The Cast Of Holes What They Look Like From The Movie And Now
Few movies fill us with as much nostalgia as Holes. For many of us, this movie represents a major part of our childhood, and the story really left a huge imprint on our memories. Many of our readers have probably forgotten all about it. But all it takes is a few familiar faces, and once again we can recall every little detail about this amazing story. It was based on a book by Louis Sachar, and today that novel is required reading in some US high schools. Not only that but as Khleo Thomas (the actor who played Zero) points out later in this article, the class is then forced to watch the movie afterward. Well, we can think of a lot worse assignments at school…
This movie was surprisingly deep and emotional, and although it was aimed at kids, it also confronted us with some pretty mature themes and life lessons. It's the kind of movie that puts butterflies in your stomach when the credits roll. But as great as the story is, it wouldn't have gotten off its feet unless the film had some truly talented actors to help bring the characters to life. But have you ever wondered what became of these talented actors and actresses? Some of them you will easily recognize… Others have fallen off the radar a little bit… But every one of these people can look back on the movie and be proud of the work they've done.
15 Shia Labeouf Has Come A Long Way Since Holes
The lead character of the entire movie was Stanley, a character played by Shia LeBeouf. According to the film's Wikipedia page, the director wanted a child who could be a "young Tom Hanks." They found Shia LeBeouf, who was filming Even Stevens at the time. In order to participate in Holes, he had to film both projects at the same time.
Since this film, he has gone on to participate in countless projects, such as Transformers, and more recently Borg Vs McEnroe.
Shia LeBeouf was once touted as the next Tom Hanks, but as the actor freely admits in a recent interview by Esquire, his ascent has also been wrought with failures: “I've got to look at my failures in the face for a while. I need to take ownership of my [self] and clean up my side of the street a bit before I can go out there and work again, so I'm trying to stay creative and learn from my mistakes. I've been falling forward for a long time. Most of my life. The truth is, in my desperation, I lost the plot.”
14 Khleo Thomas Became A Rapper
One of the characters most of us remember from the movie Holes is "Zero." This was one of the most interesting characters in the book, and to see him brought to life in such amazing style was a joy to watch. And it was all down to the incredible acting of Khleo Thomas, the young actor who portrayed the character all those years ago. Many people became obsessed with this young actor. But whatever happened to this amazing talent?
As it turns out, he went into music - rap, to be exact. In an interview with Hip-Hop DX, the actor/rapper admitted he's perfectly okay with being known as Zero for the rest of his life: “I'm the black Harry Potter at this point. That's how I looked at it for a while. I never felt bad about it or felt like 'Man nobody will ever see me past this role' because I've always continued to work. I've had almost 30 projects after Holes. It doesn't bother me that it's still so prominent and dominant. It's going to continue to be a cultural type of thing, it's still a required reading book in the schools, and they watch the film after they read the book."
13 Sigourney Weaver Is Still An Amazing Actress
Sigourney Weaver was an established actor well before she took the role of the Warden in Holes, but many people still insist that this was an incredibly important role for her career. Previously, she had made a name for herself as "Lt. Ripley" in the Alien franchise, and this was a very different role for her.
This movie was one that showed her impressive range, and skill as an actress.
Today, she is still going strong at age 68, and she continuously lands leading roles in huge projects.
Speaking about why she took the iconic role, she told CBN: "Our daughter fell in love with this book named Holes by Louise Sacher. She came running up to me and she said, 'Mommy, you should play this awful person the warden in Holes. I sort of glanced at it, and I read her making the boys dig holes in the desert. She stood there, this sort of shapely redhead."
12 Jon Voight Is Still Going Strong
Another actor who was already pretty well-established at the time Holes was released was Jon Voight. He's one of the most successful actors of all time, having won an Academy Award among countless others, and having been nominated more times than anyone can count. He is known for his past roles in films like Midnight Cowboy, Coming Home, and Enemy Of The State. He is also known for being the father of Angelina Jolie.
