Sarah Michelle Gellar quotes:

Being an actor gives you a chance to play all kinds of roles, very moving and dramatic on one project, silly and girlish on another. That's the most interesting thing out this business, you get to keep reinventing yourself.

People tell me not to do a soap, but it was a great learning experience because I became familiar with the technical aspects of the business. Besides, look who came out of soaps - Julianne Moore, Demi Moore, Tommy Lee Jones, Parker Posey, Kathleen Turner. All amazing people.

I actually go to the gym much more now than I did when I was on Buffy. I like to stay fit, because that's when I feel really healthy. But I never worked out for any kind of image. People have said to me, 'Do you starve yourself before photo shoots?' And I always say, 'No way.! That's what airbrushing is for. I had french fries last night.'

When you've played Buffy - who's such a strong female role model - it's really hard for another female character to compare to her.

I don't want to feel like a failure to my daughter. She's the best thing I've ever done. Buffy - pretty great and all, but Charlotte's way better.

Ringer is the perfect balance of what audiences want ot see me do. It's Cruel Intentions meets Buffy.

I got to see the first step, hear the first word. Most people - and certainly working moms - are not able to do that. I wanted to appreciate the fact that I had worked so hard all my life to be able to have those moments.

I don't smoke, don't drink much, and go to the gym five times a week. I live a healthy lifestyle and feel great. I can run a marathon, you know.

I've always been fascinated by Asian culture, and I love that women can play the lead in a horror film.

I think it's a mistake if people just fall in love and think that that's the only thing you need to keep you happy. There's a lot more to being with someone than just love.

I clip coupons all the time. Why should you pay more for something that someone else is paying less for?

I like food. I like eating. And I don't want to deprive myself of good food.

I love Australia. My dream would be to have a place to live there and be able to commute back and forth

Absolutely. It's something I'd eventually love. In the meantime, I just borrow all my friends' kids. It's seriously the best birth control in the world. I'm so tired afterward, I'm like, Okay, maybe in another two years.

You're forced to think about what your goals are and you clarify them because you're taking this journey with another person and you need to be open with your partner.

The episodes all blend together for me, so I don't remember. I can't even remember what I had for breakfast this morning. I always feel I must be such a disappointment to them.

I believe in myself, and I've always had people behind me who believed in me. With that, you can do anything.

I also think it was important for me and Freddie to be able to have a lot of time to share our lives at the beginning of our marriage rather than my coming home at 9 or 10 at night from the set. Things have really worked out for the best for both of us.

I was young. I was newly married. And I had worked like a dog. I just wanted to live and travel.

I'm from New York, I make kind of somewhat maybe lewd, at times - maybe some would say dirty - jokes. But in jest.

I was very burned out after Buffy. It was exhausting. It took me from essentially 18 on the pilot to being 24 and married when we finished. That show was my life. I was doing movies on the hiatuses and on weekends, but I needed to explore and live that gypsy lifestyle.

I think actually what I'm going to do when I'm done and take my next vacation, is I'm going to go over and start unions in Japan. I'm going to unionize Japan. Because the way they work those crews is so criminal. There's no overtime, so they can just keep going.

It's really beautiful. But you know, fancy footwear is a pain!

But there are still only certain film genres where a woman can stand out, be heroic, be the centerpiece.

It used to be only on TV that women could lead, that a show could be based on a woman.

My family comes first, and you have to be in charge to be able to protect that. You have to be the one who says no or you don't have a life, which is what I found out the first time.

The nomadic lifestyle does work for a lot of working parents, but I've traveled and I've seen it, and I want to be able to go home at night and see my daughter. I want to be there for her first day of school and her school recital. Honestly, television is what offers me that.

The flashbacks are a great way to give answers to the story.

I don't get the whole getting drunk thing.

And I don't know what I'd do at a fraternity party. All that might be a little lost on me."

People stereotype pop stars, but Christina [Aguilera] proves them wrong with her unique style and talent.

How can women be as thin as we are? We have personal trainers to work us out. We have specially prepared meals.

Being a teen idol is what I've waited for my whole life.

Because Buffy really has become the straight man, every once in a while it's nice to be the one that tells the joke and it's nice to be the one that is the joke and it's nice to do something that's a little bit different.

There's a part of me that will always believe that Angel is Buffy's true love. That there will be a piece of her heart that will always be with him for the rest of her life.

I got to see the first step, hear the first word. Most people - and certainly working moms - are not able to do that. I wanted to appreciate the fact that I had worked so hard all my life to be able to have those moments

It's a better time for actresses on TV than on film.

Ultimately you want to do something in life that people will remember. And with Buffy, I did that. I don't feel like I need to achieve something. I just do it because it's fun. And that takes the pressure off.

Buffy's very similar to me to me when I was growing up. A child in an adult world, sort of trapped between the two. Does Buffy go to the prom or does she save the world from demons?

The thing about Buffy and Spike is they understand each other on a level that nobody else understands her.

Ultimately, I want to have a good career and do interesting work.

Well, that's the old story I heard about the Jackie Chan films. That, like, Jackie Chan will just keep going and when crew members drop he just replaces them. I don't know if that's true but after having worked in Japan I believe it might be true.

I don't understand why James Bond has to be a man all the time. When Pierce Brosnan retires, why not one of us?

As with anything, you need to keep your creative juices flowing and keep the character interesting.

I love Australia. My dream would be to have a place to live there and be able to commute back and forth.

Just because you donate sperm does not make you a father. I don't have a father. I would never give him the credit or acknowledge him as my father.

