InStyle Magazine Man of Style August, 2001

Freddie Prinze Jr. expounds on the art of dressing simply, his style heroes, women in boxers, being accident-prone--and why he's head over heels for fiancee Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Freddie Prinze Jr. knows that size doesn't matter. At 6-foot-1, the 25-year-old actor spent years feeling cheated out of a few extra inches. "I fell off a roof and crushed my spine," he says of an accident he had when he was younger. "The doctor said I should have been 6-foot-4." But ever since I Know What You Did Last Summer in 1997, the son of the late comedian Freddie Prinze has been causing crushes instead of suffering from them. After playing another teen dream in She's All That, he graduated to grown-up roles this year with Head Over Heels. He'll play a moody baseball player in this month's Summer Catch, and he has just finished filming the live-action version of Scooby Doo, in which he'll star as Fred opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar, his real-life fiancee. Despite his success, Prinze says the fall (and 11 concussions in his accident-prine youth) did cost him something: "I have no memory anymore. Remembering to put gas in the car does not compute." Such problems hardly faze this Prinze Charming, who keeps his priorities to a bare minimum. "I think about three things: acting, my girl and my parents. Everything else, I don't really care."

Do you have a philosophy of style?

I have always felt that men are supposed to wear black because it's the women who's supposed to have all the color and stand out. The cool thing is, even though [you're not the one attracting all the attention], you can shine as well.

Does Sarah influence your look?

Absolutely. We influence each other. I always ask her advice, but she doesn't really need my help. She'll come over with four dresses and ask, "Which one do you like?" I'll say all of them are great and I'll pick one. And she puts it on and she looks terrific. It took her 40 minutes to get ready for the Golden Globes, that's it. I took longer--my shirt needed to be fixed.

Would you change your outfit if she asked you to?

Sure. One time I was wearing jeans and a sweater and Sarah asked if I'd put on slacks, and I was like, "Oh, yeah." It takes just two minutes. When you're in a relationship, you just want to make the other person happy. And that makes you happier, so it all works out.

You must be really psyched to work together.

We're really excited. She's the best actress I know. She's so humble and so appreciative of any compliment that I can't ever tell her how great she is because the moment I even hint, she starts to cry. It's the sweetest thing in the world.

What clothes do you find sexy on women?

A pair of boxers. Since boxers are way too big, women have to roll them down. I just think it's superhot.

What do you like to wear yourself?

I think simple is better. I wear clothes that are comfortable, usually jeans and a T-shirt. I have a great pair of jeans from Volcom--it's a skateboarding-surfing company. I dig V-necks, and I also love ties. And in summer, shorts and white T-shirts.

Do you have any favorite designers?

I pretty much wear Armani and have for almost four years. Their stuff fits me right off the hangar. I like Jil Sander. I bought the greatest pair of pants that I ever got in my entire life there. Everything she has for me is rock solid. Gap makes a pair of stretchy, kind of wooly-looking gray pants. They're really cool.

Whose style do you admire?

I dig what George Clooney wears. He's very much the chill guy. And Kevin Spacey is smooth. I think he's got phenomenal taste.

Is there anything you won't wear?

I don't like things with brand names written all over them. I don't like being a walking billboard. I'm not a big fan of pink. And Birkenstocks--oh, God, no! Why any man thinks any woman would want to see his nasty old toes--it's the worst. You're not Jesus, bro.

In She's All That you played a really popular guy. Were you that way in high school?

I was an untouchable. People just stayed away, which was good because I didn't like what the stood for or believed in. I was raised to believe in myself. I know I'm cool. I'm not trying to brag or say I'm the man or anything like that. I don't lie or cheat, and I'm not mean to anybody. I treat people with respect.

Copyright © 2001 InStyle Magazine. All rights reserved.