From there, she starred in a few other series like Meego and Figure It Out in the late ’90s before landing her breakout role as Buffy’s sister Dawn Summers in the fifth season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. “I was introduced to the show like, ‘Boom, here I am!’ Take it or leave it, and I hope you take it,” she said of the role in 2014. “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.” Many years later, Trachtenberg joined the chorus of Buffy actors calling out creator Joss Whedon for his inappropriate behavior on set. “While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon,” she wrote in a 2021 Instagram post, sharing that there was a rule that the two were not allowed to be alone in a room together while filming.
After Buffy ended in 2003, Trachtenberg hosted the Discovery Kids ghost story show Truth Or Scare, guest starred on Six Feet Under, House, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and led films like Ice Princess, EuroTrip, and Mysterious Skin. That was all before she showed up as a major character on yet another beloved teen drama, Gossip Girl, in 2007. On the CW series, Trachtenberg played Georgina Sparks, former best friend to Blake Lively’s Serena van der Woodsen. “Georgina is actually my favorite character that I’ve played because she’s such an evil B-I-T-C-H,” Trachtenberg told Entertainment Tonight of the role in 2021. “That was fun.”
Tractenberg’s other credits include Zac Efron film 17 Again, Showtime drama Weeds, and a starring role in medical drama Mercy, among many more. In her final role, Trachtenberg did voiceover work for the documentary Spyral, a film that “captures the heartbreak and complexities of mental illness in America, revealing the hidden struggles that tear families apart.”
Despite the early start, Trachtenberg was always enthusiastic about her work. “I am still excited to be on set. I love what I do. As long as I have that feeling, then I’m gonna stick to it,” she told Collider in 2013. “As long as I’m lucky enough to get projects and keep working, I will always be grateful for it.”
This story has been updated.
