The Story Behind How Sarah Michelle Gellar Was Cast in ‘All My Children’

Veteran casting director Judy Blye Wilson will be one of the “Silver Circle” inductees at the 52^nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on October 17.

Alongside Kate Linder (Esther Valentine, The Young and the Restless) and James Reynolds (Abe Carver, Days of our Lives), Wilson will be recognized in this prestigious “society of honor” for her distinguished career in the television industry, which spans more than 25 years.

“I really am thrilled,” Wilson says. “I really am deeply honored. It was a very, very long career for me; it’s very flattering, to say the least.”

Wilson’s path into the world of daytime television began in New York City. At the time, she was working at a commercial agency when an opportunity arose at Ryan’s Hope. Wilson landed a job as a casting assistant and began looking for extras and under-5s.

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“It was only a 30-minute show, so they didn’t have a lot of turnover on Ryan’s Hope the way an hour show would,” Wilson points out. “Helen Gallagher (Maeve Ryan) and Bernie Barrow (Johnny Ryan) were sensational, and it was a special show. I’m happy that I got to be introduced into daytime through that gentle group of people.”

From Ryan’s Hope, Wilson transitioned to One Life to Live, and later, All My Children, where she ultimately became casting director. That’s where her legacy truly took root, helping launch the careers of now-household names. Wilson’s 20-year run in Pine Valley produced a roster of rising stars who would go on to major success, including Michael B. Jordan (Reggie Montgomery), Chadwick Boseman (Reggie Porter), Josh Duhamel (Leo du Pres), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Kendall Hart) and Amanda Seyfried (Joni Stafford).

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Wilson recalls Gellar landing on her radar in 1993, when the show was seeking a teenager to cast as Kendall Hart, the daughter of Erica Kane, played by the legendary Susan Lucci. “She was a young kid, and she had done a couple of little plays,” Wilson says. “We tested about four girls, and we tested them with Susan. And there was no question about it. Sarah Michelle was it, period. She really, really nailed that role and continued to do so. She was really phenomenal.”

Her strong audition turned into an unforgettable on-screen pairing. Gellar and Lucci were electric in scenes, and Kendall and Erica’s dynamic became a compelling part of the soap. “That relationship was interesting between her and Susan, and they had great chemistry together,” Wilson notes. “And obviously, Sarah Michelle went on to do Buffy [the Vampire Slayer].”

But not before reaching a major career milestone. Gellar won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series in 1995, after her second nomination. In her speech, she was sure to acknowledge everyone who had helped her reach the milestone, including Wilson. “I need to thank the best cast and crew in daytime and our producers, our directors,” she said. “I need to thank all my friends and my family, especially Eva (La Rue, Maria Santos) and Kelly (Ripa, Hayley Vaughan). I love you guys, and two people I wouldn’t be here without, and that’s Judy Wilson and my mom.”

Two years later, Gellar took on the iconic lead in Buffy, a role that would define her career and reunite her with another familiar face. “The interesting thing about it is that Michelle Trachtenberg came on to All My Children (as Lily Montgomery) when she was 14, and then I’ll be darned if she didn’t end up doing Buffy with Sarah, which I thought was pretty amazing,” recalls Wilson of Trachtenberg joining the show in 2000 as Dawn Summers. “They were big buddies and played in Buffy for a number of years.”

 

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After AMC was canceled, Wilson moved to The Young and the Restless, where she closed out her daytime career on a high note. “I really loved working there,” she says. “I enjoyed the people behind the scenes. I really love the cast, from vets like Peter (Bergman, Jack Abbott), Eric (Braeden, Victor Newman), and Melody (Thomas Scott, Nikki Newman), right on. I love Amelia (Heinle, Victoria Newman). She came over to All My Children (as Mia Saunders) for about five minutes years ago. And I love Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea Lawson), who was on All My Children (as Annie Novak). I didn’t seem to have as many successes on that show, although I got some really good people to come in and work on that show at times.”

As Wilson looks back on her decades-long career, she views the Silver Circle recognition as a heartfelt acknowledgement of the journey she’s taken. “I’m absolutely over the moon,” she says. “It makes me feel validated, like I got it right. I take no credit for it; the actor and their talent are what’s winning here. But it was a plethora of fabulous people coming along in those years, and I think that I was lucky enough to snag some of them when they were very young. I really believe it was just great timing all the way around.”

52^nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, Friday, October 17, 7/6c, Watch.theemmys.tv and via The Emmys app