NYCC 2015: Sarah Michelle Gellar on Star Wars Rebels, Thanks Fans for Being So Welcoming

Michael Moccio ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Editor-in-Chief

You know her, we all love her: Sarah Michelle Gellar is an unrivaled force to admire. Slaying audiences into an excited stupor, Gellar always brought it home with stellar performances in iconic roles like Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Daphne in Scooby Doo. Now, she’s going to grace the Star Wars universe with her presence as the Seventh Sister, a new Inquisitor pursuing the Ghost crew in Star Wars Rebels.

Playing the heroine has been natural for Gellar, but she didn’t realize “how much [she] would enjoy playing a villain,” she said in the NYCC 2015 Star Wars Rebels Press Room. “[The Seventh Sister] is such an intelligent and thinking villain. Everyone wants to be the villain, come on! Plus, you get way better outfits.” The jury is still out on whether or not the Seventh Sister’s outfit is actually better, but we’re willing to give Darth Vader the “Most Imposing Villain” Award for his suit.

This is one of Gellar’s few voiceover roles; she had nothing but good things to say about the experience. “Being in the booth is the best thing ever,” she said with enthusiasm. “It doesn’t require any hair and make-up; it’s extremely creative and very free. They dim the lights and you get really into it.” As some people know, sometimes voice actors be more physical in the booth to help them act out scenes and Gellar was no exception. “I’m one of the people that has to use my entire body. I use my ‘imaginary’ lightsaber, because I have to get into the physicality of it! You know people won’t see you, anyway. You always have to be in character in the booth.”

That’s not the only difference for Star Wars Rebels. The cast records in the booth together, and that’s something Gellar noted as extremely effective. “They act together and record it like a live show. It makes a major difference in the performance because they’re playing off each other. I really enjoyed being in the booth with them.”

Some of her most iconic roles were Buffy and Daphne, so why now for Star Wars Rebels? “I made them write [the part] for me,” she joked, eliciting a laugh from the entire room. She moved on to talk about a how her husband, Freddy Prinze Jr., got his part on the show. “When Freddy found out [he auditioned for Star Wars and got the part], it was like watching a little boy at Christmas. He couldn’t believe it. He was over the moon and very excited to be a part of it,” because he didn’t know he was auditioning for Star Wars Rebels.

As for Gellar herself, when asked if she was excited to be a part of the project immediately exclaimed, “I’m in Star Wars! I don’t know if it necessarily hit me when I started, but for the rest of my life I’m part of this family. I’m part of the legend, the lore, and the story. As Ashley [Eckstein, voice of Ahsoka Tano] has proved, you never know where characters are going to pop up.”

“I was so afraid there would be backlash,” Gellar admitted. “But you’ve all been so welcoming and it’s a dream come true. Hopefully, next Halloween there’ll even be a costume!”

Show More

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button