It seems hard to believe that Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. have been together for over 20 years. For a Hollywood couple, it's pretty impressive. However, they didn't start dating the way people probably envision.
The two both starred in the 1997 film I Know What You Did Last Summer. But they didn't start dating until three years later. And neither had any idea that a romance would blossom.
In February 2020, Sarah Michelle told the story, it all started when she and Freddie had plans to meet up as a group with a mutual friend. After that friend missed her flight, Freddie realized that it might be a good idea to catch up with Sarah Michelle on her own instead. Then sparks flew.
"20 years ago this week, my friend @realfreddieprinze and I were supposed to have dinner with a mutual friend from out of town. That friend missed her flight, but we decided to still meet and catch up," she wrote. "Now 20 years together, 17 plus married and two kids, we still go to that restaurant for dinner. So thank you @sloaney77 for not showing up for dinner."
The couple got married in 2002. It wasn't necessarily an odd pairing — at the time, both of them were at the top of their game. Sarah Michelle had been working on Buffy the Vampire Slayer for years, and Freddie had starred in popular teen movies like She's All That and Summer Catch. They knew that in order to be successful with their relationship, they were going to have to work on it.
And that's exactly the advice that Sarah Michelle gives today, when questioned about the longevity of her relationship. "I think the truth of any relationship is that, whether you’re a couple, whether you’re friends, whether you’re business partners, is you have to put the work into a relationship," she told Us Weekly.
She even noted that a lot of relationships end up failing because people aren't willing to work on their issues. "We live in a very disposable society and people don’t want to have to work," she said. "They want immediate reactions, they want immediate responses. It takes work."
That advice isn't just for romantic relationships — she applies it to friendships, too. "You have to call and check in and dedicate that time, and most people aren’t willing to put that work in. So to have a successful relationship, whether it’s marriage, whether it’s friendship, whether it’s business, you have to put the time, if you want to see the results," she added.
Oftentimes, that means dealing with compromise, working on communication, and even hiring a marriage counselor if necessary. While it's unclear if they've ever gone down that road, both of them seem to know how to keep the spark alive. "We still make each other laugh," Freddie said, per Martha Stewart Weddings. "And we treat each other with respect."
Freddie has admitted before that he's in awe over Sarah Michelle's ability to eat some of the strangest food combinations. "She ate everything, including a crab that they let walk across the counter, then kill while it was alive in some oil, and said, 'It's popcorn, try,'" the actor reportedly said in a Facebook Live event from 2016. "And she ate it without even blinking, and I was like, 'Yo, my girl is legit.'"
The two have also tested their marriage by starring in movies together — notably Scooby-Doo. While the film was a success, it was a stressful time for both young actors. Sarah was reportedly trying to film the movie and her television show at the same time, and Freddie actually had to shave his head after filming since the bleach they used dye it blond was too damaging.
The movie itself had also gone through a ton of changes. The first cut of the movie was reportedly much darker. However, it was edited to become more family-friendly and less a parody on the original series. It must have been a little frustrating to work hard on a project that was later turned around completely.
But they both returned for the 2004 sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. While they still act, it seems like their top priority right now is their children. The couple have a daughter named Charlotte Grace Prinze, born in 2009, and a son named Rocky James Prinze, born in 2012. Sarah Michelle admits that she waited to start a family with Freddie on purpose.
“I always say, the minute you start dating someone, people ask, ‘When are you getting engaged?’ And the minute you get engaged, they ask, ‘When are you getting married?'" she told People. "And then the minute you get married, they ask, ‘When are you having a baby?'"
She said that she just didn't know if she was emotionally ready early on. "Becoming a parent is the most selfless act, and you need to be at a point in your life where you can give up anything and everything for a child," she stated. "I don’t know if you know how to [do] that when you’re in your 20s."
In a way, waiting could have also strengthened their relationship. They were able to spend time together as a couple and then have a great foundation of love and respect when it was time to have kids. Both Charlotte and Rocky are in excellent hands.
The biggest thing to note about Sarah Michelle and Freddie's relationship is the fact that it happened based on one small error. If Freddie's friend had caught that flight, the two of them never would have had the fateful one-on-one dinner. It's also proof that romance can happen when you least expect it.
While the two actors were familiar with each other, it seemed as if their chemistry never aligned the way it did that night. If you're still looking for your true love, just remember to say yes to experiences you might naturally shy away from. You never know what might end up happening.
