Sarah Michelle Gellar says 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' actors' kids auditioned for the reboot (2025)

Vampire slaying might run in the family.

Sarah Michelle Gellar gave a brief update about the casting process for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot in an interview with Us, revealing that familiar last names — but not first names— have appeared throughout the audition process.

"I know somebody who auditioned for something on the show," Gellar said in a joint interview with her Buffy costar Alyson Hannigan. "I know somebody who was on the show whose child auditioned on the show. I know a few people from the show whose children came in."

The news seemed to surprise Hannigan, who responded, "It better not have been one of my kids!"

Gellar didn't give any further information about which Buffy alums' kids auditioned for the new series. However, many of her former castmates have children who could hypothetically appear on the show in some capacity.

The most likely candidates are Emily and Daisy Head, the daughters of Anthony Head, who played Buffy's mentor, Rupert Giles. Emily appeared on the English sitcom The Inbetweeners and the soap opera Emmerdale, while Daisy acted in projects like Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, The Sandman, and Shadow and Bone.

Other Buffy cast members also have children who are in the right age range to play young adult characters. David Boreanaz, who played the vampire Angel, has a son, Jaden, who is a musician who studied at NYU, and a daughter, Bella, who is a high school student. Charisma Carpenter, who portrayed cheerleader Cordelia Chase, has a son, Donovan, in his early twenties. James Marsters, who played vampire Spike, has a son, Sullivan, who is a musician in his late twenties, as well as a niece whom he has raised as his daughter. And D.B. Woodside, who played Sunnydale principal Robin Wood, has a teenage daughter, Dakota.

Many other Buffy alums also have kids, but there's less information publicly available about them. Marc Blucas, who played love interest Riley Finn, has two grade-school-aged daughters. Eliza Dushku, who portrayed the slayer Faith, has two children, but both were born within the last six years. Emma Caulfield, who played former demon Anya Jenkins, also has a young daughter. Kristine Sutherland, who played Buffy's mom Joyce Summers, has one daughter, as does Robia LaMorte, who played computer teacher Jenny Calendar — though there's no indication that any of these Buffy kids have pursued acting.

And though the tone of the Us interview makes it seem unlikely, Gellar and Hannigan both have children who could theoretically be included in the new series. Gellar has a daughter born in 2009 and a son born in 2012, while Hannigan, who played Willow on the original show, is mother to daughters Satyana, born in 2009, and Keeva, born in 2012.

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The Buffy reboot will star Ryan Kiera Armstrong as a new slayer, while Gellar will reprise her role as Buffy. Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, Eternals) will direct the pilot of the revival.

Gellar welcomed Armstrong to the new series in an Instagram post last week. "From the moment I saw Ryan’s audition, I knew there was only one girl that I wanted by my side," she wrote. "To have that kind of emotional intelligence, and talent, at such a young age is truly a gift. The bonus is that her smile lights up even the darkest room."

The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer ran for seven seasons from 1997 to 2003. The show, which is based on the 1992 movie of the same name, also launched the successful spinoff Angel, which ran for five seasons from 1999 to 2004.