"Buffy"'s vampy nemesis is ready to fight. Clare Kramer reveals why she's TV's most glamorous hellspawn

by Liane Bonin

Whoever said demons lack chic hasn't been watching the WB's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (Tuesday, 8 p.m). As Glory, Buffy's latest nemesis, Clare Kramer -- best known as the smug cheerleader Courtney in this year's teen comedy "Bring It On" -- adds some scary flair to her role as a pouty, coiffed villain who can rip through solid steel without mussing her designer duds. On Tuesday's episode, Glory goes head to head with Buffy, who's protecting the Key, a mystical energy embodied by Buffy's ersatz sister, Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg). EW.com talked with Kramer about her bratty character and why she's keeping her fingers crossed for a "Buffy"/ "Angel" crossover.

Can you give us any hints about the trouble you're stirring up?
Glory is going to make a little progress in attaining what she's been looking for, and you're going to see a really great scene between her and Buffy. But I really can't say anything more, which is the typical "Buffy" answer.

So how do you get into character playing a demoness in high heels whose temper tantrums can destroy entire buildings?
I broke her down as someone who was pretty angry and felt like she didn't fit in. I think there are things in her life that are missing, which she's trying to attain. So I took it from the more human aspect. I did research on demons and demigods, but there's no one to tell you how they feel, so I had to make my own interpretation and tweak it for the character.

For such a rotten villain, your character certainly has a cute name. What's up with that?
Oh, you'll find out my full name in this week's episode. Glory is a shortened version.

Which is tougher: cheerleading or fighting in heels?
Cheerleading, I would have to say. Learning the routines for "Bring It On" was pretty crazy. I have a whole new respect for cheerleaders. There are a ton of dance moves on top of the cheering on top of the stunts, so it's really intense just to do a three minute routine.

You costarred with Eliza Dushku (of both "Buffy" and "Angel") in "Bring It On." Did she give you any tips?
Eliza's one of my best friends, so when I found out I was going to read for Joss [Whedon, creator of "Buffy"], I called her up and said, "Guess whaaaaat?" It's been really fun because she's given me a heads up as to what I can expect on the show. But now that she's done the "Buffy"/ "Angel" crossover and she's in jail on "Angel," we powwowed a couple of days ago and said, "Wouldn't it be cool if I busted you out of jail and we went after Buffy together?"

Most of the monsters on "Buffy" look a little grungy. Why do you get to be such a stylish demon?
I think Glory is so bored being on earth she's trying to make the best of it. For some reason, she's trapped here, so her way of dealing with it is to have the best of everything. It's a little fetish of hers, based on the habits of mortals.

How are you adapting to all the action sequences?
I have to train for a couple of hours before we shoot the fight sequences, while Sarah [Michelle Gellar] is so good at it, she learns the fight right when we're shooting. But I did accidentally punch one of Buffy's stunt doubles. She forgave me, but I gave her two black eyes, which I didn't realize until I came back to the set a week later. I saw her and thought she just needed to get more sleep until the makeup artist asked her, "How are your black eyes?" Luckily, she was very nice about it, and she's now training with my boxing teacher.

As the new bad girl on the show, which member of Buffy's Scooby gang would you most like to pummel?
Oh, I'm pretty open to punishing everyone.