‘It’s Nice to Know a Secret’ (Exclusive)

Warning: This post contains spoilers for the new I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel, in theaters now.

Sarah Michelle Gellar found a way to revisit her I Know What You Did Last Summer character in the new sequel, despite having met her demise in the 1997 original.

Gellar, 48, claimed in October 2024 that she was not returning for the latest installment, which is directed by her real-life friend, Do Revenge director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. “I am dead,” she explained, referring to her character Helen Shivers’ brutal death at the hands of the Fisherman killer.

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress even got in a little trouble when she posted a photo from the film’s set in Australia, where husband Freddie Prinze Jr. was filming his return as Ray in the sequel. Gellar again denied she would pop up on screen.

Surprise — Gellar does have a cameo in the film. When Madelyn Cline’s character Danica falls asleep at the police station, she has a dream in which Shivers taunts her in the full Croaker Queen costume.

Director Robinson tells PEOPLE, “As a super fan of this franchise, I was never not going to put Helen Shivers in the movie. And I didn’t lie — she is dead.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“We wanted to bring Madelyn and Sarah together on screen, and I’m so excited about the results. I feel like it’s just so fun,” says the filmmaker. “We recreated the Croaker Queen crown. That is an exact replica of the crown from the original movie. I really went for it in trying to create this David Lynch-y Helen Shivers dream sequence.”

Returning producer Neal H. Moritz, who worked with Gellar on the 1997 film and 1999’s Cruel Intentions, says Gellar always “told me, ‘I am never coming back. I’m never coming back.’ ” But “then she knows [director] Jenn very well and they talked about it.”

“I think the idea that the way we were able to bring her back without bringing her alive was great,” he says. “I think a lot of times, and I’ve been guilty of it before, is we bring too many dead people back. But we could bring her back without making her alive, which is why I respected that.”

Prinze, 49, obviously “knew from jump” the cameo was going to happen, since he’s married to Gellar. (The pair, also costars from the Scooby-Doo films, wed in 2002 and share two kids.)

“We were all really excited for audiences to get to see that and get a little bit of extra love that they weren’t expecting,” he says.

“It’s nice to know a secret, and to know how well-received it’s going to be, months and months before it ever goes out there. To hear the reaction that people have had, because I know some other people that have seen it, they’re all like, ‘Oh, my God, you didn’t tell me! That was the best.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, it was the best one. Everybody always loves her.’ To give people another taste of that, I just think was awesome. I’m glad everyone made it happen.”

After attending the Los Angeles premiere’s red carpet, Gellar wrote on Instagram, “Still can’t believe …… years later (no need to date myself) I got to walk the red carpet at another premiere of @ikwydlsmovie Still starring the most handsome man I know @realfreddieprinze but this time directed by my best friend @jennkaytin and written by Jenn and @samlansky. I love this movie sooooo much and this cast.”

I Know What You Did Last Summer is in theaters now.