Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar didn't 'dig' each other. Then he gave her a ride to the gym.

The year was 1997.

A 21-year-old Freddie Prinze Jr. and a 19-year-old Sarah Michelle Gellar had arrived in Southport, North Carolina, to film a scrappy teen slasher, I Know What You Did Last Summer; a movie that would quietly etch itself into horror movie history.

It was the first time the actors' paths had crossed. And while it would become the start of a decades-long love story, back then, there were no sparks between the colleagues.

"[We] really didn't dig each other," Prinze Jr. told PEOPLE in 2001.

They were just two young actors, running lines between takes and stealing snacks from craft services, unaware they were standing on the edge of something that would change both of their lives.

Then, a car ride changed everything.

Watch: I Know What You Did Last Summer, 1997, Official Trailer. Post continues after video.

"One day, I gave her a ride to the gym. We talked on the way up, and she was a cool chick," Prinze said.

From there, a friendship blossomed. Gellar, who didn't have a license, would regularly catch rides to set with Prinze. And they talked.

"We were friends for two years before we ever went out on a date," Prinze told E! News. "She knew what kind of guy I was, what my morals were, what my priorities were, and vice versa. We already knew all the faults about the other person."

When their first date finally came, it was an accident.

"We were supposed to have dinner with a friend of ours, but she didn't make her plane, so we went anyway," Gellar told Us Weekly.

Suddenly, their easy friendship had evolved into something romantic. And they never looked back.

A year later, in 2001, Prinze and Gellar were engaged. The following year, they were married.

Their wedding was held on a beach in Mexico on September 1, 2002, with 60 guests and a four-day itinerary. It rained on the day, so they ended up having to move the ceremony indoors.

In 2007, in honour of their fifth year of marriage, Gellar legally changed her name to Sarah Michelle Prinze, having kept her maiden name for the first five years of their marriage.

"I had no idea what to get [Freddie Prinze Jr.] for our five-year wedding anniversary. I'd been meaning to change my last name to Prinze, but I just hadn't gotten off my lazy a** to get it changed," she told BULLETT magazine.

Then and now, Prinze and Gellar at the premieres for 'I Know What You Did Last Summer'. Image: Instagram/@sarahmgellar/@evanrosskat

"It's a lot of paperwork! You have to go to the courthouse and then to the DMV. The truth is, I would have done it the first or second year, but it was my aversion to going to the DMV that stopped me."

Prinze and Gellar went on to have two children — Charlotte, born in 2009, and Rocky, born in 2012 — who they often share photos of on social media, although they cover their faces for privacy.

As for their professional lives, as their relationship kicked up a gear, so did their careers. And soon they were the 'It Couple' in Hollywood. They played Fred and Daphne alongside each other in Scooby Doo in the early 2000s, and Gellar starred in the insanely popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer which ran from 1997 to 2003. Prinze went on to star in his own sitcom Freddie in 2005.

In a full circle moment, the actors both appeared in the 2025 reboot of I Know What You Did Last Summer, which was filmed in Australia, reprising their roles as Ray Bronson and Helen Shivers.

Prinze and Gellar, along with their kids, reportedly resided in Surry Hills, New South Wales, during filming, and were spotted enjoying a meal at Chin Chin, as per The Daily Telegraph.

During their stint, Gellar posted a number of cute Aussie photos to her Instagram, from the Opera House to the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb.

Gellar and Prinze resided in Sydney while filming the 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' reboot. Image: Instagram/@sarahmgellar

Now, they are back in Los Angeles, and the pair have said that maintaining a sense of normalcy for their kids has always been a core focus.

Gellar has even shared that they try to have family dinner as many nights as they can, with no phones allowed at the table.

Talking to E! in 2015, she said they were both very hands-on parents: "I mean, I think that that's how you have to raise children today, as you want them to be independent and want them to see in our society that there is no difference between men and women and go from there."

While Gellar has continued to act, Prinze eventually bowed out and turned his attention to cooking and being a stay-at-home dad.

"I wanted to be a stay-at-home dad," he told to GQ Magazine in 2016. "I wanted to cook breakfast and dinner for my kids every day."

In 2022, Gellar shared on Instagram that their daughter Charlotte became a teenager recently, and their son Rocky hit double digits.

"Freddie and I made two incredible kids. But they came into the world three years and one day apart. It's always madness these few days. My daughter told me she wanted a cocktails and caviar spa party for her 13th birthday… so we had to make that happen (well, mocktails for the kids and cocktails for the mums)."

Although the party was fabulous, make no mistake — Gellar says she and her husband are quite strict and serious in their parenting style.

Speaking to Yahoo, she said that her two kids aren't allowed their own social media accounts.

"Our rules are probably stricter than most. Our kids don't have social media. They're allowed to look sometimes when it's our phones. Sometimes, our kids will be like 'you guys are the strictest household!' But I say, 'yes, but everyone still wants to come here!'"

Gellar and Prinze cover their kids' faces when sharing them on social media. Image: Instagram/@sarahmgellar

To emphasise the permanence of what's posted on social media, Gellar said she told her kids that it's the "equivalent of getting a Paw Patrol tattoo on your face at age five".

"Because at that age, there's nothing better than Paw Patrol. And now you're 10 and 13, and you still have these tattoos on your face and it's not even who you are anymore. That's a very hard concept for young kids to grasp."

She continued: "I believe kids need to know what their limitations are, and they actually thrive in that environment. We're not mean, we're not unnecessarily strict, but we have rules. And the same way I abide by my code of rules, I expect the same from our children."

In September 2024, Gellar and Prinze celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary.

On the anniversary, Gellar shared a short but sweet Instagram post to commemorate the milestone.

"22," she captioned the image.

Despite their relationship being of great interest to the public, Gellar and Prinze have always been fairly private people, with Gellar replying to an interviewer's question in 2021 of "what's the sexiest quality of your husband?" with "nothing I'd say to your camera".

Reflecting on their relationship briefly, Prinze said to US Weekly: "There's no keys. There's no rules. There's nothing like that. I don't believe in false expectations. I just believe in knowing who you are when you start a relationship. And if you don't, then that relationship probably isn't going to work."

Gellar and Prinze celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary in September 2024. Image: Instagram/@sarahmgellar/@realfreddieprinze

He also gave this piece of advice: "Sarah likes what she likes. I don't trash reality television. I don't trash anything. If she digs it, cool… So, let your girls watch what they want to watch. Let your dudes watch what they want to watch. Don't give them a hard time."

Gellar has also shared her own advice for a lasting marriage over the years, telling Brit + Co in 2017, "Speak up for what you want and be heard and let your feelings out. I mean if you don't communicate to your waiter, you're not getting your order; if you don't communicate with your partner, you're not going to get what you want."

On her socials, Gellar explained that it's the little things that bring her happiness. Because although she has continued to act and work in the entertainment industry, she said she ultimately loves nothing more than spending time at home with her family.

"Take the 10 minutes — put the phone down. Have a cup of coffee together," she said to PEOPLE of spending time with those you love.

"Walk the dog at the end of the night. Read a story with your kids. Make the most of the time that you have. We are all pulled in so many directions, so make sure that, whichever one you are focusing on, you're present."

And after two decades together, Gellar says it's not just love that is important for their marriage — it's like.

"I think it's great to be in love, but it's also nice to like each other and like spending time together," she told Steve Harvey.

This post was originally published in May 2020 and has since been updated.

Feature Image: Instagram/@sarahmgellar/Getty

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