Why Sarah Michelle Gellar Was Sued By This Fast Food Chain as a Child

The actress says she was named in a McDonald's lawsuit when she was only five years old.

Sarah Michelle Gellar is looking back at a time in her life when she was wrapped up in some legal drama, which happened to be early on in her childhood.

The actress, now 45, recently sat down with Buzzfeed UK to discuss some of her most iconic roles, including a Burger King commercial that she says landed her in some legal hot water.

After starring in the fast food chain's campaign as a young girl, Gellar ended up getting sued by McDonald's, even though she was only five years old.

"This is really funny," she said of the situation. "I was the first person to say another competitor's name in a job, and so McDonald's turned around and sued the advertising agency, Burger King, and me at 5."

While she said "banned is a strong word," the Buffy the Vampire Slayer star previously revealed in a 2004 interview that she wasn't allowed to eat at McDonald's during the lawsuit since she was specifically named. "It was tough because, when you're a little kid, McDonald's is where all your friends have their birthday parties, so I missed out on a lot of apple pies."

But the lawsuit wasn't the only memorable part of the experience, as Gellar told Buzzfeed UK, "What I really remember was that I didn't eat a lot of fast food at the time, and when we were there, I just wanted a burger. I was so excited because my mom said that I could have the burger."

"And what I learned on that day is that when they make the burgers for commercials, they glue each seed on it to make it look all perfect and beautiful, and then they shellac it, and they paint it," she explained, while telling the camera, "You guys, TV is not real."

It's unclear what ended up happening with the lawsuit, but hopefully by now, Gellar is able to enjoy a McDonald's burger every once in a while.