Get ready to add Christmas With You to your holiday rom-com rotation so you can see Freddie Prinze Jr. in the role he was born to play: hot dad
There’s certainly no shortage of cheesy holiday movies to choose from. In fact, now that streaming giants like Netflix have joined Hallmark and Lifetime to produce as many holiday-themed rom-coms as possible during the winter months, there are almost too many—how can one cheesy romance lover possibly watch them all? (Here’s a good place to start!) So when you’re making your watch list for this year, make sure Netflix’s newest offering makes the cut. Christmas With You stars Freddie Prinze Jr. as a hot single dad, and that’s something you aren’t going to want to miss.
Prinze, who starred as a teenage heartthrob in just about every movie millennials grew up on, has never played a dad before. This Netflix movie, which has him starring as a single, music-loving dad who falls in love with his daughter’s favorite pop star, seems like the perfect way for Prinze to try out a new type of role. Plus, as a real-life dad, he has plenty of experience to draw on.
“When my daughter was born, I walked away from the business and became a full-time dad,” he explained. “That was my main priority.”
That meant that, even though he got plenty of offers over the years, Prinze turned down roles in rom-coms—until now.
“It wasn’t until my daughter took an interest in performing that my wife and I decided to take a more active role in our careers and show her what we think is important to succeed in this business,” said Prinze, who shares his two children with actress Sarah Michelle Gellar. “To do a romantic comedy, there has to be something different. Otherwise, it would be very hard for me to get excited. Otherwise, I just want to make a horror movie, because that’s kind of my favorite type of film. But Miguel was a father, and this was [the] first opportunity I had to be a father in a movie.”
Prinze also explained how acting—especially in a role where he plays a dad—has changed as his kids have gotten old enough to watch his films.
“My daughter’s 13 and old enough to get all the messages,” he said. “That scene with myself and Deja Monique Cruz [who plays Cristina] was special. Miguel’s letting Cristina know how proud he is of her, and how her mother would’ve been proud of her. That was a big scene for me. I remember being nervous about it. It was the only time I’ve been nervous since I Know What You Did Last Summer. I would prep that scene over and over. I wanted it to be perfect.”
Christmas With You is currently streaming on Netflix, so look no further for a movie to watch ASAP to help you get in the holiday rom-com spirit.
