Freddie Prinze Jr. Reveals She’s All That Secret You Won’t Believe

Freddie Prinze Jr. Reveals She's All That Secret You Won't Believe

As I delve deeper into the fascinating world of ’90s cinema, I find myself utterly captivated by the intricate tapestry of connections that weave together these beloved films and the remarkable individuals who brought them to life. One such tale is the story of “She’s All That,” a movie that has left an indelible mark on my heart, much like the iconic dance number that continues to enthrall us all.


Freddie Prinze Jr. is revealing a secret that would make even the silver moon sparkle with shock.

Discussing his latest film “The Girl in the Pool,” now playing in cinemas and on video-on-demand, Freddie shared some intriguing insights about the production of “She’s All That” from 1999. He clarified that he wasn’t responsible for the famous hacky sack scene, and to be honest, his memory of it is rather hazy.

Freddie shared with Paul Costabile at TopMob News that he hasn’t watched the movie. He vaguely recalls Alexis Arquette being both hilarious and peculiar in it.

But as for who was actually doing the hacky sack moves? Turns out the movie had hired a ringer.

In a surprising disclosure, Freddie mentioned that the individual who performed the hacky sack was about 6 feet 4 inches tall. Upon rewatching the movie, it’s evident that the first three hits were performed by him. As the narrative unfolds, his character appears to grow from 6 feet 1 inch to 6 feet 4 inches, then further to 6 feet 5 inches. That guy was a skilled professional in hacky sack.

As the 48-year-old joked, “I’m a fraud.”

Regardless of any suspicions about him, it’s clear that he recognizes the enduring affection fans have for the movie “She’s All That.” This appreciation led to a recent reunion with his co-star, Rachael Leigh Cook, at the premiere of “The Girl in the Pool” in July.

In addition to the two people mentioned, Kevin Pollak, known for portraying Rachel’s father in the movie and co-starring with Freddie in his latest production, was also present. Moreover, Freddie’s wife of 21 years, Sarah Michelle Gellar, who made a brief appearance in ‘She’s All That’, was there as well.

In fact, their reunion on screen wasn’t a rare occurrence; Rachael had previously appeared alongside Freddie at an event for his movie “Christmas With You” in the year 2022 as well.

Freddie Prinze Jr. Reveals She's All That Secret You Won't Believe

“Experience the joy of #christmaswithyou as you witness the brilliance of @realfreddieprinze! Bravo to the entire crew, you truly nailed it!” [Shared on Instagram with a photo of the two friends]

Curious about more She’s All That behind-the-scenes secrets? Keep reading to find out.

Freddie Prinze Jr. Reveals She's All That Secret You Won't Believe

Before Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook were cast as Zack Siler and Laney Boggs, director Robert Iscove discussed potential roles with various aspiring actors.

In an interview with The Daily Beast back in 2014, he mentioned discussing a role with Josh Hartnett that Freddie played. He also stated that most of the young actors who were either stars of a popular TV series or just starting to make their mark in movies were considered for this role. For the character of Rachael, they auditioned numerous actresses, including Leelee Sobieski, Mena Suvari, and Jordana Brewster.

2. Following the casting of Prinze as both the school’s president and star athlete, the character underwent some minor adjustments in the script.

In an interview with Today, Prinze shared that he subtly adjusted the character to be slightly more affectionate than originally intended. This change allowed the character to exhibit a touch of vulnerability, ensuring that when he made mistakes but felt remorseful, audiences showed empathy instead of labeling him as unkind.

3. In the crucial scene where Laney confronts Zack, Cook noticed Prinze finding it difficult to deliver the line, “Are you seriously threatening me?!”

In an interview with Today, she shared that he appeared quite emotional at that specific point, and she vividly recalled it as one of the sweetest sights she had ever witnessed, for he seemed to be struggling a bit to hold back tears.

