14 DAY TRIAL // Kiefer Sutherland is such an unprofessional actor and such a terrible person to be around on a set that working with him in 2010 for “24” almost made Freddie Prinze Jr. want to quit acting. This scathing remark comes straight from the former ‘90s heartthrob, in an interview with ABC News during Comic-Con 2014, which took place last week in San Diego.
Prinze Jr. was there to promote his role on the new series “Star Wars Rebels,” and somehow, he got to talking about Sutherland and how getting to share the small screen with him was nightmare.
Talk about not sparing any punches.
“I did ‘24,’ it was terrible. I hated every moment of it,” he said. “Kiefer was the most unprofessional dude in the world. That's not me talking trash, I'd say it to his face, I think everyone that's worked with him has said that. I just wanted to quit the business after that. So, I just sort of stopped.”
It’s not uncommon for actors to mildly trash other people in the industry or even their own projects, which fail to rise to their expectations, but name-dropping someone like this and in such a negative manner is taboo. You simply don’t do that in showbiz because that’s you burning bridges left and right.
The guiding principle is that you should never badmouth anyone, at least not publicly so, because you might never know the kind of damage they might do you in. People in showbiz can hold grudges for years, that much is certain.
Just look at Freddie, who waited until now to spill the beans on his “terrible” experience with the older star. And he didn’t stop here either.
“I went and worked for Vince McMahon at the WWE for Christ's sake and it was a crazier job than working with Kiefer. But, at least he was cool and tall. I didn't have to take my shoes off to do scenes with him, which they made me do. Just put the guy on an apple box or don't hire me next time. You know I'm 6 feet and he's 5'4,” the actor continued.
So he was made to take his shoes off to make Kiefer appear less small on camera. He makes it sound like it was the most offensive thing ever, but if you think about it, it’s not like it doesn’t happen to other actors and actresses on a regular basis: just ask any female co-star of Tom Cruise’s, they’re always barefoot whenever they share the screen with him.
Even if Prinze Jr. is telling the truth, the timing of his revelation is odd, to say the least. He had other opportunities to speak his mind, so he didn’t have to wait so many years. The video below is from 2010, when he called the experience of working with Sutherland “rewarding” and “an honor” because he was such a “great guy.”