Sarah Michelle Gellar reconnects with a piece of Buffy history

Sarah Michelle Gellar got a surprise she didn’t even know she needed on the set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale.

The actress, now 48, was handed a replica of the prom-era “Class Protector” award, a keepsake from her days as Buffy Summers that had been lost to time.

Back in 1999, during the Season 3 prom episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the show gave Buffy an umbrella award to honor her for protecting the school from supernatural threats. But Gellar, caught up in the whirlwind of being 24 and starring in a hit show, never thought to take it home.

When director Chloé Zhao presented the recreated award on the last day of shooting the pilot, Sarah Michelle Gellar recognized the gesture almost immediately. It was a nod to one of Zhao’s favorite episodes and a prop Gellar had missed for decades. The moment was emotional. The actress took a few seconds to register it and then was visibly touched.

Sarah Michelle Gellar admitted the award now has a permanent place in her office. She’s keeping it safe, a tangible link to the Buffy Summers she brought to life more than 25 years ago.

The reunion wasn’t just about the prop. Zhao, a longtime Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, convinced Gellar to return for the revival after the actress had previously declined to revisit the character.

Both Gellar and Zhao are executive producers, and shooting the pilot brought back all the memories. Being back on set was emotional for Sarah Michelle Gellar, a reminder of how much the original show shaped her life.

While Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale is being positioned as a continuation rather than a reboot or sequel, the pilot’s shoot stirred plenty of nostalgia. Sarah Michelle Gellar’s connection to the original series, to the character, and now to the long-lost prop shows how deeply intertwined her career is with Buffy.

For Sarah Michelle Gellar, the reunion with the umbrella award was a quiet, sentimental moment, a small piece of her past that had slipped away but is now finally back where it belongs. And for fans, it’s a symbolic start to a revival that’s still unfolding.