Chemistry lessons

Sarah Michelle Gellar

TV hit: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997-2003)

Rom-com debut: “Simply Irresistible” (1999)

Hot or not: Not. Gellar was hilarious and generated strong chemistry with a succession of love interests on TV, but her kitchen-set celluloid love story was skewered by critics and flopped at the box office. A second attempt at the genre—“Suburban Girl,” co-starring Alec Baldwin—premieres on DVD Jan. 15. She’s fared much better with campy drama (“Cruel Intentions”) and spooky thrills (“The Ring”).

Up next: More horror. “Possession,” a thriller co-starring Lee Pace (“Pushing Daisies”), opens in February.