I was surprised that Sarah thought Buffy had confidence. She certainly had a lot of reasons to be confident, but I thought she played up the vulnerability and doubt of the slayer and that worked well.

MutantFriend | October 18, 18:13 CET

She always seemed pretty confident when she was doing her thing, within her comfort zone, but I guess drama depends on knocking heroes out of their comfort zone and SMG played those situations really well too. More than confidence though I think Buffy had heart (kinda like Rocky) - you didn't always know whether she'd win or lose but you knew she'd go the distance.

Nice interview, clearly you can take the girl out of New York but ... etc. ;).

Saje | October 18, 18:34 CET

In one day Sarah Michelle manages to be both the hottest and the coolest.

Pointy | October 18, 18:41 CET

really nice interview. every now and again i get the sense that she can be a little cold but she seemed really sweet in that interview.

also, it was interesting that she and Seth were good friends on the set. watching Buffy you realise how few scenes they had together. each one of them was great though: "that bench was looking shifty." i always wish they had more interaction. Oz and Buffy had much more in common than Joss took advantage of (in terms of character interaction). now that i think about it, Oz' interaction was pretty much devoted solely to Willow, which kinda sucks. i bet Joss would have changed that had Seth stayed on the show.

Here's hoping Joss brings back Oz for those Friggin Angel TV movies, if they do end up happening that is.

Love you Joss!

vocah | October 18, 19:04 CET

I assume the knife-&-heart tattoo also includes some words from the "in a foreign language" reference.

I find myself liking her more as time goes by.

But she needs to look into getting one of thOse bike trailers or soem similar thingie-dingie. (*I* sHould talk, I can't even *ride* a bike.)

ETA As to Oz, yes, there was never an established on screen relationship parameter bewteen Buffy and Oz. By which I mean, if an itneraction involved Any Two of the Core Four, we knew what to expect. Ditto, Xander Buffy or Willow with Cordelia, or Willow-Oz, or even Xander-Oz as "the guys," or Buffy 's later friendship with Tara etc. But any scenes such a s Buffy-Oz, or Giles-Cordelia were too few to set a pattern. How Buffy and Oz really interacted could have been interesting to explore given what hints we were shown. (the "Your trademark stoicism" remark in "Wild at Heart" coems to mind)

(This is a persoanl fasciantion with me; as I said, I've wondered about Buffy and Oz. My last fic featured some detailed Willow-Wesley interaction and extensive Glies-Harmony scenes.)

[ edited by DaddyCatALSO on 2007-10-18 17:14 ]

DaddyCatALSO | October 18, 19:19 CET

that was a lovely interview. I am very happy for her, and I hope she can do more and help more with causes etc.

kurya | October 18, 19:50 CET

Does anyone else think its a little funny that her tramp-stamp is the symbol for integrity?


And yes, great interview. SMG is the bomb.

alexreager | October 18, 20:03 CET

Tramp-stamp? Isn't that kind of judgmental? I think there are a lot of women out there with lower-back tattoos that they chose for a lot of different reasons. Don't see why "integrity" is odd.

Very nice interview. I'm glad to hear her say that she's proud of Buffy--I don't often read these interviews [but I'm seriously trying to avoid working today], and I had the vague impression that she felt negatively about Buffy. She certainly should be proud of it--she was wonderful.

jcs | October 18, 21:52 CET

Y'know I hadn't heard the term tramp-stamp until the other day. It's really unfair. IMHO, the lower back is a great canvas for a tat. It sucks that women who have one there are getting judged like this. And my friend who has one (who is in no way shape or form a tramp) pointed out it's the part of the body which ages best.

batmarlowe | October 18, 22:47 CET

I think it's like the position David Borenaz hold when it comes to his time as Angel on both Buffy and Angel, jcs: she is proud and generally happy with her time as Buffy Summers and the impact the character and show had on recent history.

HOWEVER...like with David, she would probably like equal or more recognition of other roles she has done recently, plus her efforts on behalf of CARE, instead of solely her time as Buffy. Any thespian will tell you that being associated with a role is a mixed blessing, since you get props for having the skills to really work the character...but you also get pidgeon-holed into similar roles because of that ability to sell that one character.

Also, while I have chuckled at the concept of the "tramp stamp" before - the SNL skit from a couple of years back comes to mind - I really don't see a lower back tattoo needs to be a symbol for promiscuity. Personally, I find body art quite attractive...when it's done in a way that suits the person. Kat Von D of Miami Ink is an example IMO of when body art is taken a tad bit too far.

BlueEyedBrigadier | October 18, 23:22 CET

I think I just find it fascinating because I know I'll never get one, not inclined to seek out painful experiences.

Any number of roles I'd love to see her in; a remake of She or the girl with the "Fetching" accent in a film of the Ghost Writer

DaddyCatALSO | October 18, 23:32 CET

Panama City License Plate is my favorite term.

