Sarah Michelle Gellar is dipping her toes into another horror project, but this time, it’s for a Super Bowl commercial.
In a horror-turned-comedy Super Bowl commercial for Olay, Gellar is struggling to call the cops on a home intruder. The face recognition on her phone won’t work– so it won’t unlock. That’s when she says it’s because she’s been using Olay, which has “totally transformed her face”.
“That’s bananas!” her boyfriend responds.
As many people know, Gellar has led an extremely successful career acting in horror films. Not only was she the star of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for six years, but she has appeared in The Grudge, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Scream 2.
In a recent interview with Ad Week, Gellar shared, “I thought the concept was really fun and just such a great twist… All you ever want to do in your life as an actor is have these moments that people remember. When I read this, I thought, ‘Oh, my god, this is going to be the kind of commercial that people remember and talk about the next day.’”
The ad, titled “Killer Skin”, in the words of AOL.com, “brings to life the brand’s message that its 28 day challenge can drastically transform your skin in a humorous and unexpected way via its perfectly-cast woman lead.”
Gellar tells AOL.com, “Anytime you get a phone call that a brand as iconic as Olay wants to work with you, you get really excited… It was really exciting. I hung up the phone and I had this moment like ‘Oh, it’s the Super Bowl, over 100 million people watch it live.’ Then you start reading all of the articles about Super Bowl commercials and how 50 percent of the audience is female every year, and they have [maybe] 20 percent of ads starring and aimed at women. You realize that you are painting a narrative — and it’s really exciting and a bit overwhelming at the same time.”
Stephanie Robertson, the brand director for Olay, adds on, “We hope viewers will find [the ad] entertaining. Olay wants all women to be bold and empowered, and in a way, we’re doing just that, as a brand, by showing up in a place that is historically focused on men.”
In early January, it was announced that Gellar will be appearing in the limited series Sometimes I Lie. The show is being produced by Gellar, along with Ellen DeGeneres, in association with Warner Brothers Television. Deadline announced the news on January 9, writing that Gellar would be starring as Amber Reynolds, a woman who wakes up in the hospital, not able to move, speak, or open her eyes. Amber isn’t sure what transpired, but has an inkling that her husband had something to do with it. The series is based on the international bestseller, Sometimes I Lie, which was released in March 2017.