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Then And Now: How The Cast Of 'Matilda' Has Changed Over The Last 26 Years

In 1996, "Matilda" debuted in theaters to a less than lukewarm reception. It only made around $33.5 million against its budget of $36 million. In other words: It is a commercial flop.
Despite that, the movie manages to grow a strong fanbase and eventually becomes a cult movie. The story about how a kid has the power to change reality with her wimp just gets people! Or maybe, it’s the villain being the principal of the elementary school that speaks to our authority issue on a spiritual level.
‘Matilda’ is the brainchild of actor Danny DeVito. Even when it doesn’t appeal to moviegoers then, the fantasy comedy flick earns rains of praises from critics. Since then, a lot has changed for the cast.
So what happened to the cast of ‘Matilda’ 26 years later since the movie's first premier in a cinema near you? Check out the latest information about the actors from “Matilda” below.

#1 Mara Wilson as Matilda Wormwood.

Source: Sony Pictures

Wilson played Matilda, a young girl who finds she possesses telekinesis and uses it to deal with her corrupt family and horrible headmistress. Before “Matilda’, she was in "Mrs. Doubtfire" (1993), and held a recurring role on Fox's "Melrose Place."
Wilson generally stayed in TV programs once the film was finished. She appeared in episodes of CBS's "Pearl," Kids' WB's "Batman Beyond," and the film "Thomas and the Magic Railroad" (2000).

Source: Jerod Harris/Getty Images

She subsequently returned to the limelight to focus on TV acting, including appearances on Comedy Central's "Broad City," and completed voice work on shows such as Netflix's "Bojack Horseman," Disney Channel's "Big Hero 6: The Series," and the podcast "Welcome to Night Vale."
Wilson also published a book about her experiences as a child actress in 2016, titled, "What am I doing now? True Stories of Adolescence and Accidental Fame." Her most recent appearance was in the YouTube video series "Helluva Boss."

#2 Danny DeVito as Harry Wormwood.

Source: Sony Pictures

DeVito portrayed Harry Wormwood, Matilda's father and a used-car businessman who uses dubious tactics to make sales. Before ‘Matilda’, he was in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975), ABC's "Taxi," "Romancing the Stone" (1984), "Twins" (1988), "Renaissance Man" (1994), and "Get Shorty" (1995).

Source: Arthur Mola/Invision/AP

Following "Matilda," DeVito voiced the animated Disney film "Hercules" (1997) and starred in "Man on the Moon" (1999), "Be Cool" (2005), "The Lorax" (2012), "The Comedian" (2016), and "The Survivor" (2017). (2021).
Since 2006, he has also been in the hit FX sitcom "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." "Death to Smoochy" (2002), "Duplex" (2003), and many short films such as "Skin Deep" (2011) and "Curmudgeons" (2012) are also among DeVito's directorial credits (2016).
He will co-star with Rosario Dawson and Owen Wilson in "Haunted Mansion" (2023).

#3 Rhea Perlman as Zinnia Wormwood.

Source: Sony Pictures

Zinnia Wormwood, Matilda's mother, is played by Perlman. She frequently participates in Harry's frauds and, like her husband, neglects Matilda. Before starring with DeVito in ABC's "Taxi," Perlman appeared in a number of TV series and films.
In addition to appearing in the long-running NBC sitcom "Cheers," she also featured in NBC's "St. Elsewhere" and ABC's "Matlock." Perlman went on to portray the title character in CBS's "Pearl" after filming "Matilda."

Source: Bravo/Getty Images

She has since acted in a number of made-for-TV films and series, including guest appearances and recurring parts on NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," HBO's "Hung," and Nickelodeon's "Robot and Monster," and Fox's "The Mindy Project."
One of her most recent appearances was in the Disney+ series "Star Wars: The Bad Batch," and she is expected to feature in "13: The Musical" next, according to IMDb.

#4 Embeth Davidtz as Miss Honey.

Source: Sony Pictures

Miss Jennifer Honey, the good-natured teacher Matilda confides in throughout the film, was played by Davidtz. Davidtz has previously acted in films such as "Army of Darkness" (1993), "Schindler's List" (1994), and "Feast of July" (1995)
Following "Matilda," Davidtz largely starred in TV Shows such as HBO's "In Treatment," Showtime's "Californication," and AMC's "Mad Men."

Source: Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

Davidtz later starred in Showtime's "Ray Donovan," Apple TV+'s "The Morning Show," and the film "Old" (2021). She will appear later this year on AMC's "Tales of the Walking Dead." Pam Ferris as Miss Agatha Trunchbull.

#5 Pam Ferris as Agatha Trunchbull.

Source: Sony Pictures

Before joining the cast of "Matilda," Ferris appeared in various British programs and had recurrent parts in ITV's "Connie" and "The Darling Buds of May." Soon after, she featured in "Where the Heart Is" on the British channel ITV, as well as "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004) and "Children of Men" (2006).

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Ferris featured in the BBC drama "Call The Midwife" and in "Holmes & Watson" starring Will Ferrell (2018). Her most recent appearance was as a guest on Sky Arts' "Urban Myths."

#6 Brian Levinson as Michael Wormwood.

Source: Sony Pictures

Levinson played Matilda's elder brother, Brian, who doesn't appear to mind his parents' unethical behavior. Before joining the cast of "Matilda," Levinson appeared on ABC's "Roseanne," NBC's "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," and Fox's "Hardball."

Source: brian_levinson/Instagram

After the film, Levinson's lone acting credit is an episode of NBC's "Seinfeld." Levinson has kept a low profile since leaving the show, however, he did attend the cast reunion dinner in 2013.

#7 Kiami Davael as Lavender.

Source: Sony Pictures

Davael played Lavender, a classmate, and Matilda's pal. Davael's debut role was in the film. Davael then featured on UPN's "Moesha," NBC's "In The House," and The WB's "The Steve Harvey Show" after that.

Source: @officialkiamidavael/Instagram

According to The Sun, after acting in "Bruno" (2000), Davael took a vacation from film and television but continued to concentrate on local stage productions and solo creative ventures.
Davael is expected to appear in the drama "Whealthy and Wise" later this year, according to IMDb.

#8 Paul Reubens as an FBI agent.

Source: Sony Pictures

Due to Harry's dubious operations, Reubens portrayed one of the FBI agents investigating the Wormwood inhabitants.

Source: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Prior to "Matilda," he appeared in "Midnight Madness" (1980) and "Cheech and Chong's Next Movie" (1980) when he created the Pee-wee Herman character. He went on to play Pee-wee Herman for decades, starring in Pee-wee Herman-themed TV shows and films.
The actor appeared in "Batman Returns" (1992) and "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993). Reubens has spent most of his career as a guest star on shows such as NBC's "30 Rock," ABC's "Pushing Daisies," and Disney XD's "Tron: Uprising."
In addition, he appeared in NBC's "The Blacklist," Fox's "Gotham," and FX's "What We Do in the Shadows." His most recent acting job came in 2019 on ABC's "The Conners."

#9 Jimmy Karz as Bruce Bogtrotter.

Source: Sony Pictures

In the famed "Matilda" scene, Jimmy Karz played Bruce, the youngster who was forced to consume an entire chocolate cake.

Source: Sony Pictures

It was Karz's first role. Before departing the spotlight, Karz participated in "The Wedding Singer" (1998) and an episode of NBC's "ER." He afterward went on to study osteopathic medicine.
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