Sarah Michelle Gellar

MOVIE  ''Cruel Intentions,'' ''Simply Irresistible''
BOX OFFICE  $38.2 million
THE BASICS  Gellar has long shown the savvy to pick film projects that can lure in her teen fans (''Scream 2,'' ''I Know What You Did Last Summer'') without rehashing her Buffy Summers character. However, this year's box office receipts were inconsistent. ''Cruel Intentions'' was a solid hit, earning back its paltry $11 million budget more than three times over, but the even cheaper ''Simply Irresistible'' was a certified flop, earning just $4.4 million.
WHAT SHE SAID  Fortunately the former soap star isn't about to drive a stake into her TV gig as Buffy: ''I love this show. I know it's launched my movie career.''
WHAT WE SAY  As the teen market becomes oversaturated with product, it may be time for Gellar, 22, to grow up in her next role, and stretch a little, too. ''She could probably use a good period piece,'' says EW's Hochman. ''Get her in a corset and petticoat and send her off to some Irish bog somewhere. Audiences need to see her like that to forget how very 1990s she is.''

Starring in the title role of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Sarah Michelle Gellar plays a somewhat reluctant hero who fights off vampires at night while juggling the traumas of high school during the day. Fighting evil creatures requires adeptness in the martial arts, a challenge which Gellar has been devoted to since before landing the role. Having studied the Korean art of Tae kwon Do for four years and earning a brown belt, Gellar spends her free time both on and off the set continuing her training with the series stunt coordinator. No stranger to television, the versatile actress won an Emmy Award in 1994 for her memorable role as Kendall Hart, the devious secret daughter of Erica Kane (Susan Lucci), on the daytime drama "All My Children." She played a younger Jackie Kennedy in the critically acclaimed mini-series "A Woman Named Jackie," and starred with Valerie Harper and Jeff Daniels in the television movie "An Invasion of Privacy." She was also a regular on the Syndicated show "Girl Talk." Gellar starred in the teenage horror films "Scream2" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer," both written by "Dawson's Creek" creator Kevin Williamson. She also provided the voice for Gwendy in "Small Soldiers." Look for Gellar in upcoming films "Vanilla Fog" and "Cruel Inventions" with Joshua Jackson from "Dawson's Creek." Gellar's other feature film credits include "Funny Farm," "Over the Brooklyn Bridge" and "High Stakes." She also performed in New York stage productions of "The Widow Claire" opposite Matthew Broderick at Circle in the Square, and "Jake's Women" at the Old Globe Theatre. A Manhattan native, Gellar currently resides in Los Angeles.