Whatever Happened To The Cast Of Event Horizon?
1997's "Event Horizon" is a gruesome marriage of the science fiction and horror genres in the vein of earlier films like Ridley Scott's "Alien." Set 50 years in the future, the story follows the crew of a rescue and salvage ship called the Lewis and Clark as they investigate the Event Horizon, an experimental spacecraft which has reappeared on a crash course with Neptune after disappearing without a trace seven years prior. After finding the Event Horizon's crew massacred inside, it becomes clear that malevolent supernatural forces are at play, and soon the crew of the Lewis and Clark begin suffering from hallucinations and the effects of a brush with another dimension that may literally be hell.
The confined nature of the story of "Event Horizon" meant the cast was kept relatively small. Some cast members were already big names at the time the movie was released in 1997, some grew to greater stardom in the years that followed, while others drifted away from acting over the years. Let's check in on these actors' ongoing careers and find out whatever happened to the cast of "Event Horizon."
Laurence Fishburne as Captain Miller
Laurence Fishburne plays Miller, one of the two main characters and captain of the Lewis and Clark rescue ship and its crew. Fishburne began acting at a young age, going as far as to lie and claim he was two years older than he really was in order to land a part in "Apocalypse Now." With noteworthy roles in movies like "Boyz n the Hood," "King of New York," and even "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors," Fishburne had already been making a name for himself for about two decades before "Event Horizon." But the biggest role of his career would arrive just two years after this 1997 release.
His portrayal of Morpheus in "The Matrix" and its two sequels is undoubtedly the role that Laurence Fishburne is best known for. Notably, Fishburne told Entertainment Tonight that he was not invited to reprise his role as Morpheus in the recent fourth installment, "The Matrix Resurrections," with the production instead going with a younger version of the character played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
Luckily, Fishburne has had no trouble finding other memorable roles post-"Matrix." Movies like "Contagion," "Last Flag Flying," and "Man of Steel" all made use of his talents, while the "John Wick" sequels reunited him with "Matrix" co-star Keanu Reeves. Fishburne has also had a number of long-running television roles in recent years, beginning with his lengthy stint on "CSI." The shows "Hannibal" and "Black-ish" also provided him with key characters, as Jack Crawford and Pops respectively.
Sam Neill as William Weir
The second lead of "Event Horizon" is Sam Neill as Doctor William Weir, the designer of the Event Horizon. The project is initially commissioned as a secret undertaking by the military to experiment with faster-than-light travel, which unwittingly leads to hellish results.
Sam Neill was no stranger to the horror genre, having previously starred in horror movies like John Carpenter's "In the Mouth of Madness" and Andrzej Zulawski's "Possession." But his best-known role is likely as Dr. Alan Grant in 1993's "Jurassic Park," a role which he reprised multiple times, most recently in 2022's "Jurassic World Dominion." Neill has also been a part of a number of high-profile television shows in the two and a half decades following "Event Horizon," including "The Tudors" and "Peaky Blinders."
One of his best starring movie roles in recent years was in Taika Waititi's "Hunt for the Wilderpeople," which gave him the rare opportunity to use his genuine accent. Though he frequently plays Americans and Brits, Neill is a Kiwi and lives in New Zealand while not making movies. Waititi brought Neill with him for his next movie, marking Neill's entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a cameo in "Thor: Ragnarok." Outside of acting, Neill also runs a successful winemaking business known as Two Paddocks.
Jason Isaacs as D.J.
Jason Isaacs played a key supporting role in "Event Horizon" as D.J., the Latin-speaking doctor aboard the Lewis and Clark. Isaacs had already been acting for nearly a decade by the time he co-starred in "Event Horizon," but he wasn't yet a household name. Over the next couple of years, roles in movies like "Armageddon," "Black Hawk Down," and "The Patriot" helped to raise his profile and cement his status as an in-demand actor.
In 1998, Isaacs re-teamed with "Event Horizon" director Paul W.S. Anderson for "Soldier," then again in 2002 for the first "Resident Evil" movie. Later that same year, he joined the growing "Harry Potter" universe as Lucius Malfoy, beginning with the second movie, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." Isaacs' strong, commanding voice has also lent itself well to vocal performances in animated shows like "Star Wars: Rebels" and "Avatar: The Last Airbender," as well as video games like "Hitman," "Napoleon: Total War," and "Castlevania: Lords of Shadow," in which he provides the voice of Satan.
Recently, some of Isaacs' most prominent roles have been on television shows, including "The OA" and "Star Trek: Discovery." Movies like "The Death of Stalin" have allowed him to show off his comedic chops, while dramas like the recent "Mass" have let him showcase the full emotional range of his acting abilities.
