By STEPHANIE McGRATH
AllPop

"Buffy The Vampire Slayer" star Amber Benson is best known for playing a sensitive witch and girlfriend to fellow witch Willow (Alyson Hannigan). But the 24-year-old actress has more on her plate than spells and staking.

Amber, whose previous acting credits include a role in the Alicia Silverstone thriller "The Crush" and the gossip-ridden "Don's Plum" with Leonardo DiCaprio, is branching out beyond acting and into writing and directing.

Talking to AllPop from the "Buffy" set, Amber leaked a few details about her ambitious pet project, "Chance".

"I'm actually putting together this thing that I wrote that I'm going to direct and star in," she says. "We're going to shoot that in March and April. It's kind of my take on relationships in the year 2000 and how difficult it is to find somebody that you connect with."

According to Amber, "Buffy" mastermind Joss Whedon is "really excited" about her movie, which will be shot on digital video. She's also getting support from her TV castmates, who plan to help her fill some of the parts.

"Some of the cast from 'Buffy' are taking roles," she says, "and a lot of my friends that are actors are taking different parts. I don't want to jinx it by talking about it too much, but it's really cool."

In addition to "Chance" Tara also has a role in "The Prime Gig" which will be released this year.

That film, which also stars Vince Vaughn, Julia Ormond and Ed Harris, casts Amber as an off-the-wall character named Batgirl.

"She's a 17-year-old telemarketer and she likes to hit people over the head, figuratively, with her mouth and make them buy stuff from her on the phone," Amber explains. "So they call her Bat Girl, 'cause she hits them over the head like a bat."

Amber will also star in an independent film titled "Hollywood P.A." scheduled for release this year. Amber's role in "Hollywood" was written especially for her by a friend.

Although Amber's busy with numerous film projects, "Buffy" is never far from her mind. In order to keep herself in tune with her character and the show's fans, she just co-wrote a Willow & Tara comic book for Dark Horse Comics with Christopher Golden, the author of several books and "Buffy" and "Angel" comics.

Check AllPop on March 9 for a special Q & A with Amber about her work on "Buffy The Vampire Slayer".

Photo Courtesy of: TM & Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

'Buffy's' Amber Benson talks about Leo movie