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Sarah Michelle Gellar says reboots are "all about the DNA"

By Sophia Soto | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 5:09 PM ET

Sarah Michelle Gellar is all for rebooting iconic and beloved projects, considering it a compliment that fans want more all these years later.

"I've been fortunate enough that I've had work that people remember from all different times, and as an actor, you just hope you do work that not just stands the test of time (and) that people still remember, but they still enjoy," she told USA Today. "If your art that you've created is still meaningful and also as the world changes that it still has emotional resonance to the fans, that's all we could ever ask for."

She most recently appeared in the sequel legacy of I Know What You Did Last Summer, directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. Upcoming, she has the reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

"It means that your work resonates," she expressed regarding reboots. "And that people are still wanting more from a performance you made that many years ago." She continued to add, "To get the chance to be able to build on those original performances is pretty lucky."

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"I feel like people are really hard on it, but you never get mad every time … someone does a new adaptation of Shakespeare or Brontë or any of the classics," she commented. "At the end of the day, there's only so many stories in the world and they all sort of are derivatives."

However, if you're going to bring something back, it needs to be done right. "I think as long as they're good and it's not just a rehashing. As long as the work is put in," she explained. "It's all about the DNA. If you can capture the DNA of an original, I think you're golden."

Her husband, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Jennifer Love Hewitt both reprised their roles for I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Sophia Soto

Sophia Soto is a writer and interviewer with a passion for all things entertainment. She is a Senior Reporter at The Nerds of Color and contributes to Yardbarker, Screensphere, Den of Geek, What to Watch, Nerdtropolis, and Temple of Geek. You can see her past work on Remezcla, Young Hollywood, Looper, Paste Magazine, Primetimer, Soundsphere, and Starry Constellation Magazine

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