Freddie Prinze Jr. Has a Plan If People Start Talking Politics During Thanksgiving Dinner
Freddie Prinze Jr. may be best known as an actor, starring in hits such as I Know What You Did Last Summer and She’s All That. But when it comes to the holidays, he happens to be quite the professional host, too. His latest gig was particularly well-suited to his interests: Prinze Jr worked the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line on Nov. 14, where he took calls from people across America, answering questions as they prepared for Thanksgiving.
“Growing up in L.A. and being an actor, we started a tradition called Stragglers Thanksgiving,” he revealed to InStyle over the phone afterward. “We’d get together — people who didn’t have the money to get home, or who were the outcasts of their families. It was a chance to bring people together who didn’t have any other place to go.”
This year, the actor-turned-gamer brought people together in a different way, even giving advice on how to handle a family feud about Star Wars at the dinner table.
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Prinze Jr. said that for Thanksgiving 2019, he and his wife of 17 years, Sarah Michelle Gellar, along with their two children, Charlotte, 10, and Rocky, 7, have a full feast planned. He also spoke with us about why he never makes New Year’s resolutions, and why he loves living in LA.
What’s on your agenda for Thanksgiving this year?
We’re having a big Thanksgiving this year and hosting 18 people — some may drop in or drop out. I’m cooking, because I cook every year. It’s a great opportunity to bring people together from different parts of the country.
Knowing you love gaming and Star Wars, will these be topics of conversation at your Thanksgiving table?
No, and we don’t talk politics or religion. But some of the older people at the table might. If they start talking politics, I’ll either turn on a football game or go outside and play with the kids. I don’t like any politicians.
Do you always celebrate Thanksgiving at home?
Yes. I love California. It’s like that old computer game, The Oregon Trail — everyone goes out west and they never go back. It’s fantastic out here, from Mexico up to Oregon. The people are chill and the food is great.
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With the new year coming up, are you thinking about resolutions for 2020?
I’ve never believed in New Year’s resolutions. I’ve always felt, why would you wait for the New Year? I’m not a traditionalist; I like to do things my own way. I was raised by a bunch of serious martial artists. Martial arts are the physical expression of what we love and hate about ourselves and are too afraid to see it. If there’s something that needs to get done, even if I fail ten times, that’s okay — I’m just not going to fail the same way twice. Plus, a [New Year’s] resolution gets you stuck in a gym membership that you can’t get out of.
Do you have any new movies you’d like to do next year or any films you want to reboot?
I did Scooby-Doo, which some would say is a reboot. But I’m now more of a gamer; I play video games and board games.
What are you most looking forward to in 2020?
The new Harry Potter tabletop RPG, Cyberpunk 2077 featuring Keanu Reaves as the video game lead, and the tabletop Cyberpunk Red.
