenage life. And I am so grateful for that
decision.
star: Absolutely no
regrets?
None. Really.
I've seen what can happen to people who sort of grow up in the spotlight
and it can be so difficult. Also, I didn't grow up in a wealthy
household, by any means, and it was my career that afforded me the
education that I had. If I hadn't worked, I wouldn't have been able
to go to the private school I went to in Manhattan. I'll forever be
grateful for that.
star: You travelled a
lot when you were younger, too?
I lived in France for
three months and went to Canada for a while - all things my family would
never have been able to afford if I hadn't been working. I got to
meet so many interesting people. I basically learned how to work
hard and I truly believed that if I ever gave up acting, no matter what
job I did, I would have a good work ethic because I learned how to hammer
myself like that.
star: Does fame still
scare you?
It used to. Fame is
a double-edged sword because it's a word that encompasses
everything. A couple of years ago, I was terrified of
everything. Every time I went to an airport I would shake, I
couldn't walk out in front of the press without literally shaking and
having tears roll down my face because it was all too much. You live
your life a certain way for 20 years and then, all of a sudden, all the
world's changed and you're supposed to act differently overnight and you
can't. Now, a couple of years down the line, I've learned how to
enjoy what comes with fame.
star: How do your
friends deal with your fame?
My friends have been
amazing through all this. I've had the same friends forever and I'm
very grateful for them because it puts a lot of pressure on them as
well. I'm lucky. I always say this is something I chose to do,
but my friends and family aren't choosing to do it. I hate that what
I do can become and invasion into their lives. I get problems at
home: people showing up on my doorstep, going through my garbage...
star: What about
romance - is it hard to find love in this business?
It's very hard to be
serious. A few couples find it. Ryan Phillippe and Reese
Witherspoon are very, very lucky in that they found each other so early in
their careers and are entirely committed to one another. I saw that
at close range when I worked with them on Cruel Intentions.
It's very, very difficult for me whenever I get into a relationship
because of the insane hours I work on Buffy. I can go for
three weeks and not speak to anybody, which can be really difficult.
It's getting better, now that I'm in a relationship and a little older.
star: What kind of
roles would you like or not like to play?
I think I'll pass on
playing a 'hooker with a heart of gold'! I want to play a white
trash American - I don't know, I just have this desire to make fun of
that, like a character from the Jerry Springer Show. I'd also
like to play a nerd. I think there's a lot of nerd in me that I'd
like to bring out. Also the whole big budget movie thing? I'm
not sure that's for me. I mean, I look at the big action movies and
I think it would be very hard to react to a green screen (onto which all
the special effects are added afterwards) all the time. I think that
takes a special talent.
star: Was it fun
playing such a bitch in Cruel Intentions?
People kept asking me,
'was it fun playing a villain?' but for me, it wasn't really a
release. I went home at night feeling really bad. It was
interesting for me to play a character with that much overt sexuality,
because again, I think it's something women have in them, but not
something I use.
star: TV producer
Aaron Spelling (90210, Melrose Place, Sunset Beach) said he was
mortified at the sexual explicitness of the movie...
Has he seen his own TV
shows? In 90210 they were all sleeping with each other,
getting pregnant, doing drugs I mean, who is he to make a comment
like that? Obviously, from what I've just said, you realise that I
will never be working for Spelling as long as I live.
star: Buffy and
the Spice Girls both took off at the same time in the USA - do you believe
that girl power still exists?
Absolutely. I think
Spice Girls were so popular because 'Girl Power' was a really good
phrase. It's a wonderful statement that says women can handle things
and be perfectly capable. That's the reason I think Spice Girls or Buffy,
or Ally McBeal are doing so well. Women can really look up to
these people.
star: Do you like
being called a 'feminist icon'?
I hate the word
'feminist' - it brings up such horrible connotations and makes me think of
women who don't shave their legs - but being called that is an honour.
When I was growing up I wish there had been a character like Buffy for me
to look up to. She's not the prettiest girl in school, she's not the
most popular and she's not the smartest, but she okay with who she
is. The horrible thing about high school is that it's about
conformity: you do what the most popular person does. It never
stresses individuality, which is unfortunate because it's the time when
you really should be developing who you are as an individual.
star: Like Buffy,
you're also into martial arts...
I studied Tae Kwon Do for
four years before getting the show and now I sort of do a combination of
everything. I spend a lot of time at the gym.
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