{"id":2233481,"date":"2026-01-13T20:43:46","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T20:43:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2233481"},"modified":"2026-01-13T20:43:46","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T20:43:46","slug":"sarah-michelle-gellar-reveals-emotional-reason-why-she-left-hollywood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/sarah-michelle-gellar-reveals-emotional-reason-why-she-left-hollywood\/","title":{"rendered":"Sarah Michelle Gellar reveals emotional reason why she left Hollywood"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F01%2F118842832.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Sarah Michelle Gellar had pure intentions for stepping away from Hollywood.<\/p>\n<p>The actress, 48, reflected on why she \u201ctook a lot of years off\u201d from acting after finding massive success on \u201cBuffy the Vampire Slayer\u201d for seven seasons. <\/p>\n<p>In 2013, Gellar starred in the CBS sitcom \u201cCrazy Ones\u201d opposite Robin Williams. The pair played father-daughter duo Sydney and Simon Roberts, respectively, for one season.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Sarah Michelle Gellar on \u201cShut Up Evan\u201d podcast.  <span class=\"credit\">YouTube\/@ShutUpEvan<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A year later, in 2014, the \u201cMrs. Doubtfire\u201d actor <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2020\/08\/24\/robins-wish-looks-at-comedian-robin-williams-tragic-final-days\/\">died by suicide at age 63<\/a>.<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/08\/12\/entertainment\/robin-williams-son-zak-pays-tribute-to-dad-on-10th-anniversary-of-his-death\/#\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI started\u00a0\u2018Crazy Ones\u2019\u00a0when my\u00a0son\u00a0was three months old,\u201d Gellar explained while on the\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8CTfvM9aHZU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cShut Up Evan\u201d<\/a>\u00a0podcast earlier this month. \u201cI mean, I was breastfeeding the entire time and then Robin passed away and everything just sort of hit me. It was like the postpartum hit me. And that loss was so huge and I felt a little directionless for the first time in my\u00a0life.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>She added, \u201cAnd I thought maybe that\u2019s my sign that like I\u2019m not living in the moment enough because they can go away so quickly. And at that point, I just said I needed to take a break.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar attend the 2013 CBS Upfront. <span class=\"credit\">FilmMagic<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Looking back, Gellar knows she made the right decision. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m so glad I did on so many levels. I\u2019ll never get that time back with my kids,\u201d the \u201cRinger\u201d actress detailed. \u201cI didn\u2019t miss a show, a performance, a first step, a lost tooth. Like, there was every moment I was able to be there for, and that\u2019s not something you can do as a working actor. Our days are long. We travel a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, Gellar is ready to slay the industry once again.  <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Sarah Michelle Gellar in Season 4 of \u201cBuffy the Vampire Slayer.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">\u00a920thCentFox\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI think I feel like I\u2019m first getting my sea legs back now and like ready to work now that my kids are older,\u201d explained the Emmy winner, who shares daughter, Charlotte, 16, and son Rocky, 13, with husband\u00a0Freddie Prinze Jr.<\/p>\n<p>Gellar recently had a cameo in the 2025 sequel \u201cI Know What You Did Last Summer,\u201d a role in \u201cDexter: Original Sin\u201d and led the show \u201cWolf Pack\u201d in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Now, Gellar is set to star in the upcoming horror comedy,\u00a0\u201cReady or Not 2: Here I Come.\u201d   <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillippe, Sarah Michelle Gellar in \u201cCruel Intentions.\u201d  <span class=\"credit\">Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>More notably, the New York native will reprise her iconic role as Buffy Summers in the upcoming Hulu series,\u00a0\u201cBuffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI also didn\u2019t want to be that person that all of a sudden then my kids left and then I was directionless again. Because when you do step away from acting, you never know if there\u2019s going to be a career to go back to,\u201d Gellar said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter who you are. Sometimes audiences move on and that\u2019s okay. Like that\u2019s acceptable. I\u2019m very, very grateful that I have found that\u2019s not been the case [for me] and there\u2019s still a place for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cDo Revenge\u201d star also revealed she doesn\u2019t feel like she has anything to prove anymore. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Sarah Michelle Gellar, Linda Cardellini, Matthew Lillard, Freddie Prinze Jr.. in \u201cScooby-Doo.\u201d  <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9Warner Bros\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI also pick my projects differently now,\u201d Gellar shared. \u201cI used to have this, like, I need to know what my next job is. I have to work\u2014work to find how I thought of myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She noted, \u201cBut now work is just a part of how I think of myself. And so now I pick jobs because I really want to work with that person. Or I think this would be so much fun. I don\u2019t have this desire to prove stuff that I used to have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In August, pictures circulated of Gellar on set <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/08\/09\/entertainment\/sarah-michelle-gellar-returns-as-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-on-reboot-set\/\">filming the long-awaited \u201cBuffy\u201d revival<\/a>. The \u201cCruel Intentions\u201d star was dressed in a ruby red mini-dress with pink stilettos and a Yves\u00a0Saint Laurent Sac de Jour handbag.<\/p>\n<p>The original series ran on the WB for seven seasons from 1997 to 2003.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. on July 14, 2025. <span class=\"credit\">FilmMagic<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Sarah Michelle Gellar on set of \u201cBuffy the Vampire Slayer\u201d reboot. <span class=\"credit\">Dsanchez\/CPR \/ BACKGRID<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Gellar first confirmed the news and her return via\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DFvUywyvMy2\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=65f63382-c0a0-4e28-a708-a50224cf884b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram <\/a>last February.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo\u2026 you might have heard some news this week, but I realize you haven\u2019t heard from me,\u201d she wrote. \u201cThree years ago, I got a call from my dear friend and mentor, Gail Berman. She told me that she wanted me to sit down with\u00a0Chlo\u00e9 Zhao\u00a0to hear her take on a potential \u2018Buffy\u2019 revival.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI promise you, we will only make this show if we know we can do it right,\u201d Gellar added. \u201cAnd I will tell you that we are on the path there.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source celebrity.land \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sarah Michelle Gellar had pure intentions for stepping away from Hollywood. The actress, 48, reflected on why she \u201ctook a lot of years off\u201d from acting after finding massive success on \u201cBuffy the Vampire Slayer\u201d for seven seasons. In 2013, Gellar starred in the CBS sitcom \u201cCrazy Ones\u201d opposite Robin Williams. The pair played father-daughter [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2233482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25174],"tags":[25538,309703,21751,21741,53992,21913],"class_list":["post-2233481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gossip","tag-actors","tag-buffy-the-vampire-slayer","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-sarah-michelle-gellar","tag-tv"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Sarah-Michelle-Gellar-reveals-emotional-reason-why-she-left-Hollywood.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2233481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2233481"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2233481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2233483,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2233481\/revisions\/2233483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2233482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2233481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2233481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2233481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}