Whatever Happened To The Cast Of Ginger Snaps?
"Ginger Snaps" might not often be spoken of with the same reverence afforded to the greats of the werewolf genre, but its loyal fanbase has kept the film alive since its release in 2000. This Canadian production had an extremely small theatrical release but brought in enough money in DVD sales to greenlight a sequel, "Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed," and a prequel, "Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning," which were produced simultaneously and both released in 2004.
While it might not have been the first film to use lycanthropy as an allegory for puberty (see "The Company of Wolves" from 1984), "Ginger Snaps" just might be the best handling of this clever metaphor to date. The likability of the two sisters who helm the film along with the chemistry between the actresses who play them are at the heart of why "Ginger Snaps" works as well as it does, but whatever happened to them?
Katherine Isabelle as Ginger
Katherine Isabelle starred as the titular Ginger Fitzgerald who, eventually, snaps. She plays the older half of the sister duo at the heart of the film. Ginger is the first of the Fitzgerald sisters to begin menstruating and, because the two are intrinsically linked in "Ginger Snaps," the first to begin transforming into a werewolf.
Beginning her career as a child actor, Katherine Isabelle landed her first screen roles while still in single-digits. In addition to reprising her role as Ginger in all three "Ginger Snaps" films, Katherine Isabelle has returned to the horror genre throughout her career, appearing in films like "Freddy vs. Jason" and the 2002 Angela Bettis led TV remake of Stephen King's "Carrie." Outside of "Ginger Snaps," horror fans might recognize Katherine Isabelle most from her starring role in "American Mary," the cult classic body-mod surgery film written and directed by the Soska sisters.
Many of Isabelle's starring roles since "Ginger Snaps" have been little-seen indie productions and made-for-television movies, but she has also had supporting roles in major films from much-beloved directors. She played Tanya, the flirtatious friend of the murder victim in Christopher Nolan's "Insomnia," and she had a small role as Auntie Ruth in Drew Goddard's "Bad Times at the El Royale." Isabelle has also had recurring roles on a number of television shows, most notably NBC's "Hannibal" where she played Margot Verger, sister of the sinister Mason Verger, in the second and third seasons.
Emily Perkins as Brigitte
The other Fitzgerald sister at the heart of "Ginger Snaps" was played by Emily Perkins. Despite portraying the younger of the two sisters, Emily Perkins was four years older than Katherine Isabelle and seven years older than her 16-year-old character. Luckily, her youthful appearance kept her age from being a distraction to the drama.
Before "Ginger Snaps," Emily Perkins was likely best known as the younger version of Beverly in the 1990 mini-series adaptation of Stephen King's "It." In the time since "Ginger Snaps," Emily Perkins hasn't had many starring film roles, though she has popped up from time to time in supporting roles and bit parts in noteworthy projects like "She's the Man," where she played the headgear-wearing Eunice, and "Juno," where she played the unnamed 'Punk Receptionist.'
Alongside Katherine Isabelle, Emily Perkins reprised her role as Brigitte in "Ginger Snaps 2" and "Ginger Snaps Back." And, just like Katherine Isabelle, she also appeared in Christopher Nolan's "Insomnia." It was a bit of a reunion for the Fitzgerald sisters ahead of making the "Ginger Snaps" follow-up films, though Emily Perkins's part in "Insomnia" is much smaller than Isabelle's. Perkins is credited simply as 'Girl at Funeral.'
In the world of television, Emily Perkins has had recurring roles on small shows like "Da Vinci's Inquest" and "Hiccups," but her highest-profile role since "Ginger Snaps" is likely her stint as Becky Rosen on "Supernatural." After beginning as an obsessed fan, Becky Rosen eventually becomes Becky Rosen-Winchester for a time after tricking Sam Winchester into marriage with the use of a potion.
Mimi Rogers as Pamela Fitzgerald
Mimi Rogers was the most famous name attached to the "Ginger Snaps" cast at the time of release. She had already established herself through a multitude of roles throughout the 80s before her short-lived marriage to Tom Cruise from '87-'90 brought a whole new level of recognition to her name. Rogers filled the role of Pamela, the matriarch of the Fitzgerald family. Her performance is strong throughout "Ginger Snaps," especially in the latter half of the film when she springs into action to protect her two daughters. In the canon of horror-movie moms, Pamela Fitzgerald shines.
In the years since "Ginger Snaps," Mimi Rogers has had a number of good roles. She had a brief but memorable appearance in the Simon Peg, David Schwimmer dramedy "Big Nothing" where she takes a hatchet to the head. In the TV series "Wilfred," Mimi Rogers stepped in to fill the role of Catherine Newman, the mother of series lead Ryan Newman played by Elijah Wood. The role had previously been played by Mary Steenburgen in the first three seasons of the show, but the part was recast with Mimi Rogers for the show's final season.
