Heres Why Sarah Michelle Gellar Career Has Declined Since Buffy The Vampire Slayer – TheThings

Fans have often blamed her career downfall on the fact that the blonde beauty was more or less pigeonholed from the moment she made it big.

When Sarah Michelle Gellar starred as Buffy Summers on the hit show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its fair to say that nobody would have thought her career would have faced such a rapid decline following the shows final series in 2003.

During its seven-season run, Gellar also helmed roles in hit movies such as I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions, and 2002s Scooby-Doo. And while she was able to sustain a career in Hollywood with big blockbuster flicks, such as The Grudge and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, shortly after Buffy ended, the offers started to decrease to the point where fans began to wonder what went wrong for the actress.

But how does Gellar, who was at one point one of the most sought-after actresses on TV, find her career to have derailed so quickly?

Its hard to pinpoint one particular thing that jeopardized Gellars chances of seeing more success now than she did 20 years ago, but fans have often blamed her career downfall on the fact that the blonde beauty was more or less pigeonholed from the moment she made it big.

While she had previously starred on the soap operas All My Children and Swans Crossing, Gellar made a name for herself in the thriller/horror genre. Movies such as I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream 2 gave the impression that movie executives preferred having the mother-of-two in those types of films as opposed to starring in a rom-com.

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She then made a name for herself in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which ran for seven years before coming to an end with its seventh and final series in 2003. Again, Gellar is hunting vampires, so there wasnt much diversity being shown from New York native, who should have utilized those years to also focus her attention on booking roles in different genres.

While the same can be said for Jennifer Aniston, who mostly stars in rom-com films, this particular genre has always been popular at the box office, unlike horror and thriller flicks, which are often seen as a hit or miss.

Granted, signing up for Scooby-Doo was quite a contrast from what Gellar had given fans in the past, but for those whove seen the 2002 movie are well aware that even this motion picture has horror overtones.

Simply said, Hollywood studios certainly preferred casting Gellar for a horror/thriller flick because those wounded up being her most successful work, but as the demand for slasher films started to dissolve, so did Gellars career, helming her last major lead in 2006s The Grudge 2.

With a $20 million budget, the film only grossed $70 million at the box office, which was far less than the $187 million its predecessor made with a $10 million budget in 2004.

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The Grudge 2 isnt the only film Gellar had starred in that didnt perform well as far as box office profits are concerned. From her rom-com Simply Irresistible to Southland Tales, Harvard Man, and Veronika Decides to Die, it was clear that viewers were not connecting with her performance by any means.

Critics have blasted most of her work that isnt related to thriller/horror, with Simply Irresistible earning a shocking 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Return, which quite honestly felt like a bad remake of The Grudge, was also poorly-received, earning a rating of just 16%.

Her return to the small screen wasnt well-received either, landing back-to-back flops for the next couple of years, including her CW crime drama, Ringer, which only lasted for one series before the network decided to pull the plug over shockingly low ratings.

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Gellar also had a lead role on CBS The Crazy Ones, but just like her previous work, the show concluded after its first run, which, despite a stellar cast - including Robin Williams - also struggled to amass enough viewers to bring it back for a second series.

Other things that could have also hurt Gellars career is her decision to stay out of the limelight and keep a low profile in Hollywood. She lives in Los Angeles, has two children, and is still married to her longtime beau Freddie Prinze Jr. but fans will rarely hear anything about the family because they dont seem too welcoming to the idea of publicizing their private life for the sake of peoples interest and entertainment.

Given how most actors are utilizing social media to update their fans on all things concerning their day-to-day lives, Gellar has certainly missed out on a great opportunity to stay connected with her fans enough so that when she does have a project coming out, theres actually somewhat of a demand for people to see it.

But its not all bad for Gellar: She launched a cooking and lifestyle brand called Foodstirs in 2015, and she was recently cast in the upcoming Netflix mini-series Masters of the Universe: Revelation, which is expected to hit the streaming service later this year.

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Maurice Cassidy is an entertainment writer with a BA in Media and an MA in Film Production obtained at the New York Film Academy. He loves keeping up with all pop culture news and Hollywood gossip, and despite being born and raised in Germany, Maurice is always up to date with his favorite US celebrities and shows, including Love & Hip Hop and Jersey Shore Family Vacation. His favorite documentary is The Defiant Ones on Netflix.

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Heres Why Sarah Michelle Gellar Career Has Declined Since Buffy The Vampire Slayer - TheThings