Speaking about his role in Holes, Jon Voight revealed: “I thought this Mr. Sir could look like [country singer] Waylon Jennings on a bad day." He had to wear a wig and a padded belly in order to fit the character perfectly. Today, Jon Voight is 79 years old, but he's still going strong with some incredible roles in film and TV (which he continues to win awards for).
11 Harry Winkler Is Still The Same Old Actor
Harry Winkler didn't have a massive role in the film Holes, but it was an important one. In this film, he played the father of the protagonist. When he appeared in Holes, it wasn't long after he returned from an acting hiatus which he took since the 1980s, according to the actor's Wikipedia page.
Although Harry Winkler is known for a wide variety of different roles, he's probably going to be best remembered for playing "Fonzie" in Happy Days.
He's done quite a lot since Holes, including tons of work on TV shows. According to his Wikipedia page, the actor has also acted on cartoons such as The Simpsons and South Park, which would suggest that he's also a talented voice actor. He's also appeared on multiple episodes of Parks And Recreation, as well as a reality show called Better Late Than Never.
10 Tim Blake Nelson Is Still Playing Great Characters
Timothy Blake Nelson is a face that many of you will immediately recognize, and he's popped up in a few great films over the years. He plays Dr. Pedanski in the movie Holes, which was definitely a huge opportunity for the actor and one that he will probably be remembered by. But he also appeared as one of the central three characters in the critically acclaimed film, O Brother, Where Art Thou? Which was also a very iconic role for him.
His Rotten Tomatoes page credits him as not only an actor, but also a screenwriter, director, and playwright, which would suggest that he's been keeping very busy since Holes. He still does a lot of work as an actor, which includes both TV and film. Variety recently reported that Tim Blake Nelson will be directing an upcoming sci-fi movie called Micheal Zero. He's also acting in a Netflix series directed by the Coen Brothers, who he has worked with in the past.
9 Byron Cotton Stopped Acting
One character that was very interesting in both the book and the movie was Armpit. His real name was Theodore Johnson, but his nickname became Armpit because he had very strong body odor. Like the other boys, he was sent to the camp for committing a crime. He was played by the very talented Byron Cotton, who really helped bring this interesting character to life.
So what's Byron Cotton up to today? Well, according to Buzzfeed, he stopped acting and didn't continue his career.
That would make sense, seeing as we haven't really heard anything from the actor since Holes. He seems to have fallen completely off the map, but we're sure that he's found another passion that is just as interesting as acting!
8 Max Kasch Still Gets Parts
Max Kasch played the role of Zig-Zag in the movie Holes, a role that many of you might remember. His role is pretty major, and he is one of the toughest, most violent of the boys. He actually beats Stanley at one point, which is a response to him teaching other kids how to read. But in the end, he apologizes and makes up with Stanley. Max Kasch does an amazing job of bringing this character to life.
The actor also seems to have continued his career in a positive way.
He has acted in numerous films and TV shows since Holes, including work in theater. His Wikipedia page also cites the fact that he a musician, and it's clear that this artists is one with many talents. His most recent film role was in the movie Whiplash, in which he played a dorm neighbor.
7 Patricia Arquette Has Received Praise Since Holes
One of the most interesting characters in the entire story of Holes is "Kissin' Kate Barlowe," played by none other than Patricia Arquette. This character is actually Louis Sachar's favorite character, as revealed in the Holes Wiki page about Kate Barlowe. Kate Barlowe famously sees her African American lover shot dead, and later turns to a life as a bandit.
Patricia Arquette has done a lot since Holes and has received huge amounts of praise for her roles.
One that stands out, in particular, is a movie called Boyhood, in which she plays a mother. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for this role, and Time calls her amazing performance in this movie "astounding." She has done a lot of other great things since Holes as well.
6 Dulé Hill Is Doing Amazing Things Today
Another incredibly important character to the movie Holes was Sam, an African American man who sold Onions and developed a friendship with Kate, which letter developed into a romance. He was played by the very talented Dulé Hill, and back when Holes was first released, the actor was not nearly as famous and as successful as he is today.
Holes, along with The West Wing, were two projects in which he is considered to have breakout roles, according to Buzzfeed. Today, he has done many other projects, including recurring roles on both Ballers and Suits. People also just reported that the accomplished actor is settling down and tying the knot, marrying an actress named Jazmyn Simon.
