As the hype train for July’s I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel continues to chug along, we’re learning more morsels about the making of the film.
In a recent interview, writer-director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson has opened up about one legacy cast member she desperately wanted to return. Although we know Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr were enticed back to the series, Robinson says she was desperate to have Sarah Michelle Gellar reprise her role as Helen Shivers:
“I tried, okay? I harassed her!” Robinson revealed.
Despite the character’s very memorable on-screen death, Robinson tried some… unconventional tactics to get Gellar aboard the project:
“I tried to pitch some crazy shit too. I was like, ‘What if it’s like you weren’t dead and you’re actually alive, but in hiding?’”
However, despite Robinson being Gellar’s best friend, the Buffy star was unwilling to break the franchise continuity, much to Robinson’s frustration:
“And Sarah’s like, ‘I was on ice. I was the most dead a person could be. You can see my frozen body.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, but what if?’ And she said, ‘I am dead. I am Sarah Dead Gellar.’”
So, it’s unlikely we’ll be seeing Gellar in the upcoming sequel, despite fans’ hope for a cameo of some sort. The actress was present on-set, but has since clarified that she was only present for moral support, stating:
“My best friend [Robinson] is directing it, so we joke that I have an unofficial job, which is I am continuity. So I’m always the one telling her, ‘Well, that would happen, or that wouldn’t happen with those characters,’ so I do have kind of an unofficial job title.”
Whilst Gellar’s absence will undoubtedly dishearten fans, the recent trailer has made clear there’s still a lot to look forward to. Promotion is expected to continue in the coming weeks, as I Know What You Did Last Summer’s July 18th release date draws closer.
So, watch this space for more soon.
