Teen idol quit movies after iconic line drove him ‘nuts’ and ‘partying’ spiralled

At just 14 years old Devon Sawa had no idea how iconic his role in the 1995 film Casper would become.

The actor only graced the screen for around five minutes as he played the human version of the loveable cartoon ghost. The short scene saw him dramatically descending a staircase before silently slow dancing mid-air with his co-star Christina Ricci and uttering his iconic line: “Told you I was a good dancer, can I keep you?”

The pair go on to share a kiss before Devon morphs back into the cartoon ghost, who was voiced by actor Malachi Pearson, as the clock strikes 10. Devon’s role might have been over quickly in the 90s classic but it proved memorable among fans.

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The film’s success saw Devon go on to reunite with Christina Ricci for the coming-of-age film Now and Then, which catapulted him to 90s heartthrob status as his face glossed the cover of magazines and teen girls went crazy over him. But his acting career soon took a turn from the teen idol roles he was known for.

In 1998 he played a punk acid dealer in SLC Punk and the following year he took on a role as a lazy stoner in the horror comedy Idle Hands. In 2000 Devon starred in Eminem’s Stan music video, playing the rapper’s obsessed fan.

The same year he would secure another huge role as a teen attempting to outrun death in the supernatural horror Final Destination. The darker roles were all part of Devon’s attempt to “get away” from the Casper part he was known for.

Opening up about his acting career, he told the Independent: “I had to smoke pot in movies and I had to be in a hip-hop video. That’s what I felt like I had to do to get away from ‘Can I keep you?’, Everybody wanted to hear, ‘Can I keep you?’ It drove me nuts.”

But Hollywood quickly became too much for the actor to handle, heavy drinking saw his life spiral out of control and he wasn’t invited to return for the 2003 Final Destination sequel. As a result, Devon ended up taking a break from acting on his agent’s advice.

Recalling the decision, he said: “It wasn’t completely my choice to take the break, I was burnt out, I was drinking too much. I was partying too much.” Devon didn’t initially intend on returning to Hollywood.

After leaving the big screen behind he went on to turn his life around, moving back to Vancouver, getting sober and meeting his wife before travelling in southeast Asia. But after five years an “accident” sparked his decision to return to acting.

Explaining what inspired his comeback, Devon, now 45, told Us Magazine: “I was brought back into the business by accident. Somebody at my agency didn’t get the memo that I quit and sent me an audition and I put myself on tape and that was it”.

The audition was for the 2008 action Max Payne, starring Mark Wahlberg. While he didn’t end up getting the role, Devon said he did “really well” and met with the casting director, which made him realise how much he liked acting.

“I thought, ‘You know what, this is what I love. This is what I really want to do.’ So I don’t know why I stepped away in the first place. I think if somebody hadn’t had sent me that audition I think that I may still be out of it,” he added.

In 2010 he was cast as secret agent Owen Elliott in Nikita and ended up becoming a series regular. It led to Devon securing several other TV roles, including a guest part in the comedy-drama Hacks as well as his most recent role in the Chucky series.

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk