Freddie Prinze Jr. nearly walked away from the “I Know What You Did Last Summer” franchise foreverâuntil one director’s pitch completely changed his mind.
The 49-year-old actor initially had zero interest in reprising his role as Ray Bronson in the new sequel, despite the character having helped launch his Hollywood career nearly three decades ago. His reluctance stemmed from genuine concerns about how the filmmakers would handle the returning characters and whether the project would offer meaningful storytelling or simply capitalize on nostalgia.
“I was very hesitant to jump back in for a multitude of reasons. Some were creative, because I wasn’t the same guy so I didn’t know what kind of character they were gonna want,” Prinze Jr. explained to Us Weekly. “I was worried they wouldn’t put much growth into it. So, I didn’t have any interest.”
Recent history justified his skepticism. The franchise had struggled in recent years, as the 2006 direct-to-video third film featured none of the original cast, and Prime Video canceled its 2021 series after just one season. Prinze Jr. had also experienced creative conflicts during the original 1997 film, clashing with director Jim Gillespie on set.
Given this history, Prinze Jr. prepared himself to politely decline any offers to return to the role. However, director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s approach proved impossible to resist, transforming his firm “no” into an enthusiastic “yes.”
The Pitch That Changed Everything
Robinson, who co-wrote and directed the new film, knew she faced an uphill battle convincing Prinze Jr. to return. Her strategy involved acknowledging his likely reluctance while presenting a vision that addressed his concerns about character development and meaningful storytelling.
“And then my friend Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who cowrote and directed the movie, said, ‘I know you’re gonna say no, but let me just pitch you my version of this movie.’ And she put so much thought and so much soul into Julie and Ray,” Prinze Jr. shared with the outlet.
Robinson’s pitch focused extensively on how the traumatic events from the original film would have affected Ray and Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) over the decades. Rather than treating them as unchanged characters frozen in time, she explored how each would have processed and coped with their shared trauma differently.
“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,” Prinze Jr. explained. “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.”
The depth of Robinson’s character analysis impressed Prinze Jr. before she had even written the full script. “Once I kind of heard that, before the script was even written, I was like, ‘Wow, [Jen’s] idea is really, really good.’ She had some really cool [expletive] in there,” he said.
Ensuring Meaningful Screen Time
Another crucial factor in Prinze Jr.’s decision was Robinson’s commitment to making Ray and Julie integral to the story rather than superficial cameos designed to attract nostalgic fans. He wanted assurance that their involvement would be meaningful.
“They’re not just cameos in the movie. They’re major characters,” he emphasized. “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.”
The new film follows five friends who find themselves stalked by a mysterious killer after causing a deadly car accident one year prior. When Ray and Julie realize history may be repeating itself, they become crucial to solving the mystery while confronting their own unresolved trauma.
Robinson’s approach promised to explore how the past continues to influence the present, examining themes of guilt, survival, and healing that resonated with Prinze Jr.’s desire for storytelling with substance.
Prinze Jr. noted that Julie and Ray are coping with their past trauma in different ways. However, he promised fans a satisfying resolution to their storylines.
The quality of Robinson’s screenplay ultimately validated Prinze Jr.’s decision to return. Unlike previous experiences where he felt uncertain about script quality, this project provided confidence from the start.
“I’ve had experiences where I wasn’t confident in the script and was very nervous on set and hoping that we could make a change here and there because I thought it would help the scene,” he shared with Us Weekly. “That really wasn’t the case with this.”
His reunion with Hewitt was particularly rewarding. Prinze Jr. said their first scene together felt natural and authentic to their characters’ long history.
“That first scene [between them], I think it’s the best scene [Jennifer] and I have done on camera, period, in all three movies. And I think people will really feel that when they watch,” he said.
The new “I Know What You Did Last Summer” hits theaters on Friday, July 18.
The post Why Freddie Prinze Jr. Almost Said No to Horror Sequel Return appeared first on EntertainmentNow.