Kathleen Quinlan as Peters
Another big name in the cast of "Event Horizon" was Kathleen Quinlan as Peters, medical tech on the Lewis and Clark. Quinlan first gained notoriety at the very start of her career with a role in "American Graffiti," before continuing to work steadily for the next several decades. She earned a Golden Globe nomination for her work as a teenager struggling with mental illness in 1977's "I Never Promised You A Rose Garden." Her first and only Oscar nomination was in the Best Actress in a Supporting Role category for the movie "Apollo 13," released two years before "Event Horizon."
Quinlan followed up "Event Horizon" with leading roles in the movies "My Giant," "Lawn Dogs," and "A Civil Action." Soon after, she landed a starring role on the television series "Family Law," which ran for three seasons. The shows "Prison Break," "Blue," and "Chicago Fire" all provided her with recurring side characters. In recent years, however, Quinlan's career has slowed, and many of her recent film roles have been supporting parts in small, poorly received movies like "After" and "Saving My Baby." Over the last couple of years, Quinlan has tried her hand at directing, making two short films thus far: "The Diamond Girls" and "The Fixer-Upper," the latter of which was written by her nephew, Patrick Quinlan.
Richard T. Jones as Cooper
Playing the role of Cooper, a rescue technician aboard the Lewis and Clark, was Richard T. Jones. "Event Horizon" was a relatively early role in Jones's filmography, with his acting career beginning in the early '90s. The same year "Event Horizon" was released, Jones landed his first major recurring television role, as a police officer on the show "Brooklyn South."
Though he might not be a household name, Jones has appeared in major movies like "Moonlight Mile," "Phone Booth," "Vantage Point," and the 2014 reboot of "Godzilla." While his movie roles are often small, Jones has had numerous recurring characters on successful television shows. He appeared in more than 100 episodes of "Judging Amy" and had significant roles on shows like "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," "Girlfriends," "Narcos," "Criminal Minds," "Santa Clarita Diet," and the "Hotel" season of "American Horror Story." These days, Jones is likely best known as one of the leads of the ABC series "The Rookie," for which he starred in all five seasons.
Jones is expanding his film horizons to include writing as well. His first screenwriting credit will be for the upcoming film "Fantasy Football." Jones is one of six credited writers on the film, which is currently in production.
Joely Richardson as Starck
In the role of Lieutenant Starck, second in command underneath Laurence Fishburne's Captain Miller, was British actress Joely RIchardson, who comes from a powerful film business family. Her parents are Vanessa Redgrave, the Oscar and BAFTA-winning actress known for movies like "Julia," "Mary, Queen of Scots," and "Howards End," and Tony Richardson, the Oscar and BAFTA-winning filmmaker behind movies like "A Taste of Honey," "Look Back in Anger," and "Tom Jones."
Joely Richardson's entrance into the film industry came through projects with her parents. Her acting career began in the mid-1980s with background extra work in movies like "The Hotel New Hampshire," directed by her father, and "The Bostonians," the movie for which her mother earned her fifth Oscar nomination. It wasn't long before she began landing bigger and bigger roles on projects that were not connected to either of her parents.
The biggest role of Richardson's career, and the one that most people would recognize her from, was as Julia McNamara, one of the main characters of the long-running FX series "Nip/Tuck." Other noteworthy roles for Richardson include playing Glinda the Good Witch on "Emerald City," supporting parts on the shows "The Tudors" and "The Rook," plus roles in the movies "Vampire Academy," "Color Out of Space," and David Fincher's remake of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."
Sean Pertwee as Smith
Piloting the Lewis and Clark is the character Smith, played by Sean Pertwee. Pertwee is a British actor who got his start in UK television shows like "Hard Cases" and "Chancer." Before Paul W.S. Anderson made "Event Horizon," he made his directorial debut with the movie "Shopping," which utilized Pertwee in one of the lead roles alongside Jude Law. After making "Event Horizon," Paul W.S. Anderson brought Pertwee along for his next movie, the Kurt Russell-led sci-fi action movie "Soldier."
Pertwee is typically cast in supporting or villain roles and rarely finds himself cast as the lead, though the action-horror hybrid "Dog Soldiers," where he played the main character, marked a notable exception from this trend. Alongside screen acting, Pertwee has found success as a voice actor in video games, with major titles such as "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag," "Fable II" and "III," and the first two "Killzone" games all on his video game resume.
Jack Noseworthy as Justin
Jack Noseworthy plays Ensign Justin, an engineer on the Lewis and Clark's crew who is one of the first to come under the influence of the malign force aboard the title ship. "Event Horizon" is one of the bigger roles in Noseworthy's movie career, though he has had supporting parts in a number of noteworthy films. In the years since "Event Horizon," he has popped up in the movies "U-571," "Cecil B. Demented," and "Surrogates," among others.