Freddie Prinze Jr. Reveals She's All That Secret You Won't Believe

In 2013, a heated debate arose concerning my claim that I “ghost-wrote” the script for a movie, an allegation vehemently refuted by credited screenwriter R. Lee Fleming Jr. However, according to Jack Lechner, who was Miramax’s head of development in the late ’90s, neither of us is entirely incorrect about our respective roles in the scriptwriting process.

Lechner shared with Entertainment Weekly that Shyamalan substantially revised the work. He added depth to the narrative and enriched the characters.

In simpler terms, Richard N. Gladstein, the film producer, mentioned to TopMob News that adjustments he made greatly improved the dynamic between Kevin Pollak (who played Laney’s father, Wayne) and M. Night Shyamalan, the director of “The Sixth Sense.” However, by the time it reached him, the script was already nearly finalized.

Freddie Prinze Jr. Reveals She's All That Secret You Won't Believe

During the filming of Laney’s slow-motion stair descent to unveil her makeover to Zack, Cook confessed that he felt awkward or uncomfortable, describing it as “self-consciousness”.

Cook shared with Entertainment Tonight that they had two identical dresses for the scene where I had to dash out, trip, and fall on the driveway. One of the dresses seemed noticeably smaller than the other. Since the primary dress wasn’t available, I ended up wearing the smaller one. To get down the stairs while holding my breath, making it appear as if I wasn’t breathing at all. After uttering a few words, we wrapped up that part of the scene!

Costume designer Denise Wingate shared with Interview magazine the reason behind Laney’s choice of red attire during the crucial scene.

In my professional opinion, prior to that encounter, her style choices were quite muted. However, when she gracefully descended the stairs to greet Zach, it wasn’t just the dress that stole the show; it was the vibrant hue that set it apart. This bold color choice marked a significant departure from her previous subdued styles, making it a striking and memorable statement.

Freddie Prinze Jr. Reveals She's All That Secret You Won't Believe

Apologies for shattering your assumption, but it was revealed on Today that Prinze actually required a stand-in for Zack during his famous hackeysack scene, as the actor unfortunately dropped it multiple times in reality.

“Initially, I believed I would excel at it since they mentioned having a trainer for me. What I didn’t anticipate was how much time it would require. As recalled by Prinze, on the day of filming, Rob said we’d shoot the hula hoop scene. I admitted that I could only manage to perform it four times in a row. He reassured me, saying ‘Don’t worry, we’ve got a world-class hula hooper who looks very much like you. He serves as an excellent stand-in for you.’ I responded enthusiastically, and if you rewatch the scene, you’ll notice it’s indeed my double performing the first three times.”

8. Cook admitted that she willingly chose to wear the extravagant falafel hat at work, Laney’s iconic headpiece, as she disclosed to Today. In her own words, she took responsibility for it herself.

Freddie Prinze Jr. Reveals She's All That Secret You Won't Believe

Matthew Lillard requested a personal trainer prior to agreeing to portray Brock Hudson, the boyfriend of the mean-girl Taylor (played by Jodi Lynn O’Keefe), in the project.

Iscove told Cosmo that the actor said, “I want to be muscular since I’ll be in the pool,” explaining his desire. Upon hearing this, we replied, “Go ahead and get buff then.” So, he did just that – he worked with a trainer for two months before moving on to shoot his Real World scenes, which were captured on video rather than film as the rest of the movie was.

As a devoted fan, I can’t help but share an exciting piece of music history: “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer. This beautiful song climbed up to the second spot on the Billboard Hot 100, all thanks to its appearance in a movie. Incredibly, it stayed within the Top 10 for a staggering 16 weeks!

Freddie Prinze Jr. Reveals She's All That Secret You Won't Believe

11. In her acting debut, the rapper known as Lil’ Kim played one of the popular girls. Cook confessed to TopMob News that it became public knowledge that she and Freddie had tried on some of Lil’ Kim’s wigs. “I sincerely hope Lil’ Kim isn’t watching this, because what I’m about to say is completely true,” Cook admitted. “I must apologize if it offends her, but those wigs were stunning, and they just happened to be there. As a human being, of course I couldn’t resist trying them on!”

