Freddie Prinze Jr. Explains Why Making 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Was a 'Miserable' Experience
Freddie Prinze Jr. says that he had a “miserable” experience filming the movie I Know What You Did Last Summer and that he almost quit the project during production.
It has been more than 25 years since the movie was released and Freddie, 47, is opening up about the film for his new podcast That Was Pretty Scary.
The first episode of the podcast is dedicated to the movie and he opened up about the movie in a new interview with TooFab, including details about his clash with director Jim Gillespie.
Keep reading to find out more…
“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,” Freddie said.
“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,’” Freddie added. “So when that’s your first job and you hear those words, it just wrecks you, man. It just wrecks you.”
Freddie said that the studio and writer Kevin Williamson fought for him to have the role.
“So, when I did have those moments where 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 ass. Like those were the only two options in my head,” Freddie said.
Freddie talked about his on-set bond with Ryan Phillippe, who he hasn’t stayed in touch with.
“I remember Ryan came up to me and was like, ‘Screw that guy, man. How many times did you audition for this movie?’ and I go, ‘Five times,’ he goes, ‘Yeah, you earned it. You didn’t get offered the role, you earned it. There were less people every single time time you went and then it was just you. Remember what booked you this role. Screw his notes. Any note he gives you just say, ‘Okay, and do what you want to do.’ He was the first person to say that to me,” Freddie said.
He continued, “It was very difficult waking up in the morning — or in the afternoon, because we shot a lot of nights — and go to work with the right attitude. Because I knew the moment we got on to set for rehearsal, I was either going to be Mr. Pay No Mind, which would be where he would give everyone notes before we shot anything or before we rehearsed, except me. 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 crap? I just don’t understand.”
On the podcast, Freddie explained why he almost quit the movie after a “near death experience” making the motorboat scene for the 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,” Freddie told TooFab. “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. I packed my bags that night. I was just gonna quit the business.”
Following I Know What You Did Last Summer, Jim Gillespie hasn’t made any major films.
Freddie has also opened up about the movie’s upcoming reboot and if he will be part of the project.