Sarah Michelle Gellar Thinks She Manifested Her Role inDexterPrequel as a 'Big Fan' of the Original (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Sarah Michelle Gellar’s role inDexter: Original Sinsis a long time coming.

“I actually think if somebody probably went back far enough in some of my interviews, I bet you at some point when someone asked me, ‘Is there a show or a movie that you wish you’d been a part of?’ I bet you that I have answered — more than once — ‘I would’ve loved to have been a guest character onDexter,'” she admits.

When her costarPatrick Gibson, who plays the 20-year-old version of the titular killer, suggests that she “manifested” this role, Gellar agrees. “I think I might have,” she says.

“Because I guarantee you I have said it, because I was such a big fan,” she continues.

“I always said, ‘Oh, it’s such a bummer that I missed my opportunity to be on that show,’ because they had such great character arcs, and then, you know what? Be careful what you wish for.”

Alex Shimizu as Masuka, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Tanya and Patrick Gibson as Dexter Morgan in ‘Dexter: Original Sin’.Patrick Wymore/Paramount+ with Showtime

Alex Shimizu as Masuka, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Tanya and Patrick Gibson as Dexter Morgan in Dexter: Original Sin, episode 3, season 1, streaming on Paramount+, 2024.

Patrick Wymore/Paramount+ with Showtime

When Gellar’s casting in the prequel series (which premieres Dec. 13) was announced in June, she wrote onInstagramthat it would be a “bloody good ride,” and she can confirm it was.

“This cast gelled in a way that I’ve — you know, I’ve been doing this a very long time — I’ve never experienced.

Crediting the whole cast for arriving on set “with this sense of, ‘Let’s do this. Let’s kick butt, but let’s also go home,'” Gellar continues. “Nobody was late. Everybody knew their stuff. It was such the experience you hope to have.”

Sarah Michelle Gellar as Tanya in ‘Dexter: Original Sin’.Frank Ockenfels 3/Paramount+

Sarah Michelle Gellar as Tanya in Dexter: Original Sin

Frank Ockenfels 3/Paramount+

She also praises Gibson, 29, for his portrayal of young Dexter as she applauds him for playing the character so well despite being “the least creepy person you will ever meet.”

“He’s the sweetest, most charming [person],” she says of the Irish actor, who her character Tanya manages when he takes on a forensics internship at the Miami Metro Police Department. “So to see him up there, you have to understand that this is a character and he’s great at it, but it is a character.”

Patrick Gibson as Dexter Morgan and Sarah Michelle Gellar as Tanya in ‘Dexter: Original Sin’.Patrick Wymore/Paramount+ with Showtime

Patrick Gibson as Dexter Morgan and Sarah Michelle Gellar as Tanya in Dexter: Original Sin, episode 8, season 1, streaming on Paramount+, 2024.

The 10-episode series also starsPatrick Dempsey,Christina Milian, Molly Brown, Reno Wilson, James Martinez and Alex Shimizu.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Dexter: Original Sinspremieres Friday, Dec. 13 on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME Plan.

source: people.com