Jenni 'JWoww' Farley Says Sarah Michelle Gellar Was the Reason She Took Martial Arts as a Kid: 'She Shaped My Whole Childhood' (Exclusive)

Young Jenni “JWoww” Farley was ready to help slay vampires with Buffy Summers.

The Jersey Shore star spoke exclusively with PEOPLE at the premiere Dexter: Original Sin on Thursday, December 11, in New York. The 38-year-old TV personality revealed that one of the stars of the upcoming Paramount+ series was a big influence on her childhood: Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Gellar, 47, has a special guest role in Dexter prequel series and appeared in the premiere. Farley admitted to PEOPLE that he Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the shape of a star [her] entire childhood.”

“She’s the reason I got into martial arts,” the MTV star said before admitting she knew how to carve roles like Gellar’s famous character, Buffy. “I swore the vampire would come out.”

Farley added that she has met the actress once before, but hopes to meet her again because it “would be a dream come true.”

Jenni “JWoww” Farley on December 11, 2024 in New York, New York.

Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty

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In addition to being a fan of Gellar, Farley told PEOPLE that she’s a “huge fan” of the original Dexter series, which aired on Showtime from 2006 to 2013. The eight-season series starred Michael C. Hall as a forensic blood spray technician with the secret life of an avenging serial killer.

“I was watching it in real time, and then I fell in love with it, obviously,” she told PEOPLE.

She also introduced her fiancé Zack Clayton Carpinello and actress Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi to the series. “Nicole became a superfan,” she said.

Farley revealed that Polizzi, 37, was unable to attend the premiere and wanted to ensure she didn’t get spoilers, so she left the group chat with Farley. “She was so angry,” Farley said. “[She said,] ‘Hi, I don’t know any spoilers.’ ”

Sarah Michelle Gellar stars in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

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Gellar, best known for her role as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, stars in the new Dexter series as Tanya Martin, head of CSI at a Miami Metro police station and Dexter’s new boss as a forensics intern.

PEOPLE previously reported in June that casting Gellar, as well as stars Christian Slater and Patrick Dempsey, was a deliberate decision by network executives to help “capture” the 1990s era in which the show is set. They chose actors who appeared in famous projects during that decade and who are still stars today.

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Sarah Michelle Gellar in New York, December 11, 2024.

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty

Slater, 55, plays Dexter’s father Harry, and Dempsey, 58, plays Miami homicide captain Aaron Spencer. Patrick Gibson stars as Dexter Morgan as he “transitions from college student to vigilante serial killer,” according to the official synopsis.

“When his bloodthirsty urges can no longer be ignored, Dexter must learn to channel his inner darkness,” reads the synopsis. “With his father’s guidance, Harry adopts a Code designed to help him find and kill people who deserve to be eliminated from society without getting on the radar of law enforcement. This is a special challenge for young Dexter as he begins his forensics internship with the Miami Police Department.”

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Dexter: Original Sin premieres on Paramount+ with Showtime on Friday, December 13th, and new episodes will air every Friday until January 31st.

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Source: HIS Education