Freddie Prinze Jr.: ‘Laughter is key to long marriage’

Freddie Prinze Jr. credits laughter for keeping his marriage to Sarah Michelle Gellar strong.
The actors met on the set of I Know What You Did Last Summer in 1997 and started dating in 2000. They became engaged in 2001 and wed the following year. Freddie and Sarah are also parents to two children and he explains their connection stays solid because they make each other laugh.
“In Hollywood, and in life, a lot of pretty people get married when they’re really young,” he tells Popsugar.com.
“Sarah and I like different things, but she respects me and she loves me, and 17 years later, she still makes me laugh at dinner or when we’re watching TV and see something stupid,” he adds. “That’s our secret and that’s what works for us. When I’m 60 years old, she’ll still be making me laugh, so we’ll still be together.”
Another activity that keeps the family close is cooking: Sarah is an avid baker while Freddie is releasing his Back to the Kitchen cookbook. The 41-year-old first started cooking with his mother and she would tell him stories about his late father, actor Freddie Prinze, who died when the actor was one year old. He also learned life lessons during his cooking sessions with his mum, who gave him advice about dating after he got turned down by a girl in high school.
“She said, ‘Son, girls your age don’t want to date nice boys, and you’re a nice boy. They want to date jerks’,” he continues. “Only she didn’t say the word jerk. She said, ‘So, if you want to date these girls, you’re gonna have to work real hard to be a jerk, and I don’t want you to do that’.”
The loss of Freddie’s father and his relationship with his mother have also pushed the actor to be close with his own children. Freddie is adamant about spending time with his children on Father’s Day (18June17) and doing what they want.
“When you don’t have a dad, (Father’s Day) is all you think about,” he says. “You start fantasising about things that you wish you could get. So, Father’s Day is a great day at my house, but it’s more about the kids. Like for my birthday, we go to Disneyland because I want to see the kids. Whatever the kids want to do, we’ll do.”