Freddie on

Home Back The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
December 7th, 1998
Jay: My next guest, a talented young actor, stars in the movie, "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer." Can also be seen in, "She's All That" which comes out in January. Please welcome Freddie Prinze Jr.
[Freddie comes out he's wearing a blue button down shirt, matching T-shirt underneath and jeans. He's swinging his arms and smiling. He shakes jays hand, hugs him and sit's down]
Jay: You know, this is the same studio where your dad did the show.
Freddie: [smiling] Yes, it is this is the same one.
Jay: And we've got his picture right up front there [Freddie turns his head] and everything.
Freddie: Yeah, They got it right next to the door.
Jay: And you snuck in here a couple years ago [laughs]
Freddie: [Laughing] No, I didn't SNEAK in. I didn't sneak in, like a criminal. I came in, I was like 18 years old. I had been in L.A. like 2 days. And my mom said, "Jay was good friends with your dad, so if you want to, you know meet a good, honest person your gotta go and you gotta meet Jay Leno." So I was like "Okay." So, I walked In the door. I'm so naive [looking at the audience] I'm from Albuquerque, New Mexico, so things are a little bit different there. I walk in the door and I go up to the guard. I'm like, " I'd like to see Jay Leno, please." And the guy's just like,"Oh, ok" So I was like, "No my dad was friends with him. I'd like to see Mr. Leno." And the guys like, "No, you can't do that. I'm like, "Please would you just call him? My name's Freddie Prinze, Jr. My dad was Freddie Prinze, he was friends with Jay. So he calls, and this really nice lady comes down. And like, right away -- and all of a sudden, like, the guy's face goes white, and she brings me up and, that's when I got to meet you.
Jay: That's right. That's right. I mean it's just so odd looking at you [Freddie smiles & laughs] I mean, that's good, because you're almost as goofy as your dad.
Freddie: [laughs] That's nice. Thank you.
Jay: I know you never met your dad, you were only 10 months old when he passed away.
Freddie: Yeah, I was only 10 months old when he passed away, but I mean, you hear like tons of stories.
Jay: Oh yeah there's a lot of Freddie stories.
Freddie: Yeah, my mom...I was learning how to drive 'cause you an get your license really young in Albuquerque. My mom was like, "Now don't drive like your father. Your father was the worst driver in the world." And I'd be like, "What do you mean?" She's all like "And Jay taught him how to drive."
Jay: [laughing] I did teach him how to drive.
Freddie: That's what she said.
Jay: We used to just ram parked cars
Freddie: That's great.
Jay: You know, Freddie --- Now, I first saw ---It's fascinating to me, because your dad was 18 when he first started to make it. And I thought wow! boom, You just all of a sudden ---I mean, I met you and then wow, the kid wants to do movies "Good luck." [freddie nods] Boom! Then I saw you in that movie, "To Gillian on her 37th Birthday" All of a sudden.
Freddie: Yeah, that was my first movie.
Jay: You're in a movie
Freddie: You're probably the only one that saw that movie. [laughs]
Jay: No, It was a good---I mean, Claire Danes..
Freddie:Yeah, We had a great cast. Kathy Baker, and Peter Gallagher, Claire Danes...
Jay: Now, She's very beautiful, Claire Danes
Freddie: Yeah, I was so in love with that girl, man..Oh my god!
Jay: Really? Now did---were you guy's an item?
Freddie: No, Not, Oh, I was too scared to even talk to her. I had the biggest crush on Claire, and I had to kiss this girl. And I haven't even, like, kissed a lot of girls period, let alone on-screen, So this was like, my first on-screen kiss, and I was so terrified. I was like, shaking, I called my manager [puts his hand up like he's on the phone] the night before. I was like, "I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't do this." And so, like right before it had to happen I was in the green room and literally I was like shaking I was like this [shakes] And I---They're all, "10 minutes" And I got on my knee's. I went in the bathroom and I locked the door. I got down on my hand's and knee's and I was like,"Dear God, I'm not trying to be cool or smooth or anything just PLEASE don't let me throw up on this girl, PLEASE!! [jay and the audience laugh and applaud] It gets worse. It gets worse. It gets worse. So, like right when I finish, they knock on the door and I'm all like,"Oh my god." So we go out there, and I'm like "Claire, however you want to do this", you know I'm trying to act like I know how to do it and she's like [he says this in this little voice] "Oh we'll just do it and it'll be fine." So they say action we do the kiss, Gallagher comes breaks us up right when it's over they say, like "Cut" and I'm like, "Okay can we do it again?" [audience laughs] I was so --- then I was like ready to go...
Jay: Now, How was the kiss? Was it what you thought it would be?
Freddie: Oh, I was terrified, but it was like---I think I was shaking during the take. I mean if you watch the movie I was like [audience laughs] I'm such a nerd.
Jay: Now, You grew up--- you grew up---I mean, obviously your dad was a city kid and then you left here when you were 10 months to Albuquerque, now, no brothers or sisters?
Freddie: No, I was an only child but I had, like you know imaginary friends like any other kid [audience laughs, Freddie turns to them] You know, what I mean? Like when you're young, not like now. [turns to seat nextt him] like, "Hey." [laughter] Not like that. I was a little kid.
Jay: You still have imaginary friends.
Freddie: [audience applauds] But you know, I read comic books and watched cartoons. I would just--I lived in this, like other world. I loved Magneto, and like even though, you're supposed to like Professor X and all the X-men 'Cause they're the good guys.' I was just always on Magneto.
Jay: Always on Magneto?
Freddie: 'Cause he's a bad guy, but he's not, he's like you know just don't mess with me...
Jay: Misunderstood.
Freddie: He's misunderstood...
Jay: Misunderstood Magneto.
Freddie: I had to go to a shrink because of that. My teachers thought that I lived in this weird place, So they sent me to this doctor, and she was like, "All you do is live on other people's lives, and you're never going to exist in the real world." I'd just like to say, hello to her right now [waves & audience laughs]
Jay: Now you're in that world it's real.
Freddie: It worked out good.
Jay: And now you're in a hit movie?
Freddie: Yeah, "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer." It's doing really well. I have so mush fun making movies, I have so much fun, It's like being with the X-Men like kickin' back. I swear to god, I swear to god. It's so much fun you pretend in every scene----I don't even need an alarm clock to wake up when I'm working 'cause I'm so excited, i just wake up I get up and I'm like okay it's time to go to work It's fun I get to play I get a fake gun i get to jump off boats and run away from diesels...It's like the best fun...
Jay: Run away from diesels that's frightening...
Freddie: Yeah, but you know you're not going to get hit..
Jay: Let's show people a little bit of your work, here's a quick quick scene from, "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer." (They show the scene where Ray's friend is in the truck and Ray walks up to the body and there's a mask of his face) [applause]
Jay: Now, you got another movie coming out in January, "She's All That?" Right?
Freddie: Yeah, "She's All That" this is the best movie I've ever made in my whole life.
Jay: That you ever made, you're 22?
Freddie: No, I'm not the old dog on the block, but---
Jay: No, that's cool.Will you come back and see us again?
Freddie: Absolutely, I will.
Jay: You know, you're old man is proud of you.
Freddie: Thanks man [shakes Jay's hand]
Jay: Freddie Prinze Jr.

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