SEA CHANGE
Where Free Willy cast are now – from prison stint to Bond role and tragic fate of killer whale
ITS charming tale of a tearaway teen forming an unlikely friendship with a killer whale made Free Willy an instant classic.
The film, which marked 30 years since its release in America this week, starred Jason James Richter as orphan Jesse, whose life changed when he was ordered to work at a theme park he'd been caught vandalising.
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There he forged a strong bond with Willy the young orca whale, and made it his mission to free him back into the wild.
The flick helped change people's perceptions of orcas and the living conditions of those kept in captivity.
But what became of its cast? Here we take a look at where the stars of Free Willy are now.
Jason James Richter - Jesse
Thirteen-year-old Jason beat 4,000 other hopefuls to win the role, and starred in all three Free Willy films between 1993 and 1997.
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Speaking in 2013, he told how he actually had to interact with a real life whale, named Keiko, on set.
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"I remember it being one of those moments of pure and utter fascination as a child," he told the Daily Beast.
"You don't see the danger. At 11 years old, you're just like, 'Oh my God, a whale. That's amazing! This will be awesome, he recalled.”
“Had I been 17, I might have been like, 'Hey, this thing is going to bite my hand off,' but when you're 11 you're just like, 'Oh, wow. Cool. Let me touch it.'"
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US-born Jason continued to act, landing the odd film and TV role including in The Neverending Story III, and guest-starring on Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Rugrats.
At 18 he turned his back on acting to play bass guitar in the band Fermata.
In 2015 Jason, now 43, began his movie comeback with roles in the Last Rampage, The Brawler and comedy-drama Last Call.
Jason was sentenced to four days in jail and a 36-month probation period in 2018 after he was arrested in connection to domestic violence - but the charges were later dropped.
He told Page Six: “After having the domestic violence charges against me dropped due to inconsistencies in my ex’s story and no evidence to support her claims, I was hoping to move forward from this awful situation.”
Lori Petty - Rae Lindley
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Lori, now 59, played marine biologist Rae, who took Jesse under her wing at the theme park and eventually helped with Willy's escape.
She was already a big name, having starred in Point Break (1991) and A League of Their Own (1992), and went on to land the title role in Tank Girl in 1995.
In more recent years she's moved to the small screen, with roles in House, Prison Break, and plays Lolly Whitehill in Orange Is The New Black.
Lori wrote and directed her first feature film, The Poker House, in 2008 and cast Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence in her film debut.
Other than a known relationship with actor David Alan Grier in 1994, little is known about Lori's love life.
Jayne Atkinson - Annie Greenwood
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Brit actress Jayne, now 64, played Jesse's foster mum Annie in the film, but is arguably better known for her role as Karen Hayes on 24.
More recently she played U.S. Secretary of State Catherine Durant on Netflix drama House of Cards - opposite her real life husband Michael Gill, who played President Garrett Walker.
She started out in theatre and since Free Willy she's predominantly worked in TV and on stage.
Jayne took a break from acting after having her son, aged 40.
Having played a string of powerful political figures on screen, Jayne has not ruled out moving into politics herself.
She said: “I’m not closing the door on it because I think I can amalgamate ideas, and I think I have a way of speaking that energises, and enlivens, and inspires people.
“I think that’s why I’m an actress... Sort of doing it as me, well that might just be the next step.”
Michael Madsen - Glen Greenwood
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Madsen was the biggest name in Free Willy, having starred in Reservoir Dogs a year earlier.
He's since starred in other Quentin Tarantino flicks Kill Bill, The Hateful Eight and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and had a small part in the James Bond movie Die Another Day alongside his pal Pierce Brosnan.
The actor has been married three times, and has five children.
Madsen, 64, was left devastated when his son Hudson died of suspected suicide in January last year, aged 26.
Hudson, who was Tarantino’s godson, was a serving soldier in the US Army. Michael said the last text he received from his son read “I love you dad” and that he showed no sign of depression.
