growing up
Where Honey, I Shrunk The Kids cast are now – from heroin overdose and brutal street assault to dramatic career change
HONEY, I Shrunk The Kids was the little film that became a big success at the box office.
The family flick, which came out in 1989, made $222million (£182m) worldwide, spawned two sequels and was even turned into an attraction at Disney theme parks.
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It followed the adventures of a gang of kids who were shrunk to a quarter-of-an-inch when inventor Wayne Szalinski's laser gun unexpectedly fired at them.
After being accidentally swept up, the tiny group found themselves outside in the garden to contend with massive creepy crawlies, raindrops and a lawnmower.
It's been more than three decades since Honey, I Shrunk The Kids was released and now it's believed a fourth film titled Shrunk could be in the pipeline for Disney+.
But what happened to the original cast? Here we reveal their surprising lives after the film - from tragic deaths to surprising jobs.
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Rick Moranis - 'Quit' acting after wife's death
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Prior to playing professor Wayne Szalinski, Rick Moranis was already a big star, having appeared in two Ghostbusters films, Little Shop Of Horrors and Star Wars parody Spaceballs.
But in 1991, two years after HISTK was released, the actor’s wife of five years Ann Belsky died from breast cancer.
Rick pulled away from public life to look after their two children and, apart from appearing in the film’s two sequels, he has rarely been seen onscreen.
He's since done voiceover work for the Brother Bear films, Muppets Tonight and The Goldbergs - and has released a total of three comedy music albums.
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Previously, Rick countered speculation that he had retired and insisted he was just "picky" about acting jobs.
In January, he was said to be working on a new HISTK sequel, named Shrunk, but no further news has been announced.
In 2020, CCTV captured a brutal assault on the actor in New York's plush Upper West Side, where he suffered injuries to his head, back and hip.
Marcia Strassman - Cancer death
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TV star Marcia Strassman played Wayne’s loving wife Diane, who was concerned about her husband’s wacky experiments.
She appeared in two of the Honey, I Shrunk The Kids films before returning to appear on TV shows including Murder, She Wrote and Baywatch.
In 2007, she was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, which had spread to her bones, and died seven years later at the age of 66.
Carl Steven - Heroin overdose
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Prior to HISTK, Carl Steven had a few acting credits to his name, but is best known for playing Tommy Purvis, who drove a lawnmower with a remote control.
Previously, he starred as Young Spock in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock and bagged roles in Teen Wolf, The Charlie Brown And Snoopy Show and a Scooby-Doo spin-off.
Sadly, in his adult life, things took a turn for the worse when he developed an addiction to prescription medication following a tonsillectomy.
In 2010, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for committing six armed robberies while trying to support his habit.
One year later, Carl died of a heroin overdose at the age of 36.
Kristine Sutherland - Portrait photographer
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Kristine Sutherland played Mae Thompson in the film and continued to appear in TV shows.
Among her biggest roles was Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s mum Joyce Summers between 1997 and 2002, before she made a big career change.
Kristine took a photography course at Santa Monica College and set up a studio specialising in portraits.
Now 68, she still takes the occasional acting role - including in the TV show Russian Doll, voicing a character in the video game Grand Theft Auto V, and appearing in the 2020 film Before/During/After.
Jared Rushton - Rock band star
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Fans of HISTK will remember 'Little Russ' had an even littler brother named Ron, played by Jared Rushton.
Prior to the 1989 film's release, he appeared in the TV series Roseanne, as Tom Hank’s friend in the film Big and also in Murder, She Wrote.
But after the film, Jared bagged a few small TV parts before his last appearance in the 2000 series Cover Me.
Jared, 48, quit acting to become a musician and plays guitar and organ for the rock bands Deal By Dusk and Goodbye Effect.
Amy O’Neill - Became a fire breather
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Amy O’Neill appeared in two of the HISTK films as Amy Szalinski, who famously tap danced with a mop in her hand.
After the roles, she reportedly lost interest in acting due to receiving scripts that required nudity and had a complete career change.
Amy joined the circus skills troupe Girls On Stilts, where she juggled, performed firebreathing and walked on stilts.
Since then, the 51-year-old has appeared in a couple of small productions including the TV show Baskets and short film The Follower.
Robert Oliveri - Quit for quiet life
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Playing Nick Szalinski was young Robert Oliveri’s first acting part, which led to him before nominated for a Young Artist Award and a Saturn Award.
He continued to serve as his father’s geeky protege when he appeared in the HISTK sequel and later was cast as Kevin, the brother of Winona Ryder's character Kim, in Edward Scissorhands.
Robert’s last known appearance was in the 3D short film Honey, I Shrunk The Audience!, which was an attraction at Disney theme parks from 1994 until 2010.
He quit acting to pursue studies at university and now, the 44-year-old is believed to live a quieter life with his wife and children in Florida.
Matt Frewer - Surprise Disney role
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Matt Frewer played the Szalinskis’ next-door neighbour Russ Thompson Sr, known as ‘Big Russ’, and is now listed as having over 130 acting credits on IMDB.
Since HISTK, he's landed memorable roles including Moloch in Watchmen and Doctor Leekie in Orphan Black.
Fans of the film may be shocked to discover that Matt voiced Panic – Hades' small teal-coloured underling – in the Disney film Hercules.
Thomas Wilson Brown - Behind the camera
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Thomas Wilson Brown played little Russ Thompson Jr, who had a crush on 'girl next door' Amy in HISTK.
After that, he went on to star in the US teen series Knots Landing and continued to find more TV work.
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He appeared in ER, Nash Bridges and CSI as well as making brief cameos in Michael Bay’s Pearl Harbour and Steven Seagal's hit Urban Justice.
Since then, Thomas has continued to work in entertainment - acting in TV shows and indie movies as well as working as a producer.
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