Dawn of the (un)dead

The Starr Report
By Michael Starr

Michelle Trachtenberg landed the role-of-a-lifetime by simply, well, showing up.

Trachtenberg, who's been cast to play Buffy's sister Dawn in the WB's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," tells TV Guide that she visited the set to say hello to "Buffy" star Sarah Michelle Gellar, with whom Trachtenberg had co-starred in "All My Children."

"Michelle stopped by the set to visit one day and Sarah said that I should read her for Dawn," "Buffy" executive producer Joss Whedon tells TV Guide. "We already had our eye on [another actress], but when Michelle came in and read, it was awesome. It was clear she was the one."