What the Stars of Little Giants Are Up to Now

1 month ago 5

"Little Giants" Turns 26: E! News Rewind

Just remember, shot is 80 percent intelligence and 40 percent physical.

Okay, truthful that mathematics doesn't math, but Little Giants rushed into theaters connected Oct. 14, 1994, meaning the household drama astir a rag-tag pee-wee shot squad is 30 years old. (And yes, that equation proves you are that old, sorry!)

Directed by Duwayne Dunham and starring 2 of the '90s biggest actors, Ed O'Neill and Rick Moranis, the movie lone scored $19.3 cardinal astatine the container office. But, acknowledgment to its young cast—including Devon Sawa and Shawna Waldron arsenic dreamy backmost Junior and "berzerko Barbie doll" Icebox, the lone miss connected the team—and hilarious one-liners, Little Giants has lived connected arsenic a cult classic.

And the making of the movie was conscionable arsenic memorable for its cast, with Sawa telling E! News that Little Giants felt "like summertime camp."

"I don't cognize if you announcement successful the background, but determination was McDonald's and Slush Puppies connected the broadside of the tract and they were each unfastened to america and we were allowed to spell nuts connected those," he recalled. "So we were perpetually eating McDonald's and it was a batch of fun. It was 3 months of shot and goofing around."

In summation to a batch of escaped food, the movie also provided Sawa with the accidental to work with 1 of his drama idols.

"Married with Children was astatine its implicit peak, truthful it was Al Bundy, it wasn't Ed O'Neill," Sawa reflected. "We were kids, we were moving with Al Bundy and it was the top adjacent though helium wanted to beryllium arsenic acold distant from that arsenic possible."

And though helium has immoderate regrets—"That full country wherever we're sitting connected the vessel talking astir the 2 radical kissing. I privation I could spell backmost and reshoot that," helium admitted to E! News—he's inactive gladsome helium got successful the game.

So, get acceptable to propulsion disconnected the "annexation of Puerto Rico" to find retired what the stars of Little Giants are up to now: 

Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb

Ed O'Neill

Ah, Kevin O'Shea, the hometown leader of Urbania, Ohio, acknowledgment to winning the Heisman Trophy successful his heyday. To play the pugnacious caput manager of the Cowboys, the producers tapped the Married With Children star, who had go 1 of the astir palmy actors connected TV acknowledgment to his iconic crook arsenic Al Bundy. (Fun fact: He astir played nonrecreational shot aft helium was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers successful 1969, but was yet released.) 

After Married With Children ended its 10-year tally successful 1997, O'Neill erstwhile again recovered occurrence connected ABC's Modern Family, playing the patriarch of the Pritchett clan, Jay, opposite Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell. O'Neill has earned 3 Emmy nominations for his enactment on Modern Family, which ended its 10-year tally successful 2020. 

Married to Catherine Rusoff since 1986, the mates person 2 children together. 

Photo by Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

Rick Moranis

Moranis was 1 of the astir in-demand drama actors successful Hollywood erstwhile helium snagged the relation of the small O'Shea member and caput manager of the Giants, acknowledgment to his turns successful the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids film franchise, Ghostbusters II, Little Shop of Horrors, Parenthood and Spaceballs

After starring the Giants to a astonishment victory, Moranis mostly went connected to supply dependable enactment successful animated series, leaving Hollywood down to absorption connected his 2 kids pursuing the decease of his wife, Ann Belsky

And aft a 26-year hiatus from acting, Moranis volition reprise his relation from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids successful Disney's reboot of the beloved film. He is besides acceptable to marque an quality successful Netflix's long-delayed reunion documentary An Afternoon with SCTV, which volition bring unneurotic members of the Second City TV drama troupe, directed by Martin Scorsese.

Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock

Devon Sawa

Thanks to his turns successful Casper (as the quality mentation of the affable ghost), Now & Then and Little Giants as caller kid successful town-turned-QB Junior Floyd, Sawa was 1 of the eventual heartthrobs successful the '90s, going connected to prima successful hits similar Final Destination and Idle Hands. But Junior was initially acceptable to beryllium played by different teen idol: Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Still, with Spielberg successful his corner, Sawa landed the role, adjacent though, astatine property 15, helium was respective years older than the remainder of the cast. 

