“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” star Sarah Michelle Gellar has revealed that she had a hand in casting one of the show’s most memorable roles, in an interview with PEOPLE.
GettyMichelle Trachtenberg joined the cast as Buffy’s sister Dawn in 2000, in no small part thanks to Gellar’s influence.
When Buffy Met Dawn: How Trachtenberg Got Cast On The Show
Gellar first met Trachtenberg when the pair co-starred on soap opera “All My Children.” The next time they met, Trachtenberg was in high school.
“My husband [Freddie Prinze, Jr.]was doing was preparing to do a movie where he was playing a baseball player. And they were practicing at a local high school that has a very good,” she said.
“This little girl came up to me. She was like, ‘Oh my god, I don’t know if you’re going to remember me.’ And of course, I did. It was Michelle. And she had heard that I was there watching Freddie. And so she had cut class to come visit me.”
Gellar then had the idea to put forward Trachtenberg’s name for the role of Dawn.
“I think it was the next season that they were bringing on this younger sister. And I was like, ‘I have an idea,'” Gellar said.
“She was a huge ‘Buffy’ fan. So I brought her to the set, introduced her to everyone so that she would be in their heads,” she revealed.
“By the time they started casting, they just kept going back to Michelle because I had sort of… planted that seed. So that’s how little Dawn was born.”
Gellar’s Heartbreaking Tribute to Trachtenberg
GettySadly, Trachtenberg passed in 2025, aged 39. Reports ruled her death as a complication of diabetes mellitus, Deadline reported.
On the year anniversary of her passing, Gellar posted a heartbreaking tribute.
“I’m not sure how it’s been a year. I’m one of the lucky ones who has over 30 years of memories with you,” she posted on Instagram.
In the caption Gellar also recalled that Trachtenberg was “great with my kids” and had attended “countless birthdays, even though I’m sure you had somewhere cooler to be.”
“You may not have been with us long enough, but we will make sure everyone remembers,” she concluded.
“Buffy” Reboot Won’t Be Going Ahead, Says Gellar
Despite fans eagerly awaiting the return of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” Gellar recently revealed that the reboot won’t be going ahead.
“Unfortunately, Hulu has decided not to move forward with ‘Buffy: New Sunnydale,'” she said in an Instagram video.
“I never thought I would find myself back in Buffy’s stylish yet affordable boots, and thanks to Chloé [Zhao, director], I was reminded how much I love her, and how much she means not only to me, but to all of you. And this doesn’t change any of that.”
However she left the door open for future projects, ending the video, “And I promise, if the apocalypse actually comes, you could still beep me.”
