When revisiting a TV show from several decades prior, fans are going to find problems. That's certainly the case with Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which hasn't aged perfectly. Even so, the '90s drama holds a special place in many people's hearts. The show introduced viewers to the incredibly talented Sarah Michelle Gellar and her strong character who deals with routine teenage issues by day and fights scary creatures by night. While Gellar has one of the highest net worths of the Buffy cast, some of the show's actors haven't been quite as successful. That includes Kristine Sutherland, who played Buffy's sweet mom, Joyce Summers.
Kristine Sutherland's most memorable roles include Joyce Summers on Buffy and Mae Thompson in Honey I Shrunk The Kids. Aside from those projects, she hasn't acted as much as fans might expect her to. Here's what Kristine Sutherland has been doing in the years since...
Did Kristine Sutherland Act After Honey I Shrunk The Kids And Buffy The Vampire Slayer?
Every '90s kid remembers Honey I Shrunk The Kids. It turns out that the nostalgic movie was written by a horror screenwriter named Stuart Gordon. When people think about how freaky the movie's plot is, that totally makes sense. Rick Moranis's quirky, intelligent character Wayne Szalinski ends up turning his children into miniature versions of themselves. Kristine Sutherland's character Mae Thompson is the mother of two children who Rick also shrinks.
After Honey I Shrunk The Kids was released in 1989, Sutherland starred in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. She appeared in 58 episodes from 1997 to 2002. After that point, she didn't act very much.
Sutherland starred in a handful of movies, including The Perfect Wedding in 2012, Russian Doll in 2016, and The Cat Returns in 2005. She was cast in a few TV shows, although nothing that matched her role on Buffy. Sutherland starred in one episode of New Amsterdam in 2008, one episode of Providence in 2002, and four episodes of One Life To Live in 2010 and 2011. Her last TV role was in one episode of the horror series The Following in 2013.
Why did Kristine Sutherland stop acting after the 2016 short film Are You Afraid Of The '90s?
The actress hasn't explained why she hasn't acted in several years. It's possible that she earned enough money from Buffy The Vampire Slayer that she felt fine only taking on a few roles after the show wrapped up.
Even though fans haven't seen her onscreen in years, Kristine Sutherland appreciates the projects that she has been part of. Sutherland participated in a Reddit AMA and answered many questions about Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
She praised Joyce for being a solo parent and noted that this type of character isn't always seen on TV. She said, "I loved playing Joyce as she was a single mom and my mom was a single mom. It was wonderful to have Joss give me the opportunity to play a mother in such a fresh and different way on television."
She also called starring on Buffy "a tremendous gift" and said, "As an actor you hope that you can reflect the human condition and that in the doing of it, you touch people." The actress definitely made a memorable impression on fans. When Joyce passed away in season 5, it was horrible. Fans still remember feeling super emotional while watching this scene.
The actress also loved starring in Honey I Shrunk The Kids. In an interview with Fanfest.com, Sutherland talked about the movie with her co-star Matt Frewer, who played Mae Thompson's husband Big Russ Thompson.
She shared that the movie was originally called The Groundlings and she couldn't tell if it would be a hit. She said, "I just remember thinking, ‘Oh, The Groundlings. I don’t know. Doesn’t sound good, but I’m sure we’ll have a really fun time doing it."
What Is Kristine Sutherland Doing Now?
Kristine Sutherland doesn't have much of a public profile anymore. She doesn't have an Instagram account and hasn't given any recent interviews. It's hard for fans to know what she is doing now.
While it has been several years since her last acting role, it sounds like she hasn't turned her back on the industry forever.
In 2019, Sutherland was interviewed by Trainwreckdsociety.com. When asked about what she was up to, she explained that she takes a calm and flexible approach to her career.
Sutherland said, "One of the great things about being an actor is that life unfolds in chapters. You go from show to show, and also experience to experience. I have been fortunate to be able to do this with my life."
Sutherland explained that she has another artistic hobby: photography. She said, "However I don’t define my self exclusively as an actor. I have worked as an actor, but also as a photographer. I love to document ordinary things in photographs and interviews because time passes and these stories turn into history."
The actress also explained to Trainwreckdsociety.com that she moved to Italy. This explains why she hasn't acted in several years.
She said, "Currently I am living in Italy full time. I am learning how to garden, to plant with the moon, eat what is in season and haul firewood to heat my house with a wood stove. I feel honored to be with people here I have known and loved for 20 years and I want to pass on their family history to the younger generation. Who knows what the next chapter will be?"
It's possible that Kristine Sutherland is still in Italy. It's also possible to guess that she spends a lot of time with her family. She married John Pankow in 1986. He is also an actor who starred in movies The Secret of My Success, To Live And Die In L.A., Life as a House, and The Object Of My Affection. He is most famous for playing Ira Buchman on the '90s sitcom Mad About You. Sutherland and Pankow have a daughter named Eleanore Pankow.
If Kristine Sutherland decides to come back to acting, Buffy The Vampire Slayer fans will be happy to see what projects she takes on. But if that doesn't happen, it sounds like is content.
