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Actor Freddie Prinze Jr. recently shared insights into the longevity of his 23-year marriage to actress Sarah Michelle Gellar.
In a recent interview with Variety, the 49-year-old actor candidly discussed the key to maintaining a strong relationship with Gellar, 48, in the entertainment industry.
“Marriage is challenging regardless of the industry you’re in,” said the “She’s All That” star. “What works for us may not work for everyone else.”
He added, “We put effort into it. I’m not perfect. She’s not perfect. We may annoy each other, but we have mutual respect. We started as friends.”
“Maybe that’s the secret? It wasn’t just ‘Oh, she’s attractive, he’s attractive — let’s get together,'” he continued. “But I know people who have approached it differently, and their relationships are equally strong as mine.”
Gellar and Prinze Jr. first crossed paths while working on the hit 1997 horror film “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” However, their initial meeting didn’t spark immediate chemistry.
In a 2001 interview with People, Prinze Jr. admitted that initially, the future couple “didn’t really like each other.”
“Then one day I gave her a ride to the gym,” he recalled. “We talked on the way up, and she was a cool chick.”
The two developed a friendship, which eventually evolved into a romantic relationship three years later. In a joint interview with People Now in 2020, Gellar and Prinze Jr. recounted how they unintentionally went on their first date.
“We had been friends for a long time, had many dinners together before. We were supposed to go with someone else, but that person didn’t show up, so we went anyway,” the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” actress shared.
Prinze Jr. revealed that after their first date, he lost interest in dating other women.
“I didn’t go out with other girls, nor did I have the desire to pursue other dates,” he said.
The couple got engaged in 2001 and tied the knot a year later in Mexico when Gellar was 24 and Prinze was 26.
Prinze Jr. and Gellar, who also starred together in “Scooby-Doo” (2002) and its sequel “Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed” (2004), welcomed their first child, daughter Charlotte Grace, in 2009. In 2012, Gellar gave birth to their son, Rocky James.
Prinze Jr. emphasized his love for his family life with Gellar and their children during the interview with Variety.
“I adore my kids,” he expressed. “My daughter is away for the summer, and I miss her. I enjoy spending time with my son — he’s really funny. I love my wife. I chose her for a reason.”
In a December 2024 interview with Fox News Digital, Gellar discussed the importance of effort in maintaining a lasting relationship. She also touched on societal changes impacting long-term relationships.
“I believe that everything requires effort, whether it’s a friendship, a work relationship, or a marriage,” the “Dexter: Original Sin” actress stated.
“You have to put in the work,” she continued. “We live in a society that is quick to discard things.”
“Your phone breaks, you replace it. The same attitude applies to relationships,” Gellar added. “And who knows, maybe having separate bathrooms helps,” she joked.
Prinze Jr. is currently starring in the 2025 version of “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” released on Friday. He reprised his role as Ray Bronson in the legacy sequel to the original movie.
The couple’s former co-star Jennifer Love Hewitt also returned to play the lead character, Julie James, from the first film. Hewitt and Prinze Jr. previously reunited in the 1998 sequel, “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.”
Gellar, whose character was killed off in the first film, made a cameo in the new installment during a dream sequence.
“I Know What You Did Last Summer” premiered on June 18.
