“The timing was right for me”

Sarah Michelle Gellar is returning to TV — but this time she’s teaming up with a werewolf.

‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ star makes headlines Paramount+ The “Wolves” series, directed by Jeff Davis (“Teen Wolf”), premieres Jan. 26.

gellaThe 45-year-old told the Post that she was initially reluctant to do another supernatural show.

“I just think [that] When you live in a world that stands the test of time, People are still watching, It’s hard to make comparisons that might be considered similar and inevitable,” she said, referring to her starring role on “Buffy,” which ran for seven seasons and 144 episodes (1997-2003).

“It doesn’t make sense because you don’t want to repeat yourself,” she said. “But, at the same time, if people love you in romantic comedies, you don’t all avoid them. You just find people who talk to you and say something. That’s the right timing for me, too.”

“Wolves” is based on series of books Directed by Edo Van Belkom, follows teenagers Everett (Armani Jackson), Blake (Bella Shepard), Luna (Chloe Rose Robertson) and Harlan (Taylor Lawrence Gray) – Injury and other mysterious events and get together. Rodrigo Santoro (Westworld, Lost) co-stars park ranger Garrett Briggs, Luna and Harlan’s adoptive father. Gellar, who also serves as an executive producer, plays arson investigator Kristin Ramsey.

“In the first few episodes, she’s here to figure out who set the fire… later on, her motivations will become clearer and more layered. I think it’s also important to note that one of our main characters is gay, and the fact that That’s it,” Gellar said, referring to Harlan.

“In these shows, it’s often a supporting character. Or, if it’s a main character, there’s a big discussion about how his sexuality affects the family. I remember what happened in “Buffy” when Willow fell in love with Tara Disputes. People are like, ‘I don’t know if we want to do this. We have to explain! But now, there’s this normalization [Harlan’s] The sexuality in this show is like nothing I’ve experienced before. I just want to see how it evolves. ”

Gellar’s lengthy resume includes her Daytime Emmy-winning role in “All My Children,” and films like “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Cruel Intentions.” After the 2013 CBS comedy “Mad Men,” which co-starred with the late Robin Williams, she took a step back from Hollywood in order to focus on raising their two children with husband Freddie Prince Jr., 46 . But now that her children are 10 and 13, Gellar is ready for her comeback.

“In the back of my mind, I’ve always planned [return],’” she said. “I knew I would know when it was right, and it started to feel that way before COVID. And then the pandemic hit, and it was like, ‘Oh, that thought!but in [that time], I realized how much storytelling helps us through this time, whether it’s a new show you watch or an old show you discover. I want to be part of this culture again. My kids are grown up now. I joke that they leave me more than I leave them. ”

“I’m slowing down; my days of doing three projects at once are over,” says Gellar, who is currently focusing on “Wolves.” She is a fan of the HBO anthology series “White Lotus” and loves appearing on it : “Me and everyone else in the universe, I’m sure!”