Posted in: CW, Hulu, TV | Tagged: buffy, buffy the vampire slayer

Buffy: Sarah Michelle Gellar Honors Michelle Trachtenberg in New Post

"Buffy" star Sarah Michelle Gellar marked the one-year anniversary of Michelle Trachtenberg's passing with a beautiful and touching post.

One year ago today, the heartbreaking and tragic news hit that Michelle Trachtenberg had died at the age of 39. Over the course of her career, Trachtenberg would make the transition from child actor to adult actor, amassing an impressive filmography along the way. But in terms of pop culture impact, fans of Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer will always remember Trachtenberg as Georgina Sparks and Dawn Summers, respectively. When it came to "Buffy," Trachtenberg had the unenviable task of joining the hit ensemble series at the start of its fifth season – and as Buffy Summers' (Sarah Michelle Gellar) sister, no less.

It was a role that carried a ton of responsibility with it, with Dawn being introduced as if she had been part of the "Scooby Gang" all along – and as if Buffy always had a sister. Before long, we learned the truth behind Dawn's existence – with Trachtenberg delivering a range of feelings and emotions that matched the confusion and heartbreak Dawn was experiencing. Even after Dawn's backstory was revealed and the day was saved, it was Trachtenberg who kept us tuning in to see where Dawn's journey would eventually take her. Earlier today, Geller took to social media to mark the one-year anniversary of Trachtenberg's passing with a reminder of just how much her time with Trachtenberg meant over the years.

"I'm not sure how it's been a year. I'm one of the lucky ones who has over 30 years of memories with you," Gellar began the caption to her Instagram post, which also included an image gallery of memories with Trachtenberg. "From our first day on set together, to less than a year later, when you were already taller than me. But I first worked with on 'All My Children.' I watched you become a star with 'Harriet.' You were great to my kids. Countless kids bdays you attended even though I'm sure you had somewhere cooler to be. But most of all, when I think of you, that smile that took up your entire face and brought so much joy to others is what comes to mind. You may not have been with us long enough, but we will make sure everyone remembers." Here's a look at Gellar's post:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Michelle Trachtenberg on Dawn's Development

"I was introduced to the show like, 'Boom, here I am!' Take it or leave it, and I hope you take it," Trachtenberg shared with the BBC during a 2014 interview, explaining how she was introduced to the character of Dawn Summers and how she developed the role. "Dawn was introduced as Buffy's sister, and she's just a regular teenage girl, she has her opinions on the world and all that. I never like to think ahead to the end of the season, 'Oh, will I be coming back,' because if you're thinking too much about the technicalities of what you do, you can't really put all the creative ingredients into what you're doing now. That was a big thing for me especially playing Dawn, because I didn't know that much about her at all."

After meeting with the series creator, Trachtenberg realized that she would be carrying the weight when it came to fleshing out Dawn. Thankfully, being a fan of the series made the process easier for her. "What really helped and was very lucky was the fact that I was such a huge fan of the show that I understood how things were going to play out. Not that I knew what was going to happen during the course of the season, but I could guess," Trachtenberg shared. "It was really interesting to see all the hardships Dawn goes through, because even though she has this secret, she still has to play out her life like a regular teenage girl. She has to go to school, she has to do her chores and homework, she has to keep her room clean."

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