here's a more in-depth version of that article...
Freddie Prinze Jr.: 'Unprofessional' Kiefer Sutherland Almost Made Me Quit Acting
By
Kelly Woo 2 hours ago
Yahoo TV
Kiefer Sutherland and Freddie Prinze Jr. on '24: Day 8' (Fox/Everett Collection)
Most of the time, actors gush about each other, so it's rare to hear one slamming another, especially to the media. But that’s what happened this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, when Freddie Prinze Jr. openly dissed former
24 co-star Kiefer Sutherland. Prinze, who was promoting his animated series
Star Wars Rebels, told
ABC News that Sutherland was such a nightmare to work with that he "just wanted to quit the business after that."
Prinze grew up in the industry (his father was an actor) and started acting right out of high school. He became a teen heartthrob thanks to
I Know What You Did Last Summer and
She's All That before growing into heavier roles, like on
24. Little did he know that what seemed like a plum, high-profile job would go so sour.
"I did
24, it was terrible. I hated every moment of it," Prinze 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."
.
Kiefer Sutherland and Shohreh Aghdashloo on '24' (Fox)
Well, not everyone has said it publicly, but there have been rumblings about Sutherland's difficult behavior on set. Oscar nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo, who joined the cast in Season 4,
believes her character was killed off unexpectedly because she clashed with Sutherland. "I'm afraid working with him proved to be hard. That young man was pretty angry," she told
Fox & Friends.
Prinze’s problems with him apparently stemmed, in some part, from their height difference. After 24, he worked as a producer and director for WWE’s Vince McMahon.
"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," Prinze said. "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."
Yahoo TV reached out to Sutherland's reps for comment, but have yet to get a response. (Also, according to most
reports, Sutherland is described as 5-foot-9.)
Not all of Sutherland’s co-stars think he’s difficult. On
The Late Late Show in 2002, Elisha Cuthbert (who played Jack Bauer’s daughter on
24) said the actor was serious, but professional. And young David Mazouz, who played Sutherland’s son on
Touch,
raved about how “patient and kind” he was.
Kiefer Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub in '24: Live Another Day' (Fox)
But it’s very telling to hear what Mary Lynn Rajskub, who starred as Chloe O'Brian on
24 for seven years, has said about the actor. On Marc Maron’s podcast, the actress was diplomatic, but
gave indications that his reputation might be true. "Kiefer and I like each other; I would go so far as to say we love each other in that respect," she said. But then, she added that they'd never really developed a personal relationship — despite working together for seven years (plus the time from
24: Live Another Day).
Much of the cast and crew became like a family, she noted, "But we never fully hung out or fully had a conversation the entire time."
Update: some responses from people involved in the production.
24‘s dialogue consultant Marci Michelle (and close friend of Kiefer) called Freddie a “jackass” on Twitter and said “Ahhh, love it when actors are promoting a new gig by bashing their last gig. Pathetic.”
Scott Meslow tweeted “I PAed on 24, and Kiefer Sutherland was a hell of a lot more professional than Freddie Prinze Jr.” and followed it up with “It’s less a legitimate gripe and more a basic misunderstanding about how leading actors are shot in pretty much everything.”