Sarah Michelle Gellar

Sarah Michelle Gellar, star of the upcoming supernatural horror film The Grudge, told SCI FI Wire that she and co-star Jason Behr just returned from nearly two weeks of reshoots in Tokyo on the remake of the hit Japanese horror movie Ju-On to fill in backstory on their two American characters. "It wasn’t really reshoots; it was more added scenes," Gellar said in an interview at Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 24. "It was adding a new element to it. It was an actor’s dream. ... As an actor you’re like, ’Why am I here? What’s my backstory?’ And no one cares about that. ... But what they actually did was give us a more extensive backstory, which I think always makes you root for people more. We also got to show a lot more of Tokyo, which was great. Except that when we shot the film [the first time], it was winter. Anyone been to Tokyo in the summer? It was minimum 100 degrees every day and 100 percent humidity in winter clothing. It was great to show more of the city, [but] it didn’t feel very good to show more of the city."

Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) plays Karen, an American nursing student in Tokyo; Behr (Roswell) plays her boyfriend, Doug. The two find themselves caught up in horrific events linked to a Tokyo house and a curse passed on from those who died there. Gellar said that the remake-which is produced by Sam Raimi’s production company, but directed by the same Japanese helmer who created the original Japanese film, Takashi Shimizu-will up the ante of the original movie. "Everything is going to be heightened a little bit," she said. "Even just in general, because obviously we use different lenses and different film stock, so it was also for very technical reasons. Also, just to change it from what people have seen."

But, Gellar added, the English-language remake will remain true to the original movie’s spirit. "I got to take one person to see this very rough cut. ... And she was so genuinely freaked out that she said to me afterwards, ’You know what that was like? I feel like I just saw a Japanese film, and I didn’t need subtitles.’ ... To me, that’s the biggest compliment anyone could bring. The whole reason for doing this was to be part of something different. This is the first time a Japanese film has been re-made for American audiences using the original Japanese director. There’s an honor and a pride that comes with that, but also a pressure. So I truly think we achieved that. Yes, there are going to be things that are a little bit more American, just because this was made for American and European audiences. But the spirit and the heart and the soul, I think, is truly Japanese." The Grudge, which is in post-production, is slated for release Oct. 22.