Skeet Ulrich is probably remembered these days as “that guy from Scream,” which he unintentionally has been.
It’s not that Ulrich didn’t enjoy acting. Skeet Ulrich simply loved his children more.
Ulrich grew up in a broken family, having been kidnapped by his father and carried around the country for three years, only to end up living with his mother when his father disappeared.
So when Ulrich’s marriage to Georgina Cates ended in divorce when their children were only four years old, he couldn’t just sit back and let history repeat itself.
Skeet Ulrich and his wife had twins
On March 9, 2001, Ulrich and his ex-wife Cates welcomed two beautiful fraternal twins, Jakob and Naiia.
Unfortunately, Ulrich and his wife’s marriage did not work out, and the couple divorced in 2005. After all, was said and done, the father was awarded custody of the children.
Sticking to acting would have allowed Ulrich to hire an army of nannies to care for and provide for his children. However, his hectic schedule meant that he would spend far less time with his children.
A choice had to be made.
To an uninformed observer, Ulrich may appear to be a Hollywood flop — a passing fad. However, upon closer inspection, it was clear that his withdrawal was deliberate.
Ulrich, a single father, was at home.
Ulrich is a skeptic. I chose to be with the children
During an interview with Fatherly, the actor explained that his decision to stay at home after his divorce from his wife and continue caring for his children was a reaction to the circumstances in which he was raised.
I won’t go into the specifics of my upbringing and lack of parenting, but I would never make my children feel unwanted.
The actor sought professional help as a young adult to help him sort through his feelings about his formative years. But no matter how many times he ran in his early years, it didn’t add up.
When he was finished with the idea and realized that his childhood trauma could never be fixed, his analyst told him that the experiences would only feel okay after he had his own children.
“I didn’t get it when I was 23, but he was correct,” he admitted. “I get to relive my own childhood in a new light and be the parent I never had.”
Since then, the actor has made it a point to only take on projects that will keep him in Los Angeles — a career disadvantage.
Riverdale was the only time he claimed to have worked on a project outside of the City of Angels.
Ulrich also admitted to employing a nanny. Even so, he’d only had to do it twice before.
“I hired a nanny once when I was doing the first season of Jericho,” Ulrich shared. “They were starting kindergarten, and when I did Law & Order, I hired a nanny once more. That’s all.”
In fact, he began considering acting projects outside of Los Angeles only after his children reached the age of eighteen.