An iconic Hollywood child star is totally unrecognisable almost three decades on from when he made his big break into movies with legendary role
An iconic Hollywood star from the ’90s looks totally different almost 30 years on from the role that made him famous.
Devon Sawa shot to fame in 1995 when he starred as friendly ghost Casper’s human form Casper McFadden. The film featured an array of big-name actors at the time including The Addams Family’s Christina Ricci, and Independence Day star Bill Pullman.
After finding fame in the family movie Devon, 46, went on to star in Final Destination in 2000, which has become a cult classic for horror lovers over the years. That same year he also starred in Eminem’s video for his hige global hit Stan playing an obsessed fan of the rapper.
Back in 2022 Devon opened up about how he struggled with his fame and his famous line in Casper as he said: “I had to smoke pot in movies and I had to be in a hip-hop video. That’s what I felt like I had to do to get away from ‘Can I keep you?’ Everybody wanted to hear, ‘Can I keep you?’ It drove me nuts.”
Struggling with his sobriety Devon ultimately took a step back from his Hollywood career and said that while it “wasn’t completely” his choice it was what he needed to get himself back to where he needed to be. He continued to The Independent: “I was burnt out, I was drinking too much. I was partying too much. And so I went back to Vancouver and got sober. After a couple of years, I met my wife and we went away to southeast Asia. I wrestled with the idea of never acting again.”
However, he has since starred in NCIS: Los Angeles, as well as a recurring role in thriller series Nikita, and Somewhere Between. He had a cameo part in Hacks in 2022 and also starred in the Chucky series for three season before it was cancelled.
Devon recently appeared at the New York Comic Con event as part of the Shudder panel. He married his wife, producer Dawni Sahanovitch, in 2013. Devon is a devoted dad to their children son Hudson and daughter Charlotte.
He admitted in the 2022 chat that his daughter “has the actor buzz in her,” and could follow in his footsteps with a career in Hollywood. Devon boasted that she has “comedic timing and she has levels,” as he proudly discussed her although he did confess he is “never going to get her an agent or anything, but it’s really weird to see that she’s got this little performer in her.”
Devon did say he issues a stark warning to any parents who approach him for advice on getting their children into Hollywood after his own experience admitting “I always tell them what I’m sure they don’t want to hear: keep them out of the film business. If they want to act, put them in theatre, put them on the stage. They don’t need to be paid.”
He added: “And then, four, five, six years later, if they’re still showing as much interest and passion, maybe revisit. You don’t need to make money out of your kids.”
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