Freddie Prinze Jr. Seemingly Disappeared From Hollywood — What Happened to the ‘She’s All That’ Star?
To many pop culture fans who came up in the 1990s, Freddie Prinze Jr. was one of the brightest stars in the entertainment industry. The handsome actor rose to fame in the late ’90s thanks to his roles in a series of teens movies. By the early aughts, Prinze had achieved prominence in Hollywood, not only for his films but also his sweet relationship with wife Sarah Michelle Gellar.
While it seemed like Prinze had what it took to be a high-profile rom-com star, he hasn’t appeared in a movie of that genre since the early 2000s. So, what has the actor been up to all these years? Read on below to find out.
Freddie Prinze Jr. acted in several well-known films in the 1990s
After making his motion picture debut in the romantic drama To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday in 1996, Freddie Prinze Jr. began his rise to fame by appearing in the teen slasher films I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and its sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998).
In 1999, Prinze got his first leading role in the romantic comedy She’s All That. The actor played Zackary Siler, a popular high schooler who bets that he can turn nerdy art student Laney Boggs (Rachael Leigh Cook) into the prom queen. The movie was a commercial success, grossing over $60 million at the box office. It also put Prinze on the map as a rom-com actor.
Prinze went on to star in a series of comedy films in subsequent years, including Down to You (2000), Boys and Girls (2000), Head over Heels (2001), and Summer Catch (2001).
In 2002, the actor starred as Fred Jones in the live-action adaption of Scooby-Doo and reprised the role in the 2004 sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.
Though Prinze’s movie career was on an upward climb, he took a small break from films to get into television. While guest-starring in a series of sitcoms and legal dramas, the actor landed his own television show, titled Freddie. The show was inspired by Prinze’s real life and even depicted actual events he’d experienced over the years. Unfortunately, the sitcom was canceled after one season in May 2006.
Freddie Prinze Jr. doesn’t act much anymore
If you’ve been keeping up with Freddie Prinze Jr. these last few years, then you likely know that he’s taken a backseat to acting. Instead of furthering his acting career, Prinze has been focused on his family and other opportunities such as podcasting and writing.
Though he doesn’t star in big-screen projects anymore, Prinze still acts every now and again. Over the years, the actor has lent his voice to a handful of animated films and video games.
Earlier this year, Prinze joined the cast of the Punky Brewster reboot on Peacock. However, the show was canceled in August 2021 after just one season.
The actor was asked to appear in the ‘She’s All That’ remake
Though Freddie Prinze Jr. hasn’t acted in a romantic comedy in ages, many were hoping that he would return to the film industry for the She’s All That remake He’s All That.
Sadly, the actor didn’t want to take part in the new Netflix film. However, Prinze’s former co-star Racheal Leigh Cook said that he still supports the movie even though he refused to participate.
“We both discussed if he was going to do this one or not,” she told People in May 2021. “It ended up not being a good fit for him, but he and the creative team are behind it are totally cool.”
As for why Prinze turned down the opportunity to appear in the She’s All That reboot, he previously revealed that he’s done with that part of his career.
“I am a full-time father, I live in Los Angeles, and my work has me here,” he told Hello Giggles in 2017. “I won’t leave my family.”
