Sims won't follow commands - specific save file

I'm having an issue where I can't get sims to follow commands, they just stare into space even after debugging. I followed the advice here: https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/Sims-won-t-follow-commands/td-p/9290454 for fixing it, including repairing the game, removing mods and cc, and removing my old save file.

I made a new save file with a random sim, and didn't have any issues with following commands. I tested with that random sim for about 10 minutes. I closed the game and replaced the save file in the 'saves' folder with my old save and gave it a try (I did not add any of my cc or mods back- only my old save file) and ran into the exact same issue where my sims would not follow commands.

Is the issue with the save file itself? Or is there a step I missed in fixing it? Thank you in advance