Audiences learned how scary summer secrets could be when I Know What You Did Last Summer hit theaters on Oct. 17, 1997.
The Jim Gillespie-directed film follows friends Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Helen Shivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Barry Cox (Ryan Phillippe) and Ray Bronson (Freddy Prinze Jr.) as they’re stalked by hook-wielding killer Benjamin Willis (Muse Watson). The scary stalker enters the picture one year after the group covered up a car accident in which they supposedly killed a pedestrian, who ended up being Ben.
While the movie wasn’t critically acclaimed, it was a box office success and earned more than $125 million worldwide. I Know What You Did Last Summer remained in the top box office spot for three consecutive weeks and earned nominations at several awards shows, including the MTV Movie Awards and the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards.
The movie was followed by the sequels I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) and I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006). Hewitt and Prinze reprised their roles in the 1998 sequel, while the 2006 film features a completely new cast.
Loosely based on Lois Duncan’s 1973 book of the same name, the film was written by Kevin Williamson and produced by Neal H. Moritz, Erik Feig and Stokely Chaffin.
In addition to the four leads and Watson, the cast includes Johnny Galecki, Bridgette Wilson and Anne Heche.
In honor of the film’s 25th anniversary, The Hollywood Reporter looks at what the cast of I Know What You Did Last Summer has been up to since the movie debuted in theaters.
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Jennifer Love Hewitt as Julie James
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection; Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic Hewitt stars as Julie James. Part of the group that appears to kill Ben, Julie returns from college to spend the Fourth of July at home one year after the accident, where she and her high school friends are stalked by the villain. Before her memorable role in I Know What You Did Last Summer, Hewitt starred as Sarah Reeves Merrin on the Fox drama Party of Five from 1995-99. She went on to have leading roles in films such as Can’t Hardly Wait, Heartbreakers, The Tuxedo and If Only. Additionally, she starred in CBS’ Ghost Whisperer, Lifetime’s The Client List and CBS’ Criminal Minds. Since 2018, the actress has been portraying Maddie Buckley on Fox’s 9-1-1. When she’s not acting, Hewitt is likely showing off her singing skills. She released her debut album Love Songs in 1992, followed by Let’s Go Bang in 1995, Jennifer Love Hewitt in 1996 and BareNaked in 2002. Hewitt has also directed and produced episodes of Ghost Whisperer and The Client List, as well as produced films including If Only and Jewtopia.
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Sarah Michelle Gellar as Helen Shivers
Image Credit: ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Gellar stars as Helen Shivers, Julie’s best friend, who’s involved in the car accident. Unlike Julie, Helen becomes one of Ben’s victims and is killed. Gellar starred as the much harder to kill titular character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 1997 until the series ended in 2003. She’s also starred in The CW’s Ringer and CBS’ The Crazy Ones. In 2021, she voiced the role of Teela in Netflix’s animated series Masters of the Universe: Revelation. She will next star in and executive produce the upcoming series Wolf Pack. On the film side, Gellar has had starring roles in Cruel Intentions, Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, The Grudge and TMNT. The actress, who is married to I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scooby Doo co-star Prinze, most recently appeared in the Netflix original film Do Revenge. Outside of acting, Gellar co-founded the ecommerce startup Foodstirs with Galit Laibow and Greg Fleishman in 2015. Then in 2017, she released her cookbook Stirring Up Fun With Food.
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Ryan Phillippe as Barry Cox
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection;Kelly Lee Barrett/Getty Images Barry is Helen’s high school boyfriend. Despite being madly in love with her, the pair break up shortly after the car accident on the Fourth of July. After being stalked, Barry tragically dies during the Croaker Queen Pageant when he is stabbed in the abdomen multiple times. Following I Know What You Did Last Summer, Phillippe reteamed with Gellar in Cruel Intentions, and went on to star in films including 54, Gosford Park, Crash, Flags of Our Fathers, Breach, Stop-Loss, MacGruber, The Lincoln Lawyer, One Shot and Collide. As for television, Phillippe has appeared on Shooter, the final season of Damages and Big Sky.
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Freddie Prinze Jr. as Ray Bronson
Image Credit: ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection; Robert Trachtenberg/Peacock/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Prinze appears in the first two I Know What You Did Last Summer films as Ray Bronson, Julie’s high school boyfriend with whom she rekindles a romance after surviving Ben’s attacks. After portraying Ray, the actor was cast in starring roles in She’s All That, Down to You, Summer Catch, Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, New York City Serenade and Jack and Jill vs. the World. From 2005 until 2006, he starred as the titular character in the ABC sitcom Freddie. His next leading live-action role for television was as Travis in Peacock’s Punky Brewster revival. Additionally, the actor has lent his voice to the animated shows Robot Chicken, Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Prinze began hosting the A&E series WWE Rivals in 2022.
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Bridgette Wilson as Elsa Shivers
Image Credit: Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection Wilson appears as Elsa, Helen’s older sister who never misses an opportunity to put her sibling down. Elsa is killed on the Fourth of July as Ben targeted both her and Helen. Since starring as the film’s antihero, Wilson has gone on to act in the films House on Haunted Hill, The Wedding Planner and Shopgirl. She portrayed Bridget Deshiel on Fox’s The $treet from 2000-01, while the actress has made guest appearances on shows including Frasier, Beyond Glory and Carpoolers. Her last acting credit was as Farah in the 2008 film Phantom Punch.
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Anne Heche as Melissa "Missy" Egan
Image Credit: Momodu Mansaray/WireImage Missy is the older sister of David Egan, who was one of Ben’s victims. Following her supporting role in I Know What You Did Last Summer, Heche starred in Wag the Dog; Six Days, Seven Nights; Return to Paradise; Psycho; Prozac Nation; Cedar Rapids; Catfight; and My Friend Dahmer. In 2004, Heche earned a Tony Award nomination for her role in the Broadway revival of the play Twentieth Century and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for the television film Gracie’s Choice. In addition to acting, she pursued a career in directing and worked on the 2000 HBO film If These Walls Could Talk 2. Heche tragically died in August 2022 after suffering a brain injury from a car crash. Six of Heche’s films will be released following her death, including Supercell and Frankie Meets Jack.
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Muse Watson as Benjamin Willis / Fisherman
Image Credit: ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection; Ray Mickshaw/WireImage Ben Willis is the main antagonist in all three I Know What You Did Last Summer films. After the fisherman is run over and dropped into the ocean by the teens, he goes on a killing rampage the following summer and targets the group that left him for dead. In addition to his role in the franchise, Watson has also appeared in the films End of the Spear, Small Town Saturday Night, Meeting Evil, Compound Fracture and Suburban Gothic. On the TV side, he has played recurring roles on Prison Break and NCIS.
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Johnny Galecki as Max Neurick
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection; Jean Baptiste Lacroix/Getty Images) Galecki appears in I Know What You Did Last Summer as Max Neurick, a fishmonger who has a crush on Julie and interacts with the teens before the car accident occurs. Before appearing in the slasher film, Galecki was known for starring as David Healy on Roseanne from 1993 until 1997. He has since reprised the role on the spinoffs Roseanne and The Conners. The actor is also well known for his role as Leonard Hofstadter on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, which aired from 2007-19. Galecki’s other film credits include The Opposite Sex, Bounce, Vanilla Sky, Hancock, In Time, The Cleanse, Rings and A Dog’s Journey.
