Freddie Prinze Jr. rose to fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s, thanks to his charming performances in iconic films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), She’s All That (1999), and Scooby-Doo (2002) solidifying his status as a heartthrob and teen idol. He is also known for voicing Kanan Jarrus in the Disney XD series Star Wars Rebels.
The actor once revealed that his most iconic film, I Know What You Did Last Summer, was a nightmare to work in. The actor had trouble working with Jim Gillespie, the director of the movie, mainly because Gillespie didn’t want him in the movie but had to agree under pressure. Not only this, but a near-death experience almost forced Prinze Jr. to quit acting forever.
Also read: James Gunn’s $275M Scooby-Doo Movie Originally Cast Jim Carrey as Shaggy, Was Rated R
Freddie Prinze Jr. had a tough time working in I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
In March 2023, actor Freddie Prinze Jr. appeared for an interview with TooFab and revealed that 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer was a nightmare for him because of the conflicts between him and the director, Jim Gillespie,
“It’s not that we weren’t on the same page, I knew what the correct choices were for the Ray character. He wanted a different actor, a really good actor named Jeremy Sisto, who I know and I like and respect very very much,” adding, “I’ll give the man this, I think his name is Jim, he made no bones about it. There was no passive aggressiveness – which I hate – he was very direct in the fact that, ‘I don’t want you in this movie.’ So when that’s your first job and you hear those words, it just wrecks you, man. It just wrecks you.”
Gillespie wanted actor Jeremy Sisto to play the role of Ray Bronson, however, the studio and writer Kevin Williamson wanted Prinze Jr. to play the role, so Gillespie eventually had to agree.
Freddie Prinze Jr. almost quit acting because of a near-death experience
While filming the final scene of the Horror/Slasher, the actor came very close to dying on the motorboat. At that point, he was done with the movie as he recalled,
“I almost caught a flight and went home. I was done. I had enough. They had broken a ton of union stuff that they shouldn’t have, like union rules. All kinds of things. And I just felt like if I’m not wanted here, screw it. There’s other things I can do. I dropped out of Le Cordon Bleu to make this movie. I’ll go be a chef, that’s what my mom wanted me to be anyways,” adding, “I wanted to fight that guy [Jim Gillespie] two or three different times.”
Despite the troubles, I Know What You Did Last Summer made Prinze Jr. a household name. The film grossed over $125 million worldwide on a budget of $17 million and remained at the number 1 spot at the U.S. box office for three consecutive weeks.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) is available for streaming on hulu.
Source: TooFab
