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In the 90s and early 2000s, Freddie Prinze Jr. was the man of the moment. He worked steadily in the industry and delivered memorable performances, including roles in films She's All That, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Down To You.

Although he has not disappeared from the limelight entirely, most of the younger generation will be unfamiliar with who he is. There is certainly no denying that Freddie Prinze Jr.'s life has changed significantly since he stepped away from Hollywood and stopped taking roles in big films. But what has he been doing in his time away? And what does a typical day in his life look like now?

Why Did Freddie Prinze Jr. Quit Hollywood?

Just because Freddie Prinze Jr. has taken a step back from Hollywood does not mean he has not been working. In collaboration with Rachel Wharton, he has written a cookbook titled: Back to the Kitchen: 75 Delicious, Real Recipes (& True Stories) from a Food-Obsessed Actor: A Cookbook. It was released in 2016.

He has also voiced Lt. James Vega in the video game Mass Effect: Legendary Edition and the voice of The Iron Bull in the game Dragon Age: Inquisition - Trespasser. He has worked on several Star Wars cartoons, including Star Wars: Rebels as the voice of Kanan Jarrus and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

RELATED: The Real Reason Freddie Prinze Jr. Was Asked To Take A Pay Cut For Scooby-Doo

He also took an interest in working with World Wrestling Entertainment and worked with the brand from 2008 to 2012, Bustle reports. But the reason Freddie Prinze Jr. chose to take a step away from the limelight is related to Kiefer Sutherland and his work on the series, 24.

In 2014, he gave an interview with ABC News (via Hello! magazine), saying, "I did 24. It was terrible. I hated every moment of it. Kiefer was the most unprofessional dude in the world. That's not me talking trash. I'd say it to his face. I think everyone who's worked with him has said that... I just wanted to quit the business after that. So I just sort of stopped."

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. in the '90s - Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. in 2020

But he has also spoken about how fatherhood made him change his priorities.

"I can only speak for myself, but I just quit," he told Narcity in a 2022 interview. "Once my daughter was born 13 years ago, I just stopped acting. I wanted to be a full-time dad. I had a full-time mom growing up but never had a father and know the importance of having two parents and how much easier of a life you can have."

Freddie Prinze Jr. Has Focused His Time On Fatherhood

Freddie Prinze Jr. became a big star in the 90s and 2000s, but he started to disappear from the limelight after getting married to actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, and the pair started a family. They are the proud parents to two children: a son, Rocky James Prinze, born in 2012, and a daughter, Charlotte Grace Prinze, born in 2009.

In addition, his marriage to Gellar is still going strong, and the pair have been married for two decades (their wedding took place in 2002).

RELATED: Did You Catch Freddie Prinze Jr. In Star Wars? Here's How It Happened

Fatherhood is a role that Freddie Prinze Jr. takes great pride and responsibility having. He spoke to Yahoo Life in 2021 about how he parents his children, and surprisingly, he is a very strict dad.

freddie prinz jr walking in New York
Via Instar

"I'm really strict. My mom used to whip my ass. I don't touch my kids, but I get why parents do, and if you do, I ain't even mad at you," he said. "My mom whipped me just in case — and you can ask her, I was a really good kid. So I am strict. I don't believe in any of that best friend/ parent crap — sorry for calling it crap if you believe in it. But those kids don't act right, and my kids do. And every parent calls and says how well-behaved my children were. And when their kids go home from our house, they all say, "How did you get my kids to eat all that food?" And I say, "They eat. That's the rule, man [laughs]."

Freddie Prinze Jr and Sarah Michelle Gellar pose for photos
Via Instar

He is also pretty hardcore about what his children eat, and they need to eat vegetables. "My kids eat every vegetable there is except mushrooms; my daughter's not big on those, but she still tried them 30 times. She just knows she doesn't like it," he explained. "But yeah, I'm super-strict. I try to give them everything that they need, and I try to give them a lot of the stuff they want, but I'm really strict and if they don't follow the rules, they lose the stuff that they want."

Will Freddie Prinze Jr. Be Making A Comeback?

Freddie Prinze Jr. made his big comeback in 2022 with the Netflix film Christmas with You, in which he plays the role of a father. He had previously mentioned wanting to take a step away from the limelight to focus on other things, including fatherhood. But now that his children are growing up, his priorities are shifting.

RELATED: How Is Life Treating Freddie Prinze Jr These Days?

His daughter is now in her teens and has shown an interest in acting. This has made Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar relook at their careers. "Both Sarah [Michelle Gellar] and I said we're going to step it up and get back out there and be more active, so she can see what we feel is a good example, and not just see fame," he told Narcity.

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr on red carpet
Via: Instar 

He also spoke about how his daughter's interests have brought him out of retirement in an interview with Esquire in 2022. "I mean, I've been offered a bunch of romantic comedies over the last 15 years," he explained.

"I was just never reading any of the scripts. I didn't have any interest in doing it." He did, however, enjoy his work on Christmas with You and told the publication that he may be open to doing more rom-coms if the right script comes his way.

"Getting to be a dad was kind of the hook," he said of the film. "It was something that I hadn't done a million times before. So, as long as there's something there that can hook me, then I would be all in on it."