Sarah Michelle Gellar recently sat down with Ola Awosika for Attitude to discuss her new series Wolf Pack on which she is both an actor and executive producer. Gellar plays an arson investigator in the teen drama about a California wildfire that awakens a supernatural creature.
Gellar opened up about her own "pack, her "chosen family" of which the Buffy icon shared:
"It's about the people that show up for you."
And it was the perfect segue for Awosika's next question:
"How does it feel to be a gay icon?"
Gellar, grinning ear to ear, revealed:
"It's the greatest honor."
"Again, it's about the people that show up for you and that is a community."
"[The LGBTQ+ community has] always supported me and been there for me, and accepted me for me."
"I don't have to be anybody else but me."
"And it gets me up in the morning."
You can check out the segment below.
Sarah Michelle Gellar on being a gay icon: "It gets me up in the morning"youtu.be
In the interview, Gellar shared that she believes the icon status stems from her character Buffy who "represents all of us."
Gellar reminded viewers that Buffy hid her identity as a vampire slayer and even when she did "come out" to her mother, her mother asked, "Have you tried not being a slayer?" which of course hit home for many LGBTQ+ people.
Gellar continued:
"That's a metaphor for coming out."
"I think there was bits of all of these characters that were outcasts."
She shared that growing up, she had similar experiences with not finding her "pack."
"We all want to fit [in]."
Another video of Gellar addressing her place in the LGBTQ community was posted to TikTok by GAY TIMES.
Gellar was asked:
"How does it feel to know that the LGBTQ+ community will always show up for you no matter what you do?"
She responded:
"That's the point of community, right?"
"I consider myself part of that community."
While Gellar acknowledged she doesn't check all the boxes to "qualify," she is still a member.
"And that's the whole point though because you do show up."
"And I hope that it feels that I show up in exchange and that's what... that's the whole point."
She finished:
"I love it. It's great. My people."
In the video, Gellar also learned the term "mother" and asked the audience:
"Someone can explain 'mother' to me that I just learned?"
Of course, the crowd cheered, "Mother!" even louder.
Finally, someone responded:
"When the gays love a woman, we think, 'Mother! You're our mother!"
Viewers of the videos appreciated her understanding and explanation of being a part of the LGBTQ+ community, many stating that an ally is always welcome in the pack.
@gaytimes/TikTok
@gaytimes/TikTok
@gaytimes/TikTok
@gaytimes/TikTok
@gaytimes/TikTok
@gaytimes/TikTok
Of course, many just couldn't get enough of SMG finding out for the first time the definition of 'mother' and agreed with the title bestowed upon her.
@gaytimes/TikTok
@gaytimes/TikTok
@gaytimes/TikTok
@gaytimes/TikTok
@gaytimes/TikTok
Speaking more on her "chosen family," Gellar also says that it's "extremely important to her."
"There's no 'blood is thicker than water' for me."
"I always say to people, it's an honor because you don't choose your family, you choose that pack and those are the people that keep you going and are there for you in such a different way because they choose to be there."
"There is no obligation."
We can finally see the pack in action as Wolf Pack is now available to stream on Paramount+.
