PASADENA, Calif. -- When "All My Children" star Susan Lucci recently won an Emmy -- finally, after 18 nominations -- most of her current and former co-stars fell all over themselves congratulating the daytime diva.
But "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star Sarah Michelle Gellar, who won a daytime Emmy of her own four years ago for playing Lucci's daughter, wasn't one of them. Let's just say that Gellar isn't exactly Lucci's biggest fan.Asked her reaction to Lucci's win, Gellar said she didn't have one.
"My reaction? All these questions, like 'my reaction,' " Gellar said. "I don't really have a say in it."
(With the insinuation that, if she did have a say in it, Lucci might still be winless.)
"I'm not qualified to answer," Gellar said. "I have not really seen the show in a year. The way the Emmys work is you give (the voting panel) your two episodes for the year. And, obviously, her two episodes were the best that year. And good for her to win," she said with an obvious lack of enthusiasm.
There were a lot of stories at the time that Lucci and Gellar didn't get along. And Gellar confirmed those stories but said it was never as bad as some reports made it seem.
"You know, people always act like we were competing against each other (at the Emmys). I was younger actress, she was leading actress," Gellar said.
"It's public knowledge that we did not have the easiest working relationship. But the truth is the episodes I submitted were her and me. I wouldn't have won without that submission, and I think she totally understood that."
Gellar actually won her daytime Emmy as she was on her way off "All My Children."
"At that point we weren't really working together anymore anyway. I only had a couple days left on the show, so you probably have to ask her," said Gellar, who has no clear memory of being congratulated for her win by Lucci. "I'm sure she did. I mean, it was four years ago. . . . I mean, everyone did."
And she said that, while she and Lucci will never be best friends, they aren't exactly enemies either.
"People have these visions that we walked around, like, throwing knives at each other," Gellar said. "It's real life. Not everyone gets along. And that was another lesson I had to learn at that point. I didn't understand that. Because before then, everything was great and I'd always gotten along with people.
"Sometimes two people just shouldn't work together, and that's an instance where we probably should not work together again."
THE PRIME-TIME EMMYS: No one ever said the Emmys were fair. And no one is particularly surprised that "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and its star were overlooked when the nominations were announced -- but that doesn't make it any less unjust.
"Buffy" is one of the best shows on television, and Gellar is right up there with any of the nominated actresses. But, given the genre and the fact that the television academy isn't exactly known for honoring youth and innovation, the oversight was an all-but foregone conclusion.
Not that Gellar is particularly bother by it.
"I think (creator/executive producer) Joss (Whedon) deserves it for his writing because, in my opinion, it is one of the most well-written shows," she said. "In terms of the acting categories, there's so many wonderful performers out there right now that I think it's impossible to judge."
And, at the ripe old age of 22, Gellar seems to have all the awards stuff in perspective.
"When I was on daytime, all you thought about was the Emmys. All year long, it's like, 'Oh, this could be my Emmy episode. This could be it,' because that's what daytime is," Gellar said. "And for the first time on this show, I didn't feel I needed that validation. It's not important. It would be wonderful if I were nominated, but I don't need that to make me happy with my show."
REFUGEE FROM THE SOAPS: Although Gellar, who has a movie career going in addition to "Buffy," doesn't appear headed back to daytime TV anytime soon, she certainly doesn't regret her time on "All My Children." And she has nothing bad to say about the show or the genre.
"It played a huge role in my life growing up," she said. She had wanted to move to California when she was in her mid-teens, but her mother and her manager convinced her to stay in New York and work on "AMC."
"It gave me the opportunity to finish high school in New York, to finish growing up, to not have to leave my house 'til I was 18," Gellar said. "It gave me an amazing understanding of the technical aspect of the industry -- how to hit a mark, how to not shadow somebody, how to play to the camera. And, that way, when I got to nighttime (TV), all I had to worry about was the performance, because that other technical stuff . . . I didn't have to worry about that."
And, while her relationship with Lucci isn't something she treasures, she did enjoy her time on "All My Children."
"I made some amazing friends on that show -- Eva LaRue Callahan and John Callahan and Sydney Penny -- and I learned so much about being a professional on the set, working those hours," Gellar said. "And then it gave me the chance to grow up at home and not move to California until I was sort of a full-formed adult and could handle things better."
THE BAD OLD DAYS: Nowadays, there almost isn't a TV star any hotter than Sarah Michelle Gellar -- or a show that garners more critical praise, that critics love more than "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." But it wasn't always that way, as the actress recalled from a previous appearance on the Television Critics Association press tour.
"I never thought I would be sitting here today," she said. "I did the TCA three years ago. There was one photographer outside when we walked in, and I think it was because he thought it was, like, ABC's day or something."
And she didn't think that her show's initial press conference went particularly well.
"We got up there and we basically sat there. Nobody has any questions for us," Gellar said. "We felt just horrible. We were all in tears."
"And (WB chief publicist) Brad (Turell) was like, 'No, it's like this in the beginning. They don't know. You're a midseason replacement called, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Come on!' "
As someone who was there at the time, it wasn't that bad a press conference. A lot of critics (including yours truly) who had taken the time to view the pilot were pleasantly surprised and kindly disposed toward the show.
Not that that made it any easier for Gellar.
"If you would have asked me three years ago, did I think we'd be here now, I would have said, 'You're on smack.' I'm, like, 'There's just no way. You guys are smoking something.' "