Importance Score: 20 / 100 🔵
Cast of ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’: Then and Now
The 1997 cinematic release of teen slasher film I Know What You Did Last Summer cemented its place as a popular horror classic of the 1990s. Adapted from Lois Duncan’s 1973 book, the movie, which debuted on October 17, 1997, centers on four young adults in a coastal town who are terrorized by a killer wielding a hook.
The thriller featured some of the most recognizable faces of the decade. For Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Ryan Phillippe, the horror movie served as a launching pad for their careers. Discover how the stars have transformed since 1997.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
The year 1997 proved to be a significant one for Sarah Michelle Gellar. Only a few months following the premiere of her acclaimed television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gellar also took a starring role in I Know What You Did Last Summer. Although her character, Helen Shivers, became one of the killer’s victims, Gellar’s acting career flourished. She reunited with Ryan Phillippe in the 1999 cult favorite Cruel Intentions, and subsequently with Freddie Prinze Jr. in Scooby-Doo. Gellar continued to secure film roles and starred in Buffy until 2003. Her subsequent TV work includes roles in The Crazy Ones, Ringer, and Star Wars Rebels.
Gellar and Prinze Jr. initially met on the set of I Know What You Did Last Summer and began dating in 2000. They married in 2002 and are parents to two children, Rocky and Charlotte.
Freddie Prinze Jr.
Freddie Prinze Jr. rose to prominence as one of the leading actors of the late 1990s. His character, Ray Bronson, survived the events of I Know What You Did Last Summer and returned for its 1998 sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. He achieved further recognition in popular teen romantic comedies such as She’s All That and Summer Catch. Prinze Jr. reunited with Sarah Michelle Gellar in the live-action Scooby-Doo film, and they later wed. Throughout his career, Prinze Jr. has appeared in numerous television series, including Friends, Boston Legal, Freddie, 24, among others. He also provided the voice for Kanan Jarrus in Star Wars Rebels. Prinze Jr. is slated to star in the upcoming Punky Brewster revival on Peacock.
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt experienced a significant surge in fame thanks to her role as Julie James in I Know What You Did Last Summer. She also reprised her role in the 1998 sequel. In the same year, Hewitt starred in the well-liked comedy Can’t Hardly Wait. She continued to secure notable roles in television shows such as Ghost Whisperer, The Client List, and Criminal Minds. Currently, Hewitt stars as Maddie Buckley in the series 9-1-1. She is married to Brian Hallisay, and they have two children: Autumn and Atticus.
Ryan Phillippe
I Know What You Did Last Summer marked Ryan Phillippe’s breakthrough performance. Two years after the horror release, Phillippe starred alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar in the successful film Cruel Intentions. Subsequently, he has taken roles in movies such as Flags Of Our Fathers, Gosford Park, Crash, Stop-Loss, and others. From 2016 to 2018, Phillippe starred in the series Shooter. He is now the lead in the upcoming ABC series Big Sky. Following their collaboration on Cruel Intentions, Phillippe married co-star Reese Witherspoon in 1999. They have two children, Ava and Deacon, and divorced in 2007. Phillippe also has a daughter with Alexis Knapp.