I think that this industry in particular is so fast-paced that you keep saying, 'I'll take vacation later.' Sometimes later never comes. I'm definitely leading a much slower life now that I'm not working every single day on a television series.

Normal is such a hard word to use, because everyone's idea of normal is different. Real is what the word is. I think you either live a real life or you live a weird celebrity pseudolife. I think I lead a really real life.

A lot of times [in the movie industry], women are relegated to playing the wife or girlfriend or daughter.

A lot of times, when you start a show at a young age, you get stuck. You get six years of high school, but I didn't have that.

All joking aside, I'm a television watcher and I get frustrated with shows sometimes when they set up puzzles and then they don't give answers. It's just more questions and more questions.

Being a teen idol is what I've waited for my whole life

Being outspoken has always gotten me into trouble. I'm just this little thing and then all of a sudden it comes out.

Buffys very similar to me to me when I was growing up. A child in an adult world, sort of trapped between the two. Does Buffy go to the prom or does she save the world from demons?

Creativity is one of the most important brain functions in developing youth. It is the ultimate road to invention. I believe it is really important to both nurture and encourage this in children - and adults, too!

Everything I am is because of my mom.

How many times, in any actor's life, do you get to be a part of something that has a legacy like [Buffy]? I think that's only fortunate. I don't see the negative.

I also want the chance to work with some of the best actors in the business, because that's where you can learn so much by just being on a set and getting a feel for how they approach their role and how they work with you

I am definitely a Type-A, tidy, everything-has-a-place kind of person, so initially encouraging a mess was against my nature. But once you realize all the benefits, it's pretty simple to let that go.

I don't do a television show for awards. You make it so people will enjoy watching it.

I like to stay fit, because [that's when] I feel really healthy.

I love my friends. They're my family.

I never worked out for any kind of image.

I started to watch Damages and all of these amazing, female-driven shows, and it was something that was always in the back of my mind. Then, once I had my daughter, I realized that I was done living the romantic lifestyle, and nothing offers that more than television.

I think Buffy was a grown-up. One of the amazing things about the show was that I was able to grow with her. Yes, she started in high school, and then she went to college, and then essentially she was a mother to all the other Slayers, so I always felt like Buffy was a grown-up.

I think I lead a really real life.

I think that's what growing up is all about. It's about taking on new responsibilities and learning what you can handle, and learning what you can't.

I think you either live a real life or you live a weird celebrity pseudolife.

I traveled and worked with amazing actors, like Andy Garcia, Alec Baldwin, Brendan Fraser, Forest Whitaker, Lee Pace. It was this great learning experience. And then, I started watching a lot of television. I was always in these foreign countries and I would get TV shows on DVD, and I started to realize that all of the amazing roles for women were on television. I was spoiled by Buffy because I thought that was the way it was everywhere, and it's not.

I try never to say no when it comes to creativity, but I do try and lead down an "appropriate road" - like not on furniture or the walls.

I would dye my hair every week. I wanted to be a really goth teenager.

I would tell any actress that the trick is to play all the female characters on your show, and then all the men are yours.

If you love someone and you choose to spend the rest of your life with that person, that's your partner in every way.

I'm always the one who gets killed. And I want it to be really gory. Body parts all over the place. Mangled!

I'm definitely leading a much slower life now that I'm not working every single day on a television series.

I'm fascinated by twins. It's such an interesting thing. I'm an only child, so I don't have a sibling. But, if you think about the bond that siblings have, that intensifies so much when you think about being in the womb together.

I'm not a things person. I'm not attached to my things.

In television, women can really run anything. It can be a comedy, it can be a drama, it can be genre, it can be anything. But in films, women are still getting to the top

It used to be only on TV that women could lead, that a show could be based on a woman

It's a terrible process, what you go through, during pilot season. All the shows turn themselves in and there is a good four to six weeks before you get phone call.

It's been hard to be a show in L.A. and be trendsetting, because the fashions are in New York... Not to mention that most actresses are all, give or take, the same size, between five-two and five-five, and 95 to 125 pounds.

It's changed so much.There were no blogs when I was on Buffy. There were no weekly magazines, aside from People. Now, to be able keep your secrets for your show is so hard.

I've always been fascinated by Japanese culture.

Our bodies are machines and have to be functional, and to do that they have to be fed properly.

Really, how bad is eating a piece of cake? Being bad is murdering someone. That's bad. Don't do that.

Some people feel like you have to cement your love.

There's a lot more to being with someone than just love.

There's always something about home that's special.

There's no such thing as a supermom. We just do the best we can.

Ultimately, I want to have a good career and do interesting work

When I got off the soap I got offered all these, you know, 'women in jeopardy' -- I call them 'disease of the week' movies.

When I'm with my kids, I definitely try and be in the moment and wait till the end unless the mess poses a real danger, like slipping. But when I am cooking by myself, I definitely clean as I go to simplify.

When picking a show, I took into consideration who my fans are. Let's be honest, Buffy was a mid-season replacement on The WB, based on a failed movie. If it wasn't for the outpouring of fans and critics supporting us, we would have been canceled after four episodes. Sure, you want to stretch and you want to do different things, but it's also our job to think about who our fans are and what they want to see. Ultimately, that's why we do.

Whether it's a big dinner party or people just coming over to hang out, I just love to spend time with them.

You have to remember once in a while that you can actually stop working and appreciate things.

You need to keep your creative juices flowing and keep [your] character interesting.

You'll never know what you're capable of if you don't try.

You're always homesick.