Sarah Michelle Gellar is an actor who has been performing since a young age, beginning with commercials and TV movies. Her breakthrough role came in the soap opera All My Children. From there, she took on the lead role of Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which ran for seven seasons and brought her critical acclaim. Since then, she has worked mostly in TV, with several memorable movie appearances as well. Ahead of her upcoming role in Wolf Pack, let’s rank her best performances.
7 The Grudge (2004)
An American adaptation of the Japanese horror movie, The Grudge features Gellar as Karen, a young woman who serves as a care worker to the Williams family, who have moved into a house in Japan. While there, she finds herself haunted by the curse of a woman murdered in the house. Gellar captures all the fear, shock, and paranoia of the role, elevating the suspense and horror. She makes Karen a great character to follow even through the somewhat confusing plot, and really elevates the movie.
6 I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Considered one of the best teen slasher movies by ScreenRant, I Know What You Did Last Summer features Gellar as Helen Shivers, a member of a group who accidentally kills someone one summer. The following year, they are taunted by someone who claims to know what they did, and start getting killed by a man with a hook. Gellar brings humor to the more fun sides of the movie, but she’s also fully convincing in the scary moments. She makes all the fear and dread seem real, particularly in the moment where she watches her friend get murdered, and her own death scene.
5 The Crazy Ones (2013-2014)
The series The Crazy Ones stars Gellar as Sydney, director of an ad agency who works with her father, played by Robin Williams. Sydney is often uptight and more serious, being the mature one in the relationship with her father. However, she also has a softer side, and Gellar shows her fun and comedic nature in those sillier moments throughout the show. She also has great chemistry with Williams. The two make a great team that captures all the nuances of the father-daughter relationship with heart and humor.
4 Ringer (2011-2012)
The short-lived series Ringer stars Gellar as two twin sisters, Bridget and Siobhan. Bridget is a recovering addict fleeing from her past. She goes to see her high-class sister, and ends up posing as her after her apparent death. Gellar excels in the dual role, and makes each twin still feel distinct, going from polished and perfect to desperate and tense in the same episode. In addition to the depth, the committed performance also has a distinct adult edge that is different from her other roles. Though the series didn’t last long, her performance was a definite highlight.
3 Scooby-Doo (2002-2004)
The live-action Scooby-Doo movies about the mystery-solving team remain beloved 20 years later, and Gellar’s performance as Daphne is a big factor in their success. She not only looks the part perfectly, but she takes the established character and adds just enough to bring her to life with humor and depth, while still maintaining the spirit of the original. She keeps the character’s fashion sense and romantic nature, yet also gives her fighting skills – two contrasts that work perfectly, and make her one of Gamerant’s best versions of the character. Gellar makes Daphne more than a stereotypical damsel, and shows a fun, strong side to a beloved character.
2 Cruel Intentions (1999)
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Cruel Intentions lets Gellar dig into an evil role as Kathryn Merteuil, who creates schemes to ruin the reputations of her enemies. She makes a deal with her stepbrother to seduce and ruin the girl who stole her boyfriend. Gellar completely sells Kathryn’s manipulative nature throughout, from her original scheme to turning on her brother. What’s especially impressive is how much range the performance shows. At the time, she was best-known for the strong and funny Buffy Summers, but Kathryn is cold, calculating, and evil. It really shows the depth of her talents in making such a compelling villain that’s the opposite of her previous work.
1 Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Gellar’s lead performance in Buffy the Vampire Slayer is truly a marvel. As the vampire-slaying Buffy, she brings the character from teendom into young adulthood, perfectly capturing each up and down along the way. She has comedy in her quick one-liners, strength in her fighting spirit, and real emotion in many moments, like confronting her mother’s death or tearfully confessing that she doesn’t want to die as a teenager. She makes the character more than a stereotype, and brings the entire show to life with her layered performance. She takes the audience on Buffy’s journey with her, and the fact that she never received an Emmy nomination for the show is a criminal oversight.