Of course, Devon besides infamously played the rubric relation successful Eminem's "Stan" euphony video, and successful 2010, helium joined the formed of The CW's Nikita. He astir precocious starred connected USA Network's Chucky series.

Sawa and his wife Dawni Sawa, who person been joined since 2013, person 2 children and helium made headlines successful 2019 for a faux-feud with chap '90s idol Macaulay Culkin that the Internet became obsessed with. It remains to beryllium seen if helium tin inactive propulsion a cleanable spiral with a rotation of toilet paper. 

Instagram/Shawna Waldron

Shawna Waldron

Fact: Icebox is 1 of the astir underrated pistillate characters from the '90s.

Maldron played tomboy Becky (but telephone her Icebox, obviously!), whose dada starts the Giants aft her Uncle Kevin won't fto her play connected the Cowboys due to the fact that she's a girl...even though she's 1 of the champion players.

"I deliberation the connection was truly beardown with small girls," Maldron told ESPN successful 2019. "It truly means a batch to maine erstwhile I perceive things from radical that affected them."

After winning the large crippled (and landing the guy), the actress' adjacent high-profile relation was playing Michael Douglas' girl successful the movie The American President before she went connected to prima connected the TV bid Ladies Man.

Since then, Maldron starred successful 2008's Poison Ivy: The Secret Society and appeared successful respective fearfulness films, though she's inactive known for her crook arsenic Ice Box.

"I thought it would slice into obscurity," she admitted to ESPN, "but it conscionable benignant of stuck around." 

Alexa PenaVega 

Before she was a Spy Kid, PenaVega played O'Neill's youngest girl Priscilla, who memorably said this blessing successful a meal scene: "God bless family, friends, flowers, Nickelodeon, fuzzy small kittens, Pez, Mr. Lerenzo, the schoolhouse janitor 'cause he's truthful hairy."

After becoming a kid prima with her breakout relation successful the Spy Kids franchise, PenaVega married Carlos PenaVega in 2014 and the 2 competed against each different on Dancing With the Stars before going connected to prima successful Hallmark Channel Original Movies, unneurotic and separately. 

Alexa and Carlos person 4 children—Ocean, Kingston, Rio and Indy, who was "born astatine rest" successful April 2024—and stock their family's adventures connected their YouTube channel. 

Shutterstock

Sam Horrigan

After suiting up arsenic overconfident and sexist Spike in Little Giants ("Spike don't play with girls"), Horrigan went backmost to the jock playbook arsenic Val successful the 1998 Disney Channel classical Brink! In summation to starring connected Grace Under Fire, the California autochthonal nabbed impermanent roles connected One Tree Hill, 8 Simple Rules, Desperate Housewives, Veronica Mars and Modern Family

A begetter of two, Horrigan keeps his Instagram profile private, proclaiming himself a Disney villain that was "saved by Jesus." 

Mediapunch/Shutterstock

Courtney Peldon

Following her crook arsenic O'Neill's different girl Debbie, a cheerleader for the Cowboys, Peldon scored the coveted enactment of portraying JTT's woman Lauren connected Home Improvement. She besides enjoyed a 14-episode stint connected Boston Public and impermanent parts connected Entourage and Star Trek: Renegades. Her astir caller recognition was a 2023 occurrence of I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson. The Skidmore College grad present works arsenic a theatrical agent. 

Instagram/Marcus Toji

Marcus Toji

A subordinate of the Little Giants team, Toji near shot down to marque appearances connected seemingly each fashionable amusement successful the '90s and aboriginal '00s: Boy Meets World, Zoey 101, Party of Five, Hey Arnold! and The West Wing.

In summation to providing a batch of dependable enactment to animated projects, the histrion appeared successful History Channel's The Terror.

"We were a clump of tweens hanging retired unneurotic each summer, truthful of people determination was a batch of camaraderie," helium said of filming the movie successful a 2013 interview. "I deliberation erstwhile it went into Lord of the Flies territory portion enjoying a role-playing crippled nether the bleachers, but luckily we had to spell to set."

Toji and his wife Erin welcomed daughter Candler in 2020, and Toji remained adjacent with Todd Bosley, who played Giants subordinate Jake Berman, with Bosley adjacent giving a toast astatine Toji's wedding.

Read Entire Article