While 2004's The Prince and Me features Julia Stiles as the leading character, Paige Morgan, she was replaced for The Prince and Me 2, leading to speculation about why.
Stiles kicked off her career in the '90s with roles in films like The Devil's Own and Wicked (not to be confused with the 2024 adaptation of the Wicked stage play and its cast).
2004 then saw her rise to a new level of stardom with her leading role in Martha Coolidge's The Prince and Me alongside co-star Luke Mably
The movie centers on Stiles' Paige Morgan, a premed college student who eventually falls for Mably's Eddie, a wealthy exchange student who is the heir to the throne in his home country. The two grow close, putting Paige in a position to make a tough choice between her American life or a new life as part of royalty.
The Prince and Me recently became available to stream on Netflix, which also hosts other romcoms such as Girl Haunts Boy.
Why Was Julia Stiles Replaced in The Prince and Me 2?
While Julia Stiles played the leading role of Paige Morgan in 2004's The Prince and Me, her role was recast in 2006's The Prince and Me 2: The Royal Wedding. The sequel replaced Stiles with Kam Heskin, who also played the same role in two more direct-to-video sequels in 2008 and 2010.
Unfortunately, none of the movie's cast or crew have offered any tangible information on why Stiles did not come back for the sequel, including Stiles herself.
In terms of production for The Prince and Me 2, part of filming for the movie took place between June 26 and July 23, 2005, ahead of its February 21, 2006 release date.
Stiles rose to fame through her work in the Jason Bourne franchise alongside Matt Damon, which was years before he became a cameo machine thanks to movies like Thor: Love and Thunder. Her second movie in that franchise, The Bourne Supremacy, hit theaters on July 23, only five months after The Prince and Me.
She then returned to her role as Nicolette "Nicky" Parsons for The Bourne Ultimatum, which debuted on August 3, 2007.
Before that, she also starred in 2005's A Little Trip to Heaven alongside Jeremy Renner, who recently returned to acting after a major injury in early 2024. Filming for that series may have potentially taken place at the same time as The Prince and Me 2, keeping her from reprising her role.
Her absence could also be attributed to budget or contract issues with the sequel, as she was on a fast rise to stardom in the mid-2000s after The Bourne Identity.
While it can only be speculated, she may have grown past the point as an actor where the crew on The Prince and Me 2 could keep her on. The original only grossed $37.6 million at the box office, and there is no public information on The Prince and Me 2's box office results.
The Prince and Me is now streaming on Netflix.
