EXCLUSIVE: Freddie Prinze Jr. Dishes on His Six-Year-Old Daughter's Gourmet Cooking Skills, Possible 'She's Al
What’s better than a man who knows his way around the kitchen? One that trains his adorable daughter to cook gourmet meals as well!
Freddie Prinze Jr. opened up this week about his and wife Sarah Michelle Gellar’s kitchen-oriented home life and among the revelations are that six-year-old Charlotte is giving her dad a run for his money.
“My daughter makes everything,” the actor told ET’s Jennifer Peros. “Literally she can cook by herself. She’s six-and-a-half, she made a Korean beef dish solo.”
EXCLUSIVE: Freddie Prinze Jr. Says His Late Father ‘Loved Being Around’ Muhammad Ali
Prinze Jr., who just released his first cook-book, Back in the Kitchen, also shared how Charlotte and her three-year-old brother, Rocky, play out stereotypical gender roles in the kitchen.
“Men are good at destroying and women are very good at creation and my daughter proves that rule and my son proves that rule,” said the She’s All That star. “He’s not trying to wreck it – he just wants to change the energy, the way my daughter can change the energy of a pizza and make it look pretty.
“My son’s pizza looks horrible, [but] tastes the same. All the same ingredients, but he is three-and-a-half and not as coordinated as the six-year-old, so I don't care how they make it, as long as they're involved [and] having fun.”
WATCH: Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Daughter Has Her ‘Buffy’ Skills!
Given their culinary whiz of a dad, it’s no surprise that the children’s most requested meals are fancier than most kids’ wishlists. A honey and spice-infused pork chop is the most popular dish in the Prinze-Gellar household, and the garnish is taken care of by Charlotte’s homegrown beets.
Yes, this girl not only cooks, but grows her own veggies!
“I have pictures of her pulling them out – golden beets, red beets and candy cane beet. Those are the things that we try to do,” the actor shared. “I keep my daughter very involved. My son is too, but he's a destroyer, you know? Like most men. That's why we shouldn't be in charge of much, especially president.”
WATCH: Sarah Michelle Gellar Shares Super Cute Pics of Her Kids in the Kitchen!
Prinze Jr., 40, added that he’s super-strict at the dinner table, ensuring that his children eat what is put in front of them. It’s an attitude stemming back to his own upbringing, during which his mother sent him to his room if he was fussy.
“One time I did not eat dinner. My mother very coolly and calmly said, ‘Okay baby, you can go to bed.’ So I went to bed and the next morning I came out, went in the kitchen for breakfast and sitting in the same spot was my dinner from the night before, not reheated and not refrigerated. Cold, old and disgusting. She made me eat that or that was going to be my lunch. So I didn't mess around when my mom worked hard on something – I learned to appreciate it.”
As for whether his 39-year-old wife loves his cooking, the actor laughed, “That's why she married me. It wasn't for any other reason. Sarah and myself always bonded over food to the point that she now bakes with her company, Foodstirs.”
It’s been nearly 20 years since the pair found love on the set of I Know What You Did Last Summer and while a reboot of the horror flick is in the works, it’s another one of his movies that Prinze Jr. would most like to see redone.
“I’m sure they’ll remake She’s All That,” he said. “I thought it was a real representation of teenagers in a John Hughes vibe, where they were funny in an extreme situation, but they were still honest about who they were and not knowing what they wanted to do with their lives, but never admitting that.”
“Seeing that come back would be fun to watch. I wouldn't want to be in it, but it would be fun to see other people's take.”
See more from Prinze Jr.’s interview with ET, including his memories of late boxing legend Muhammad Ali in the video below.
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