The end of the year is arguably the best time of all. You get to be scared at Halloween, grateful at Thanksgiving, and festive during the holiday season. Freddie Prinze Jr. embraces the scary and thankful. He recently sat down with LittleThings to explain how.
Freddie has a scary movie podcast called That Was Pretty Scary, which he cohosts with Jon Lee Brody. Freddie loves breaking down horror films with his friend.
This Thanksgiving, he is partnering with Libby’s Vegetables to create three new recipes, sweet truffle corn, green beans and bacon, and sweet beets. They can be found on his Instagram account. When you comment, like, or share Freddie’s post using the hashtag #LibbysGivesThanks, Libby’s will donate a coupon for a can of Libby’s vegetables to Meals on Wheels. It is important for Freddie to give back and set an example for his two kids, Charlotte, 14, and Rocky, 11.
One of Freddie’s favorite classic scary movies is the 1980 film The Changeling with George C. Scott. He describes it as “an old old movie that has a scene where a ball is bouncing downstairs and it's one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen.” A newer favorite is 2022’s The Menu. Freddie went into it cold and absolutely fell in love with it.
Freddie says he thinks it's important to practice gratitude all year long, not just solely on Thanksgiving. “Daily life is about being grateful for what you have. It's about acknowledging the people in your life that helped make your life so great, and letting them know more than once a year,” he explained.
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Freddie tries to tell his daughter Charlotte what a “privilege” it is to be her dad every chance he gets. He also takes special moments with his son Rocky telling him how much he reminds him of his grandpa. “The laughter that he gives me reminds me of the laughter his grandfather gave people,” Freddie stated. This leads to beautiful conversations about their family.
Freddie teaches his kids about gratitude by reminding them there is a big world outside of their bubble. “Every kid lives in a bubble and every need they have is the most important need in the world,” he explained. Freddie tries to burst this bubble in a supportive way so his kids are self-aware.
Freddie and his wife Sarah Michelle Gellar both believe in doing good works. It is important for the couple to model that behavior for their kids. “I've always tried to find little ways to give back and big ways to get back. My wife has always been big, big, big, like, on all that stuff every time. So I think they see that from their mother and they see that from their father and that's a good example for them to follow,” Freddie stated.
While Freddie is best known as an actor, he is also a cookbook author and loves spending time in the kitchen. He is excited to partner with Libby’s to create three new Thanksgiving recipes. He wanted them to be affordable, easy, and different.
“I tried to add some flavors in there that would be something you wouldn't normally do, like a little maple syrup over the beets to sweeten them up a little bit. Just a drizzle of it. There’s the truffle oil with the sweet corn and the bacon with the green beans,” he explained.
Beyond getting to show off his culinary talents, Freddie believes it is important to give back. When anyone comments, likes, or shares his or Libby’s posts using the hashtag #LibbysGivesThanks Libby’s will donate a coupon good for one can of vegetables to Meals on Wheels. Libby is doing this for up to 500,000 coupons.
“I hope that we hit that number. You don't have to buy anything, you just have to go on to social media, which when you're bored, you're on anyways,” Freddie urged.
Freddie got all his cooking skills from his mom. “My mom taught me how to cook,” he noted. “You know, she was the one that instilled all the knowledge, the base knowledge that I have on cooking.” He is so grateful that she did.
Freddie does most of the cooking in his household. He cooks everyday meals about four times a week and does all of the holidays. “I get a lot of joy from it,” he stated. “It doesn't feel like work.”
Being a foodie, Freddie’s favorite Thanksgiving tradition is gravy, even though he knows it sounds silly. “It's one of the greatest inventions that mankind has ever come up with. It goes great on almost everything,” he mused. “It’s a speciality that I have mastered.”
Beyond food, he loves being with his family and talking about what everyone is thankful for. He also enjoys watching a good football game on turkey day.
