Freddie Prinze Jr. says he got 'psychotic notes' from his 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' director: 'I was in pain every single day on that movie'

• Freddie Prinze Jr. discussed what it was like working on "I Know What You Did Last Summer."
• The star said he was given "psychotic notes" by the horror movie's director, Jim Gillespie.

Audiences have flocked to see slasher films on the big screen for decades, but they were brought back in a big way during the 1990s with "Scream" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer," which were both huge hits in 1996 and 1997.

But while "I Know What You Did Last Summer" made $125 million worldwide (according to Box Office Mojo), leading man Freddie Prinze Jr. recently recalled how he clashed with the director, Jim Gillespie, during shooting.

The "She's All That" and "Scooby-Doo" star told TooFab on Tuesday that he was wrecked when Gillespie told him he didn't want to cast him in the role of Ray Bronson.

Prinze said: "I'll give the man this, I think his name is Jim, he made no bones about it. There was no passive aggressiveness — which I hate — he was very direct in the fact that, 'I don't want you in this movie.' So when that's your first job and you hear those words, it just wrecks you, man. It just wrecks you."

The actor recalled how the director gave him "psychotic notes" during filming, like, "Don't leave your mouth open [because] you look stupid when you do that."

Prinze added: "That was the exact note, word for word, I'll never forget it. And I'm like, 'I'm either gonna break down or I have to beat this guy's ass.' Like, those were the only two options in my head."

The actor went on to say that it was a "struggle" to get through production.

"I was in pain every single day on that movie. However, it prepared me for this business in a way," said Prinze.

Surprisingly, the actor said he is also grateful for the experience because it prepared him for other people he would later clash with in the industry.

Prinze explained: "I'm forever grateful to Jim for being such an asshole because I've never met one like that since…no other director I've met felt crossing those lines would be okay. I've been prepared for every lesser A-hole in the business."

The actor pointed out that not everyone will have had the same experience on the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" set, noting that the director was likely frustrated because he didn't get the actor he wanted for the role of Ray (which was actually "Law & Order" star Jeremy Sisto).

Prinze said: "I'm sure he's a hero in someone else's story. I'm sure he helped someone else out and they loved him. But for me, he took a lot of frustration out on me. He was a first-time director, he didn't have a lot of time, he didn't have the budget he wanted, he didn't have the actor he wanted, and he didn't know how to deal with that frustration."