Freddie Prinze Jr. nearly QUIT acting after 'psychotic' experience shooting IKWYDLS with Jennifer Love Hewitt

Daily Mail​

8 hours ago

Freddie Prinze Jr. revealed his experience filming I Know What You Did Last Summer was so excruciating that he considered walking away from Hollywood altogether.
As a legacy sequel is set to hit theaters on July 18, an interview the actor had with TooFab back in 2023 has now resurfaced where he revealed that he almost quit over tension between himself and the 1997 slasher's director, Jim Gillespie.
Despite becoming a teen idol after landing the movie and meeting his future wife, Sarah Michelle Gellar, on set, the Los Angeles native admitted he was almost pushed out of his role of Ray Bronson.
'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,' Prinze Jr. claimed.
He continued: '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,' the father-of-two recalled.
He explained his co-stars, Ryan Phillippe, and Gellar comforted him at his breaking point.
'The director was giving me psychotic notes, like 'Don't leave your mouth open. You look stupid when you do that' - that was the exact note, word for word, I'll never forget it - and I'm like, I'm either gonna break down or I have to beat this guy's a**,' Prinze Jr. said. 'Like those were the only two options in my head.'
As he considered resorting to physical violence, Prinze Jr. revealed Phillippe reminded him he 'earned' his part and to 'remember what booked you this role.'
'He made it a point to single me out every time, would bring the other actors together without me, and give them all notes. And I'm like, well was he just trying to do some method c**p? I just don't understand,' the star remembered.
In addition to allegedly butting heads with the director, Prinze Jr. said he suffered a terrifying 'near death experience' on set while filming a scene on a motorboat for the film's finale.
'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 yo, if I'm not wanted here, screw it,' he said.
At the time, Prinze Jr. recalled that he 'dropped out of Le Cordon Bleu to make this movie' and considered being a chef, like his mother wanted him to be.
'I packed my bags that night. I was just gonna quit the business,' he confessed.
Finally, Prinze Jr. said a producer stepped in and convinced him to stay.
'I wanted to fight that guy two or three different times. Once I felt was a legitimate reason, and the other two I was just p**sed off, which, that's not right. I'm glad everybody talked me down,' he said.
Despite the challenges, the actor stressed that he is 'not upset' because that movie 'launched' his 'whole career.'
'I wouldn't have any of the things I have without that movie, I wouldn't have my wife, I wouldn't have all the other movies I've done, I wouldn't have this podcast. We wouldn't be doing this interview. I'm here because of that struggle and because of that pain and it was those things,' Prinze Jr. raved.
He added: 'It was a struggle to finish work every day, I was in pain every single day on that movie.
'However, it prepared me for this business in a way - it sounds weird to say this - I'm forever grateful for Jim for being such an a**hole because I've never met one like that since.'
Freddie concluded, 'I've been prepared for every lesser A-hole in the business. And I'm sure he's a hero in someone else's story. I'm sure he helped someone else out and they loved him. But for me, he took a lot of frustration out on me.
'He was a first time director, he didn't have a lot of time, he didn't have the budget he wanted, he didn't have the actor he wanted, and he didn't know how to deal with that frustration.'
I Know What You Did Last Summer ended up being a success at the box office and raked in $125.3 million on a budget of $17 million.
Freddie - who plays the character of Ray in the slasher franchise - also reprised his role in the 1998 sequel, with Jennifer Love Hewitt also returning.
After appearing in the movie, the actor further jumped into the spotlight by starring in other projects such as She's All That (1999) and Scooby-Doo (2002).
Last year, he additionally took on a leading role in the thriller titled The Girl In The Pool.
The latest sequel in the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise hits theaters on Friday, July 18 - with Prinze Jr. returning alongside Hewitt. Sarah Michelle Gellar also reportedly has a brief cameo.
Other cast members include Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers and Sarah Pidgeon.
During an interview with Us Weekly this week, Freddie opened up about why he decided to return to the franchise.
'I was very hesitant to jump back in for a multitude of reasons,' the actor admitted. 'Some were creative, because I wasn't the same guy so I didn't know what kind of character they were gonna want.'
He continued, 'I was worried they wouldn't put much growth into it. So, I didn't have any interest.'
But when Jennifer Kaytin Robinson - the writer and director of the new movie - reached out to him, his viewpoint was altered.
'There was so much thought into what [Julie and Ray] had gone through, trauma wise, and how they both dealt with it differently, that it gave them great motivations in the movie,' he said of both his and Hewitt's characters.
'It's an interesting look at their relationship and where they're at now and how they handle this new situation in their own unique ways.'
Prinze Jr. also ensured fans that his role in the film and Jennifer's are more than just 'cameos.'
The star said, 'I don't want people to think they're getting screwed and just like, 'Oh, they're only gonna be in one scene.' It's not like that. They took great care of these characters...'
Earlier this week on Monday, Freddie and his wife Sarah were seen attending the premiere of I Know What You Did Last Summer in Los Angeles.
The couple - who tied the knot in 2002 - cozied up on the red carpet as the actor was dapper in a dark navy suit.
The Buffy The Vampire Slayer actress put on a leggy display in a stylish minidress that was made of floral details.