Sarah Michelle Gellar plays ‘dark’ character

The actress is the main star of Ringer, which has been planned for American network CMS. The programme is based around a woman called Bridget, portrayed by Sarah, who takes over her twin sister Siobhan’s life when she dies. At the moment it is only in the pilot stage, and those working on it are hoping it will be picked up later this year and transformed into an entire series.

The pilot’s producer Peter Traugott is excited about the storyline, and about working with Sarah. He thinks she is the perfect fit for the show, and is pleased with the way it shows off her talents. He is a big fan of her work on the iconic Buffy the Vampire Slayer, revealing there are echoes of that series in Ringer.

“It’s a very different show. I mean, Buffy is so specific and a great, cool genre piece,” he explained. “But in the same way with Sarah, I think what’s remarkable about her as an actor—and very few people have this ability—she can play both sides well. If you remember Cruel Intentions, she was the villain, but you found yourself kind of rooting for her anyway. That’s what we’re looking for. How do we find something where her character has some edge, there’s some darkness to her, she doesn’t always do the right thing, but at the end of the day, you’re also rooting for her? Obviously, Buffy was a hero, a kick-ass hero, and we wanted to be true to that with Sarah.”

Peter revealed Buffy fans were on Sarah’s mind when she signed up for the part of Bridget. The 33-year-old was keen to find a character her admirers could relate to, and that she would enjoy bringing to life.

“For the Buffy fans, she wanted part of what she initiated. As a matter of fact, her and her manager know this, but I know one thing she wanted to guard against was making sure that she whatever she does in TV, she does something that her fans who had grown up loving Buffy will also be excited about. And we think this show has that quality to it,” he told Entertainment Weekly.