Sarah Michelle Gellar got candid about her break from acting following the passing of Robin Williams.
As you may recall, Robin starred in his last ever role alongside the Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum in the CBS sitcom The Crazy Ones back in 2013. SMG played Robin’s daughter in the single-season workplace comedy until 2014 — when the beloved film star heartbreakingly took his own life. It was later revealed the then-63-year-old was suffering from Lewy body dementia — the second most progressive type of dementia behind Alzheimer’s disease.
Related: Pocahontas Star Irene Bedard Arrested In Ugly Ohio Incident
At the time, Sarah took a short pause from acting to process her co-star’s passing. But eventually that turned into stepping back for a lot longer. Apart from voice work in cartoons and the occasional guest appearance, she hasn’t had a regular role in eight years!
Why? The tragedy of losing Robin made her realize something: she’d been working her “entire life”. In a statement to People on Monday, the now 45-year-old said her children were a big part of her deciding to take an acting hiatus as well:
“I’ve been working my entire life. When I had kids — and it was right after Robin passed away — there was just so much going on in my life and I just said, ‘I need to take a break.'”
Sarah explained that although her part as the late actor’s TV daughter was short-lived, he made a huge impact on her and inspired her to be there for her children — Charlotte Grace, now 12, and Rocky James, now 9:
“I need to be here for these early formative years of my kids’ life. I needed that break to be the parent that I wanted to be.”
So sweet! And a great lesson to take away from her TV dad. Robin’s spirit impacted everyone he came into contact with. He was and still is such a light in the world…
Sarah admitted to missing her career at times during her hiatus. She wasn’t going to just take any role, though — she wanted to find something that “speaks” to her and her audience:
“I started to really miss it. But it’s also finding the right opportunity, something that speaks to you that also speaks to your audience.”
And it seems the I Know What You Did Last Summer actress found what she was looking for. She’s going to star in and produce the upcoming Paramount+ drama Wolf Pack — and although the nights are long, she’s enjoying herself while filming the series:
“It’s about working with people that I really love working with, where I look forward to spending time with the people. I want everyone to have a good time because look, acting’s fun. We’re creative, and yeah, sometimes the nights are really long, but what we get to do is really cool.”
We’re so glad Sarah is finding her way back into what she loves on her own terms. We can’t wait to see her in a new role!
[Image via Dan Jackman/WENN/Avalon/Sarah Michelle Gellar/Instagram]