Rosie: Week after week our next guest struggles to pass algebra and save the world from the undead on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. [audience cheers] You may also remember her as Erica Kane's troubled daughter on All My Children, take a look: [short clip of SMG on AMC is played]. Please welcome Sarah Michelle Gellar! [audience cheers loudly]
Sarah: I'm so excited to be here
Rosie: It's nice to meet you.
Sarah: I am so unbelievably excited to be here.
Rosie: Oh, that's so nice of you.
Sarah: I am such a fan.
Rosie: Well that's so sweet, I'm a fan of yours as well. I saw you on Saturday Night Live and you were hysterical.
Sarah: Thank you. I had absolutely the best time.
[cheering]
Rosie: You were so funny. Were you nervous about that?
Sarah: I was more nervous than I have ever been in my entire life, I was crying before I went out on stage.
Rosie: No kidding...
Sarah: I was so... it's amaz-- you know it's live and you have just this amazing energy. You know, I was like: I'm gonna be the one to mess it up. I'm gonna be the the first host to just get out there and go 'uh... uh...''.
Rosie: Not only were you not the first host to do that, but you-- you-- I think it was the funniest one this season.
Sarah: Oh, thank you. [cheering]
Rosie: It really made me laugh, you made me laugh. [cheering] Now you are-- All My Children was that your first real gig-gig, you think?
Sarah: No-- well, that was my first, it was my first job when I started taking it seriously, when it became a career, and it was such an amazing job-- you were on All My Children!
Rosie: I was.
Sarah: Naomi.
Rosie: Thank you. The maid of Courtland Manner.
Sarah: And the flower lady, wasn't it last Valentine's Day?
Rosie: Uh, I was helping out Mertle in the flower shop, but generally I'm the maid of Courtland Manner.
Sarah: Right.
Rosie: Yeah. Uh, huh.
Sarah: I think I got fired from there probably [she and Rosie laugh].
Rosie: You did, well you know, you were not nice to Erica.
Sarah: Well, you know, I was misunderstood. I had a hard life, she-- she had issues.
Rosie: Yeah she did. You won an Emmy Award too, did you not?
Sarah: I did, I did.
Rosie: Congratulations. [The two high-five] That's very nice.
Sarah: Thank you. How very exciting.
Rosie: And now, are you having fun as Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
Sarah: I'm having the most amaz-- [cheering] ha ha, thank you. That's why [pointing to audience] I'm having an amazing time, because you know, you do the show and we think we have this great show, but just the audience loves it and it's getting the most amazing reception.
Rosie: It really has. It's really taken off like out of nowhere. It's a big hit over there on the WB. We have a, um, clip.
Sarah: Yes, it's a clip of, um, me and my [deliberate cough] ex-boyfriend, the vampire, um, but he's being mean to me now so I was trying to kill him. But I couldn't do it so I just hurt him a little.
Rosie: Alrighty, let's take a look. Sarah Michelle, right here.
[Clip from Buffy the Vampire Slayer] [audience cheers loudly on return] [Rosie high-fives SMG because in the clip, her character Buffy kicks the character Angel in his family jewels]
Rosie: Now the sad thing is, that's the guy you like.
Sarah: That's the guy I'm in love with.
Rosie: Yeah, you're in love with that guy--
Sarah: But he's a vampire. You know, it's hard to be a teenager and date a vampire, you work totally different hours.
Rosie: Yeah exactly. Now are you a kickboxer? 'Cause you seem--
Sarah: I studied tae-kwon-do for about four years in New York, and then now I'm learning boxing and kickboxing, and street fighting and...
Rosie: Were you a little kid who did commercials and everything?
Sarah: I did, I started doing commercials when I was four.
Rosie: Four years old?
Sarah: Four years old.
Rosie: You mom was 'stage-mommy' sort of?
Sarah: No, no, it was one of those just fluke incidents. I was sitting in a restaurant, and had just learned to say my name and my address, and you know I didn't know like maps [relating to earlier guest, a five year old geography wiz] and place, I still don't know maps and flags and stuff...
Rosie: Right. That kid kicked my butt too, I had no clue.
Sarah: But luckily I do know that Disneyland is in Anaheim. That much I do know.
Rosie: Yeah, me too.
Sarah: And uh, I was eating dinner in a restaurant and this agent came up to me and said, 'Do you want to be on television?' and I said, 'Yes, my name is Sarah Michelle Gellar and I live at' and I proceeded to give my address and my phone number, and my parent's name and I think any other pertinent information. And the woman called my mother, and my mother thought it was just a joke, a prank, so we wound up going on this meeting, and uh, that's how I started. But I have learned to not give my address and phone number to strangers anymore.
Rosie: That's good. Now how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?
Sarah: I'm gonna be 21 in April.
Rosie: 21. Did you go to college?
Sarah: Sure, bring up the rough spot in my family.
Rosie: No--
Sarah: Thanks.
Rosie: Listen I didn't either, so I understand.
Sarah: Well, I graduated high school really early. I was doing All My Children and going to school at the same time, and I graduated high school in about two and a half years and sort decided to just do one thing at a time.
Rosie: Do you think you will go to college eventually?
Sarah: I would love to be able to, but with my schedule I'm lucky I can get one job done.
Rosie: Yeah.
Sarah: Hopefully I get it done well.
Rosie: I always feel bad that I didn't graduate from college.
Sarah: Well you could get one of those honorary degrees, right?
Rosie: Through the mail you mean?
Sarah: Yeah.
Rosie: It's not the same is it?
Sarah: No, no. 'Cause of all the keggers you'd miss and the toga parties.
Rosie: Ha! Ha!
Sarah: That's why you go to college, right?
Rosie: Ha! Now you know you're 21 Sarah. Now, you enjoy Chin-Chin I understand.
Sarah: Yeah, but I have a new chinese restaurant for you.
Rosie: What is it?
Sarah: It's called California Wok. You know how that place didn't give you your sauce? Well at this place you can make your own sauce. They give you the soy sauce and the ginger, and the vinegar, and the chili sauce and the garlic. Then you make it to your own liking.
Rosie: Where is it?
Sarah: It's in Encino. And it's really good, and it's not too far from Chin-Chin's.
Rosie: On Ventura?
Sarah: It's on Ventura.
Rosie: In Encino?
Sarah: It's in Encino, and it's, um, ok, I'm from New York, I have to get this straight here... it's west of Balboa.
Rosie: West of Balboa.
Sarah: It's really good.
Rosie: Have you seen the move Cracka Toa East of Java? When you said, 'West of Balboa' that's what I thought of. And you're way too young to understand what that means. Don't worry if you don't, just watch the Titanic, it's a good film. Now listen, um, you're very enjoyable and the show is on Tuesdays, and it's a great show--
Sarah: Thank you.
Rosie: And continuing success to you young lady.
Sarah: Thank you, you too.
Rosie: You've been doing very well for yourself.
Sarah: I'm workin' at it.
Rosie: And I'll see you again I hope. Sarah Michelle Gellar! We'll be right back with Patty LeBelle right after this.