5 Siobhan Fallon Hogan Has Tons Of Credits Since Holes
Another slightly minor character which you might not be able to recognize is Siobhan Fallon Hogan. She played the role of Stanley's mother, and although it was a peripheral role, it was also an important one. She is an actress who many of you might recognize because she's done a lot of interesting work since landing this role in the movie Holes.
Before Holes, she had starred in films such as Men In Black, Forest Gump, and The Negotiator.
So it should come as no surprise that the actress continued her streak of landing roles well after her involvement in Holes.
Since this movie, she's appeared on Wayward Pines, as well as in movies such as Daddy Daycare and Baby Mama alongside Sigourney Weaver, as Buzzfeed reports.
4 Brenden Jefferson Has Also Stopped Acting
Another interesting character in the movie Holes was X-Ray, otherwise known as Rex Washburn. While he doesn't take too kindly to Stanley at the beginning of the film, the two later become friends. This character was given the name X-Ray because of his glasses. X-Ray famously convinces Stanley to give everything he finds in the holes to him, because he wants the day off.
The character of X-Ray was played by Brenden Jefferson, and prior to Holes he had starred in many different projects. As early as 1995, Brenden Jefferson had appeared in films like Crimson Tide and Senseless. After Holes, his career seems to have lost steam, with his last appearance being in 2004, a year after Holes, in a television movie. Buzzfeed reports that he also stopped acting.
3 We Sadly Lost Eartha Kitt
One of the most interesting characters in the Holes movie was Madame Zeroni, a wise old Egyptian woman who meets Stanley's ancestor and eventually puts a curse on him and his entire family. She is magical and seems to have pretty significant powers. An interesting side note is that her descendant is actually the character Zero, who Stanley was destined to meet one day.
Although Madame Zeroni was a minor character, her portrayal by Eartha Kitt was very important. Eartha Kitt, as reported by the Guardian, had a groundbreaking and incredibly successful career not only as a singer, but also an actress.
As the first ever African American woman to attain mainstream success in television, she played Catwoman in the classic Batman TV series. She later passed away in 2008 - not long after she played her role in Holes.
2 Rick Fox From Basketball To Acting
Rick Fox is a very interesting character, and Holes was one of the first big acting jobs he took. Back then, he was best known for his career as a professional basketball player. As it would turn out, however, the role of Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingston was perfect for the actor/athlete… Because Clyde Livingston was actually a basketball player! If you can remember, this is the same athlete who accuses Stanley of stealing his sneakers, sending him to dig holes in the first place.
Rick Fox has done a ton of acting since Holes, and one of his newest appearances was on the show Greenleaf. Speaking to The Grapevine about the show, he revealed that he always knew he wanted to become an actor, saying: “I did it as a kid in the Bahamas; I did it in class in North Carolina at the university. I knew I'd be in the entertainment industry when I was done with my playing days. I got the opportunity in 1994 to be a part of a TV series, and after that I moved out to Hollywood to hone my craft and grow my career as an actor."
1 Zane Holtz Is A Huge Actor Now
One character that you might have forgotten all about from the movie Holes was the character "Barfbag." We don't see much of Barfbag, because he was gone by the time Stanley arrived at the camp. Stanley was actually sent there to replace Barfbag because he had purposely gotten himself bit by a rattlesnake in a desperate attempt to escape the treacherous camp. It worked, and he later escaped from prison, never to be seen again.
He's a forgettable character, ultimately, so we won't blame you if you didn't realize that was actually Zane Holtz playing the character!
Today, as Deadline reports, Zane Holtz is doing great things, and was recently cast as the male lead in the CW pilot Searchers. The show wasn't actually picked up, but Zane Holtz is proving to be quite an accomplished actor, with previous roles in the show From Dusk Till Dawn.
References: buzzfeed.com, aol.com, esquire.com, cbn.com, hiphopdx.com, time.com, wikipedia.org, variety.com, people.com, theguardian.com, thegrapevine.theroot.com, deadline.com