The actor called for an investigation, saying he was worried that Army rank and file officers were “shaming” Hudson’s need for therapy, which made him stop seeking help.
A month after his son’s death, Michael was arrested at a luxury Malibu home for trespassing after earlier being evicted.
Reports in America said the home owner received a call from security officers to say someone was trying to break into the house - and drove over to find Madsen on the porch.
Michael Ironside - Dial
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Michael Ironside, 73, has made a career of playing villains who get their comeuppance just like his character in Free Willy.
He has played baddies in blockbusters such as Top Gun, Extreme Prejudice, and Total Recall.
In the years since the movie, the actor hasn't been short of work and has been in several movies and TV shows such as Desperate Housewives and Smallville.
In 1986, he married Karen Dinwiddle - they share a 25-year-old daughter together. Michael also has another child from a previous marriage.
In 2018, Michael revealed that he's survived both prostate and thyroid cancer on three different occasions.
More recently, he starred in the American crime thriller Nobody and the biographical comedy-drama, BlackBerry, released this year.
Richard Riehle - Wade
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In a career that has spanned over 40 years, Richard Riehele has appeared in more than 350 films and TV shows and is one of the most recognisable faces in Hollywood.
One of the 75-year-old's most notable roles includes playing Walt Finnerty in Grounded for Life, which ran from 2001 to 2005.
He has also appeared in Ally McBeal, The Fugitive, Lethal Weapon 4, and the horror flick Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D.
Like many of his co-stars, he's still working and appeared in seven different films in 2019. This year, he appeared in the black comedy drama Barry.
Richard, who is known for his grey mustache and playing supporting roles, has been married to Jane Lantham since 1970.
Mykelti Williamson - Dwight Mercer
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Mykelti Williamson played cop Dwight in Free Willy but had already starred as one in Hill Street Blues, The First Power, and Police Story: Monster Manor.
But it was arguably his role as Bubba in Forrest Gump that brought him widespread and critical praise.
He even reprised his role as Dwight in the second installment of Free Willy before going on to star in successful blockbusters such as Heat, Waiting to Exhale alongside Whitney Houston, and Con-Air.
Although he enjoyed a flourishing career as an actor, Mykelti refused to put his eggs in one basket and had a side hustle as a contractor remodeling kitchens and bathrooms.
in 1998, he was acquitted of manslaughter after being accused of stabbing Leroy Edwards, a companion of his ex-wife Cheryl Chisolm, in a jealous rage.
In 2016, he joined forces with Hollywood heavyweights Denzel Washington and Viola Davis for the Oscar-winning film adaptation of Fences.
Mykelti has been married three times - his first to actress Olivia Brown, which ended in divorce after two years in 1985 - in 1997, he married Sondra Spriggs and has been with her ever since.
August Schellenberg - Randolph Johnson
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August is one of two actors to appear in all five Free Willy films, portraying kind whale trainer Randolph Johnson.
Before his part in the movie, he was already an established acrtor and had been in episodes of The Equalizer and Counterstrike.
After Free Willy, he went on to star in The New World, two episodes of Stargate Universe, and in the Western historical drama Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, which gave him his first Emmy nomination.
After a long battle with lung cancer, he passed away at 77 in August 2013 in Dallas, Texas, leaving behind a wife and three children.
Keiko the whale - Willy
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Born in Iceland in 1976, Keiko the killer whale was held in captivity and performed in several shows, a story that mirrored the role he played in the movie.
After Free Willy's release, campaigners called for him to be returned to the wild and be among his kind.
In 2002, he became the first captive orca to be fully released back into the ocean when he was flown to Iceland - but shortly after that, he followed a boat of fishermen home in Norway, craving human contact.
Although activists had tried to train him in anticipation of his release, he never got used to his natural habitat.
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Used to living in isolation for most of his life, Keiko did not interact well with his fellow killer whales and would often wander off on his own.
He died in 2003 at the age of 27 while swimming in Taknes Bay, Norway - his cause of death was determined to be pneumonia.
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