Freddie Prinze Jr. Reveals His Reason For Stepping Away From Hollywood Career

Like in any other industry, actors are expected to act professionally, but sometimes, a few end up creating the wrong impression for their colleagues. This rings exactly true for Freddie Prinze Jr., who rose to the limelight as a teen idol with his roles in highly successful television series such as I Know What You Did Last Summer and She’s All That, which earned him a special place in the hearts of numerous fans.

Despite his outstanding achievements early in his career, the 49-year-old faced several challenges, ranging from clashes with directors to disagreements with his co-stars, which ultimately ended in him stepping away from the silver screen altogether. In an interview, Prinze Jr. opened up about the major reason he bid farewell to his then-budding career, and he points to yet another acting powerhouse, Kiefer Sutherland, as a primary cause.

Freddie Prinze Jr claims that he had a difficult time working with Kiefer Sutherland

Speaking with ABC News in 2014, Prinze Jr. reflected on a challenging experience that made him reconsider his Hollywood career. The actor revealed that while working alongside Kiefer Sutherland during the production of the 2010 season of 24, he was faced with one of his worst professional encounters. Prinze Jr described the Stand by Me actor as highly unprofessional, a sentiment he claimed is shared by many others who had collaborated with him.

Reminiscing on a particular event, the 49-year-old stated that Sutherland felt rather insecure about his height, which made the directors request that Prinze Jr. remove his shoes to bridge the gap between them.

Freddie Prinze Jr. reveals that his experience working with Kiefer Sutherland made him quit acting

The I Know What You Did Last Summer actor stated that he was left frustrated by the bizarre request when simpler solutions, such as making Sutherland stand on an apple box or simply not casting him because he was 6 feet tall, while the Golden Globe winner stood at 5’4′ feet.

He admitted that he despised every moment of working on the American drama series, claiming that the constant negativity and injustice eventually took a toll on him, making him consider leaving the business altogether. Overwhelmed by the situation, he took a hiatus before deciding to take a total exit.