He has also appeared on many major television shows but is usually cast as smaller, one-episode or two-episode characters. "The Outer Limits," "CSI," "The District," "Crossing Jordan," and "The Lottery" all made use of Noseworthy as a guest star in individual episodes. Between 2003 and 2022, Noseworthy has played four different unrelated characters within the "Law and Order" universe, all in one episode each. The Lifetime mini-series "The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe," the TV series "Judging Amy," and the made-for-TV movie "Killing Kennedy" have provided Noseworthy with his biggest and best roles since "Event Horizon." Though his film and television career might not be the most explosive, Noseworthy has also garnered plenty of attention over the years for his stage performances both on and off-Broadway.
Peter Marinker as Kilpack
Peter Marinker played Kilpack, the doomed captain of the Event Horizon. Marinker is a British actor and voice-over artist who first made a name for himself as a presenter and narrator for numerous BBC radio programs (via TV Tropes). Some of Marinker's most noteworthy film and television projects since "Event Horizon" include "Family," "Love Actually," and "United 93." Much of Marinker's career has been spent on vocal performances that utilize his deep, baritone voice, not just on the radio but frequently in audiobooks and video games.
Marinker hasn't appeared on screen in a live-action production in the last five years, with his last role being a one-off character on the History Channel series "Knightfall." But he continues to use his vocal talents to this day, expanding his extensive catalogue of audiobooks and video game voice roles. Marinker has also been the director of the Bookshop Theatre Company, which has specialized in readings and discussions of often subversive texts ranging from the work of Beckett to Homer to Kafka (via Broadway World).
Holley Chant as Claire
Throughout the course of "Event Horizon," Sam Neill's guilt-ridden Dr. Weir is haunted by visions of his late wife, Claire, played by Holley Chant. Chant's acting career was neither as long nor as illustrious as many of her co-stars. "Event Horizon" was the biggest movie she was a part of, though she did also have roles in the films "Above Suspicion," "The Killing Jar," and "The Crow: City of Angels," as well as the TV mini-series "Family" and a single episode of the British detective show "Inspector Morse."
"Event Horizon" arrived towards the tail end of Holley Chant's short acting career, which lasted from 1990 until the mid-2000s. After appearing in an episode of "Monarch of the Glen" and lending her voice to the video game "X3: Reunion" in 2005, Chant retired from acting, having never found a breakthrough role that could launch her to stardom. Having left acting completely behind, Chant is now a director of sustainability for Google, via LinkedIn. She can also be found on Twitter, where she recently retweeted co-star Sean Pertwee in regards to "Event Horizon," writing, "once upon a time."
Noah Huntley as Burning Man
Noah Huntley played the role of Edmund Corrick, a former crewmate aboard Captain Miller's previous ship, the Goliath, which met an unpleasant end. Rather than being credited by his character's name, Huntley was listed simply as "Burning Man" in the credits of "Event Horizon" due to his fiery appearance in Miller's nightmarish hallucinations. Interestingly, footage from Huntley's appearance was later reused in an episode of "Star Trek Voyager." (via Memory Alpha).
He wasn't an established name at the time he appeared in his small role in "Event Horizon," but Noah Huntley has gone on to achieve considerably more success in his acting career in the years that followed. His biggest projects include the films "28 Days Later," "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," and "Snow White and the Huntsman." He was also in notable movies like "Your Highness," "Paul, Apostle of Christ," and "Dracula Untold." Recently, he played significant recurring characters on the Netflix original series "Free Rein" and the CW series "Pandora."
Emily Booth as Girl on Monitor
In the tiny, unnamed part of "Girl on Monitor" — a distorted, blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance — was Emily Booth, in her first-ever acting role. Though it was her first acting gig, it wasn't her first brush with the entertainment industry or even her first on-camera appearance. Booth worked extensively as a presenter for TV docuseries, chat shows, and other documentary projects in the U.K. She was frequently connected to the topics of video games, as in the docuseries "Bits" and "Lara Croft: Lethal and Loaded," and horror, via numerous non-fiction projects like "Video Nasties: A Definitive Guide," "Shock Movie Massacre," "The 100 Greatest Scary Moments," "Emily Booth's GoreZone Magazine Movie Massacre," and many more.
"Event Horizon" proved to be a great entry point into the world of acting for this frequent horror hostess. Booth went on to appear in dozens of additional movies over the following years, while continuing her primary career as a host-presenter. Almost all of Booth's other acting roles have been in the horror genre, and the few exceptions mostly find her working in erotic B-movies like "Witchcraft X: Mistress of the Craft," "SpiderBabe," and "Pervirella." "Event Horizon" remains the biggest movie Booth has been a part of, with the majority of her other projects being low-budget, straight-to-video movies and short films. One notable project she was involved in was "Don't," a fake trailer directed by Edgar Wright that was included with the "Grindhouse" double feature.