'Buffy' Nervous, Excited About Move
The Associated Press
Jul 17 2001 8:11AM
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - Sarah Michelle Gellar says she's ``nervous'' and ``excited'' about her series, ``Buffy the Vampire Slayer,'' moving from the WB to UPN this fall.
``For five years we had a home. ... So the thought of making the move was scary,'' the 24-year-old actress said Monday. ``But I think (UPN) has given us a new excitement about the show.''
Gellar and other cast members vowed to stay with ``Buffy'' as long as it remains fresh and healthy. Co-star Alyson Hannigan, who plays Buffy's mystical friend Willow, joked, ``When we're 80 we could still be slaying vampires.''
``Buffy'' will debut on UPN with a two-hour special Oct. 9. In November, the cast will perform a musical episode of the show.
UPN had aggressively pursued the series, which had been one of the WB's top-rated series, and reportedly has ordered 44 episodes for about $102 million. The fantasy drama spawned the spin-off series ``Angel,'' which will remain on the WB.
Speaking to the Television Critics Association, Gellar and series creator Joss Whedon agreed the move was necessary because the WB was not willing to continue providing the budget it needed to remain strong.
``We have more money (at UPN) than we would have at the WB, where we'd have no money and would have to use hand puppets,'' Whedon joked. ``UPN basically stepped in and said, `Make the show the way you've been making it.'''
Adam Ware, UPN's chief operating officer, said the struggling network hopes to use ``Buffy'' to draw new viewers and sponsors. He credited ``Buffy'' and ``Roswell,'' another sci-fi teen drama that UPN bought after it was dropped by the WB, for attracting advertisers such as The Gap and Maybelline.
The cast acknowledged that resurrecting the show won't be easy, partly because Buffy died in the season finale after hurling herself into an abyss to trap an evil force.
Asked what changes she'd like to see in her character, Gellar replied: ``Alive.''
The Associated Press
Jul 17 2001 8:11AM
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - Sarah Michelle Gellar says she's ``nervous'' and ``excited'' about her series, ``Buffy the Vampire Slayer,'' moving from the WB to UPN this fall.
``For five years we had a home. ... So the thought of making the move was scary,'' the 24-year-old actress said Monday. ``But I think (UPN) has given us a new excitement about the show.''
Gellar and other cast members vowed to stay with ``Buffy'' as long as it remains fresh and healthy. Co-star Alyson Hannigan, who plays Buffy's mystical friend Willow, joked, ``When we're 80 we could still be slaying vampires.''
``Buffy'' will debut on UPN with a two-hour special Oct. 9. In November, the cast will perform a musical episode of the show.
UPN had aggressively pursued the series, which had been one of the WB's top-rated series, and reportedly has ordered 44 episodes for about $102 million. The fantasy drama spawned the spin-off series ``Angel,'' which will remain on the WB.
Speaking to the Television Critics Association, Gellar and series creator Joss Whedon agreed the move was necessary because the WB was not willing to continue providing the budget it needed to remain strong.
``We have more money (at UPN) than we would have at the WB, where we'd have no money and would have to use hand puppets,'' Whedon joked. ``UPN basically stepped in and said, `Make the show the way you've been making it.'''
Adam Ware, UPN's chief operating officer, said the struggling network hopes to use ``Buffy'' to draw new viewers and sponsors. He credited ``Buffy'' and ``Roswell,'' another sci-fi teen drama that UPN bought after it was dropped by the WB, for attracting advertisers such as The Gap and Maybelline.
The cast acknowledged that resurrecting the show won't be easy, partly because Buffy died in the season finale after hurling herself into an abyss to trap an evil force.
Asked what changes she'd like to see in her character, Gellar replied: ``Alive.''
