Michelle Trachtenberg had already figured out her life’s calling when she was just a toddler.
Shortly after launching her acting career, Trachtenberg started booking TV commercials and minor television roles.
After her big-screen debut, Trachtenberg stayed firmly planted in the spotlight.
In 2005, the superstar spoke toRadioFreeabout what fuels her career.
“I turned 10 years old on the first day of principal photography of ‘Harriet the Spy.’
Rosie [O’Donnell] was my biggest supporter,” the actor recalled toEntertainment Tonight.
“There was a lot required of me.
I’m extremely grateful for the experience.”
Fortunately for Trachtenberg, she loved growing up in show business.
“I’m very lucky, I didn’t really have pitfalls,” the actor toldHuffPost Livein 2013.
Why would I want to do something to mess it up, to take it all away?"
But it wasn’t all glitz and glamor for the budding actor.
At school, Trachtenberg was bullied by her classmates.
“They were probably waiting for Paris Hilton and I just happened to come out.
I’m really famous.
They need to take my picture.
Sucks for you.'”
Trachtenberg played Dawn Summers, Buffy’s mischievous younger sister.
“When I came to visit, I met with Joss Whedon, who created the show.
I kind of saw how it worked behind the scenes.
Then, later on, I got the call.
It was an exciting process.”
Unfortunately for Trachtenberg, Dawn was a controversial figure in the Buffyverse.
While some fans embraced the character, others felt she was childish, annoying, and unlikeable.
In response to the critics, Trachtenberg defended Dawn.
She went on to note that Dawn’s moodiness was intentional.
“Hi, were you a teenager?
Oh, you were docile, sitting in the corner, doe-eyed and happy to be there?
No,” she said.
“There’s a reason why teenagers have a stigma and that is what Joss wrote.”
She added, “I found TV to be rather stifling, especially ‘Buffy.’
“I wish I stole more things from the magic shop,” she proclaimed.
“Actually, I was texting with Sarah [Michelle Gellar] the other day.
And I was like, ‘Oh, man.
I should have taken a whole bunch of stuff.'”
Considering Dawn’s canonical habit of stealing from the Magic Box, fans were amused by Trachtenberg’s confession.
That’s right Trachtenberg almost beat out Kristen Stewart for the role of the broody vampire-lover.
She ultimately turned down the role because she was already busy with “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
Trachtenberg told Us Weekly that she was perfectly content with having just one vampire drama under her belt.
“I already have Buffy,” she proclaimed.
“I’ve already done the vampire thing.”
In Michelle Trachtenberg’s case, the transition from child star to teen idol was a bit challenging.
“Even at the time, I was like, ‘You’re never gonna get a chance!
So what’s your counter for?'”
After she turned 18, she did take on a few racier roles.
In 2004, she performed a steamy, slow-motion bikini scene in the movie “EuroTrip.”
Reflecting on the experience, Trachtenberg toldEntertainment Weekly, “It was a little stressful.
It was the first time that I’ve ever taken off that much clothing on screen, I mean.
But it was such a funny situation.”
Two years later, Trachtenberg bared her derriere in the film “Beautiful Ohio.”
“It’s really creepy,” she confessed to Complex.
It would take an armyor Martin Scorseseto ever get me naked again.
I am very aware of screen caps.”
To prepare for the role, Trachtenberg had to do a lot more than simply memorize lines.
I had to sort of work my butt off, she toldScreenSlam.
By all accounts, she really worked her butt off.
The training and the multiple injuries she sustained throughout the process paid off.
“I do waltz jumps and I can land a single toe loop, she recalled to Blackfilm.
However, the actor told Entertainment Weekly in 2004 she wasn’t interested in pursuing that path.
“I will not be quitting acting anytime soon, certainly not for ice skating,” she said.
In 2013, the actor showed off her range by starring in the made-for-tv biopic “Killing Kennedy.”
Trachtenberg played Oswald’s wife, a Russian transplant named Marina Oswald.
Trachtenberg also had a special skill that allowed her to forge a personal connection with her character.
Like Marina Oswald, Trachtenberg is fluent in Russian.
The actor learned to speak the language from her mother, who is a Russian immigrant.
In February 2021, Michelle Trachtenberg also spoke out against Whedon.
The actor reposted Gellar’s statement onInstagramwith the caption, “Thank you @sarahmgellar for saying this.
I am brave enough now as a 35 year old woman … To repost this.
In 2010, the actor told Complex that she’d been a victim of body shaming.
“It’s been really hard,” Trachtenberg admitted.
“There are tabloid magazines that call me fat.
That s**t bothers me.”
Despite being hurt by the negative attention, Trachtenberg has always tried her best to ignore the naysayers.
These days, she’s active on Instagram and uses the platform to update fans about her life.
In addition to her onscreen roles, she has also written a few scripts.
Aside from her writing career, Trachtenberg has also dabbled in a few other aspects of show business.
Before that, she also executive produced a webseries called “Guidance.”
The show, which was released on go90, ran for three seasons.
Trachtenberg played a school guidance counselor in the first season.