And it's not that most girls with a lower back tattoo are skanky. It's that most skanky girls have one.

MadeToLoveJoss | October 18, 23:47 CET

"I got the chance to be on a show that was groundbreaking and that's going to go down in the history books. That doesn't happen too often in life. I'm so proud of the show."

I'm happy to see that she's not one of those stars that tries to deny what they are known for (i.e "I'm Not Spock!"), but realizes that she is one of a tiny group of actors who will be forever remembered because they part of something very special. Whenever someone mentions Buffy, we will always think of Sarah.

kmb99 | October 18, 23:49 CET

JCS and batmarlowe--Maybe I’m being insensitive or you are being overly sensitive. I really don’t know. I am a big SMG fan and I do respect her acting, charity work and overall angelic public demeanor.

That said, I think a tat on the lower back (especially when displayed with low-rise jeans and a crop top) oozes sexuality or at the very least, sensuality. JCS--the reason it struck me as funny (not odd) is because I don't immediately associate sexuality or sensuality with integrity. I normally associate it with throwing caution to the wind or freedom or self expression or indulgence.

Further, I am not saying that a woman who asserts herself sexually is sexually promiscuous. The term in itself could be misconstrued to think that is the case but I think it goes on a case by case basis. I remember not that long ago it was very fashionable for women to wear the stings of their thongs outside their pants. It was called a Whale-tail. While I consider this to be blatantly drawing attention to a woman’s sexuality, I don’t think it comments on her level of promiscuity. It was “a fashion thing.” Just like tramp-stamps are a fashion thing.

Do you have a problem with the term Whale-tail? What if it was called a tramp-tail? Obviously the act of wearing your thong exposed to the world is saying something. Even if its just a fashion statement its still says something. Its probably important to add that fashion is ever changing. Look at bathing suits today vs. 50 years ago.

Maybe when the term originated it had overtly negative stereotypes but in my mind after all these years of bouncing around the web (you’ll find hundreds of thousands of references if you google it), movies (Along Came Polly and a host of others), tv shows (our very own Alyson Hannigan’s show HIMYM featured an episode where Ted got a “tramp stamp”), I think the term has lost its negative origins and is simply the name for a tattoo at the small of the back.

So yes JCS —you might see me as judgmental and yes batmarlowe —I might be unfair or maybe I’m just using a slang term that is at the end of its “slang life” and the beginning of a much less stigmatic time for that term.

alexreager | October 19, 00:13 CET

I've liked SMG since her soap days. (I didn't watch All My Children but did see several interviews with her during that time.) She comes across as a thinking, caring individual who is still in love with her husband.

Regarding lower back tattoos, I've never heard any of the terms mentioned in the article, but what I have heard from doctors is that women who have a tattoo on their lower back usually can't have an epidural during childbirth because the anaesthesiologist can't find the vein in which to put the drug. I don't think that's something most women know.

samatwitch | October 19, 00:20 CET

Epidural anesthesia goes into the epidural space, not into a vein. Finding the landmarks needed for placement isn't an issue. I did a quick Medline search and found nothing on the topic. According to Snopes.com, the debate hasn't been resolved. The concern is whether or not there's potential for introducing ink into the epidural space by going through the tattoo.

And to stay on topic, I enjoyed the interview. I haven't seen many interviews with SMG, but she's impressed me in the few I've seen.

Bobbi | October 19, 00:45 CET

I just get a kick out of her fervent city-girl-ness. It's something I can relate to; that and an antipathy to L.A. (er, Angelenos, don't take offense, it is only a natural response to being born and bred in your more northerly neighbor, S.F.). And in the actual magazine itself, she mentions how much she loves to eat -- not just eat, but eat good food. Like veal and sushi and other mouth-watering things. That and she collects books, first editions! She really is pretty cool.

Unfortunately, and I hate to say this, but I've never found her compelling or very interesting in any other role besides Buffy. I have hope that she'll do something interesting in the future. We'll see.

dottikin | October 19, 01:33 CET

This was a very good interview and the I enjoyed the magazine article (and pictures!) as well. Sarah has always gotten behind great causes, imo and Care has an important message to get across. It's nice to see a celebrity using their voice for something good.

As usual her comments about Buffy are consistent with what she's been saying for many years. I think she's really proud of the show.

The interviewer put up a blog about her meeting with Sarah. There's a fun picture of them too.

http://www.self.com/livingwell/blogs/celebrity/2007/10/my-blind-date-w.html

maje | October 19, 02:54 CET

The more interviews I read, the more I really like Smidge. She's so fun!

deird | October 19, 03:16 CET

When I got Alan's autograph at the stagedoor of Spamalot, he had his bike helmet with him. Guess he was one of the bike riders.

Lioness | October 19, 04:50 CET