Michelle Trachtenberg Was Set to Make Appearance at SXSW Before Her Death ArticlePure

Michelle Trachtenberg was set to make a return to the public eye before her sudden death at 39.

Jennifer Hutchins, the producer of Trachtenberg’s final film Spyral, confirms to PEOPLE that the actress was scheduled to appear at an upcoming benefit screening of the documentary at the 2025 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas, on March 12.

Hutchins shares that the Gossip Girl alum was either going to attend in person or virtually “depending on her health.” Adding, “There was no public announcement planned as we knew it would be a last minute decision if she was up for it.”

Trachtenberg completed her voice work for Spyral in 2021, which included reading from the diary of filmmaker Randall White’s wife Michelle Cody White, who had undiagnosed bipolar depression prior to her death, according to TMZ, who was first report the news of Trachtenberg’s planned appearance. The release of the film was delayed to last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the filmmakers are now hoping to find a wide distribution deal.

“I am so saddened by the loss of Michelle,” Hutchins shares in statement to PEOPLE. “I really saw her as a leader for mental health awareness once this film came out. She was so connected to this story and the late Michelle Cody White. I could really tell it hit her in her own heart as she took breaks during the voice over recordings to wipe her tears away as she was giving her everything to the moment. When you watch this movie, you can hear the real trembling in Michelle’s voice as she was reading excerpts from Michelle Cody White’s diaries and journals.”

“Michelle just felt very sweet and easy to talk to,” she adds. “She was telling me about how much she loved her cat and sharing funny stories. She just one of those people that you felt like you instantly knew like an old friend.”

Hutchins hopes others share stories of Trachtenberg, whom she says was an “amazing person,” rather than focus on her “health problems.”

“She’s such an inspiration and an amazing actress and contributed so much to the world,” she concludes.

The live streaming event taking place during SXSW will support mental health charities including the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Save Our Stories, according to the event’s website. Save Our Stories has a new program that pairs social impact films with social impact organizations which promotes mental health awareness and encourages people to get help early.

TMZ reported that the filmmakers will now also honor Trachtenberg at the event, which is set to take place two weeks after her death.

A SXSW spokesperson did not immediately return PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Trachtenberg — who recently had undergone a liver transplant — was found dead in New York City on Wednesday, Feb. 26. The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE on Feb. 27 that the actress’ family objected to an autopsy, meaning that her cause of death would be ruled “undetermined.”

The appearance would have marked a return to the spotlight for Trachtenberg, who had been living under the radar prior to her death. A friend of the actress previously told PEOPLE Trachtenberg had taken “a step away from Hollywood” in recent years, adding, “She just had the story of childhood stardom. She had a couple roles throughout the last decade, but nothing of real note.”

“She really pulled back from Hollywood [in] the last eight years,” the insider noted of Trachtenberg, who reprised Georgina Sparks on Max’s Gossip Girl reboot in 2023. “She was a great girl who just never got her footing, just like many childhood stars.”

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The source added the Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum “was a recluse [and] didn’t have many friends.”

“She was an overall great girl. She was always kind, supportive and loving,” the friend added. “It’s so sad. It really is. She was an amazing person.”

A separate source told PEOPLE that Trachtenberg had been “really really down emotionally” and had “told friends she was struggling” in the last year. “She was really, really sick and open with those in her circle about how much she was struggling,” the source said.