12. A handful of sly pop culture nods found their way into the film via the characters’ names. Laney Boggs was a tribute to two roles played by Winona Ryder: Lelaina “Laney” Pierce in ‘Reality Bites’ and Kim Boggs in ‘Edward Scissorhands’. Simultaneously, Zack and Taylor were references to members of the band Hanson.

13. Prior to portraying Jess on “Gilmore Girls”, Milo Ventimiglia previously played a minor character – one of the J.V. soccer players that Zack enlists to tidy up Laney’s home.

Freddie Prinze Jr. Reveals She's All That Secret You Won't Believe

The movie location is also where scenes from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Beverly Hills, 90210 were previously shot.

15. As a die-hard Buffy fan here, let me tell you about Sarah Michelle Gellar, the lovely lady I’m fortunate to call my future wife! In an unexpected twist, she graced our screens with a brief appearance in the role of the high school student who shared some freshly ground pepper.

In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Iscove shared that she was present when Freddie was being visited and was asked if she would participate in a task. She agreed but remained silent throughout. Iscove mentioned, “She didn’t utter a single word. We don’t know why she wouldn’t say ‘Thank you’ or ‘No.’ However, that was her choice, and she stuck to it. And getting Buffy in the movie was significant because at that time, Buffy was incredibly popular.”

On Instagram, Gellar playfully commented, “It seems you truly grasped that my character didn’t fancy pepper.”

Freddie Prinze Jr. Reveals She's All That Secret You Won't Believe

16. In order to preserve the now-legendary prom scene for the movie, Iscove advocated fervently, telling Cosmo that he was eager for a grand dance number, despite the studio’s initial hesitation. The strategy: Including more scenes featuring Usher, who was the school’s DJ (After all, it was the ’90s!).

He explained that they returned to film additional footage of Usher, reminding us of the dance lessons we learned before, or something similar. Later on, they filmed more scenes featuring Usher in Chicago, where he was working on his album, and edited these scenes into the final product.

17. It was evident that Dulé Hill was displeased with the dance performance, as he expressed his frustration because he couldn’t perform tap dance, as reported by Prinze.

Prinz shared with The Daily Beast that Dulé is an exceptional tap dancer. During our beach volleyball scene shoot, I could hear him tapping his feet rhythmically on the wooden surface. Intrigued, I asked if he was tap dancing, to which he responded, “I’m a tap dancer, man.” That moment became our connection. We often went to a dance studio in Hollywood and would spend time tap dancing together. We did it frequently.

18. The number was orchestrated by Adam Shankman, who later directed movies like “A Walk to Remember,” “The Wedding Planner,” and “Hairspray,” among others. During the movie’s filming, Shankman and Prinze became friends, with Shankman even playing a significant role in Prinze’s 2002 wedding as he shared with “Today” – “The choreographer from ‘She’s All That’ married my wife!”

Freddie Prinze Jr. Reveals She's All That Secret You Won't Believe

In an interview with TopMob News, Cook confessed that she felt somewhat star-struck by the late Paul Walker. Sadly, he passed away in a car accident in November 2013 at the age of 40. She described him as “an amazing actor, but he didn’t come off as someone trying to be an actor.” Instead, he seemed like a natural surfer who just happened to excel at acting.

She noted that he wasn’t particularly outgoing; instead, he focused on his tasks and preferred solitude. Admittedly, I found him somewhat daunting – not only was he extraordinarily tall, but he was also very attractive. Truly impressive!

20. There was a great deal of excitement on the internet when Prinze and Cook met in person in 2016. Cook shared that it was Walker’s sad demise which eventually led to their encounter.

In 2013, following Paul’s unexpected passing, a thought struck me: life is incredibly fleeting. I felt compelled to connect, to say hello. He was someone dear to me, someone I wished to reconnect with. As it had been a significant amount of time since we last spoke, and another three years passed before I finally reached out, saying something like “Even though we’re not constant companions, it would be wonderful to see you again.” We eventually met up for an extensive coffee and pastry gathering.

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2024-08-03 02:19