Mimi Rogers has also had recurring roles on a number of other television shows, most notably on the Amazon original series "Bosch" where she played the part of Honey Chandler, a cunning attorney who frequently finds herself at odds with the show's titular character, LAPD detective Bosch. In the original pilot for the show, Chandler was played by Amy Price-Francis before being recast for the subsequently reworked pilot and the rest of the series with Mimi Rogers. While the "Bosch" series may have come to a close with its latest season, the Honey Chandler character will be sticking around. Mimi Rogers is attached to reprise her role in the upcoming "Bosch" spinoff series.
John Bourgeois as Henry Fitzgerald
Henry, the patriarch of the Fitzgerald family, was played by John Bourgeois. He is the less involved of the two parent, opting to sit back while his wife handles much of the raising of their daughters. Henry seems largely oblivious as to the violent and supernatural happenings of "Ginger Snaps" throughout.
John Bourgeois is a character actor mostly known for his supporting roles, rarely helming a project as the lead. Much of Bourgeois's career has been spent on TV shows and made-for-TV movies. He frequently guest stars in an episode or two of a series before bouncing to a different series. "Queer as Folk," "Monk," "Haven," "Flashpoint," and "Murdoch Mysteries" are all significant shows that Bourgeois guest starred on a single episode of. He appeared on multiple episodes of shows like "Schitt's Creek," "The Firm," "The Kennedys," and "Covert Affairs," though often in small parts.
Two of his most significant recent roles have both been on mini-series: "The Comey Rule" where he played CIA Director John Brennan, and "Mrs. America" where he played Senator George McGovern.
Kris Lemche as Sam
Kris Lemche played the drug dealing werewolf expert Sam Miller. His first encounter with lycanthropy in "Ginger Snaps" arrives when he crashes his van into the feared 'beast of Bailey Downs' while it is in the middle of mauling Ginger. He conspires with Brigitte to cure her sister using a monkshood serum but is killed by a transformed Ginger toward the end of the film.
Before "Ginger Snaps," Kris Lemche had already begun building the beginnings of a strong filmography with the likes of David Cronenberg's "eXistenZ" and the "La Femme Nikita" series on his resume. Following "Ginger Snaps," Lemche hasn't had too many major starring roles but he has appeared on a number of TV shows like "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," "Ghost Whisperer," "Psyche," and "Haven," a show which also featured his "Ginger Snaps" co-star John Bourgeois in a guest-star role.
Horror fans might recognize Kris Lemche from his role in "Final Destination 3" as Ian, the goth hardware store employee. In a series famed for its creative death sequences, Ian's death is relatively straightforward: he gets crushed by a falling cherry picker.
Jesse Moss as Jason
Jesse Moss filled the role of Jason McCardy, the student whom Ginger strikes up a sexual relationship with as her werewolf transformation gets underway. Jason ends up beginning to turn into a werewolf himself before Brigitte tries out the first dose of monkshood on him.
Alongside his "Ginger Snaps" co-star Kris Lemche, Jesse Moss also appeared in "Final Destination 3." He played another character named Jason, this time dying in the rollercoaster crash that nearly claims the lives of the entire cast of characters. Outside of "Ginger Snaps," horror fans might know Jesse Moss best as the surprisingly villainous Chad in the hilarious horror-comedy "Tucker and Dale vs Evil." He also reteamed with Ginger actress Katherine Isabelle for the indie horror flick "13 Eerie."
Like many of his "Ginger Snaps" co-stars, Jesse Moss has gone on to appear in many TV shows and made-for-TV movies. "The Collector," "Whistler," "Cedar Cove," and "Ghost Wars" all provided him with recurring characters. Moss also has a healthy career as a voice actor. He has lent vocal performances to projects such as "The Hollow" where he voiced Skeet, "Firehouse Tales" where he voiced Red, and the 2000s animated series "Trollz" where he voiced Coal Trollwell.
Peter Keleghan as Mr. Wayne
One of Ginger's first victims is Mr. Wayne, the school guidance counselor played by Peter Keleghan. Like many of his co-stars, much of Peter Keleghan's career pre- and post-"Ginger Snaps" has been spent in television. Perhaps his most recognizable role is as Terrence Meyers on both the "Murdoch Mysteries" series and the spin-off show "Murdoch Mysteries: Beyond Time."
He has also had major roles on the shows "Workin' Moms," "18 to Life," the 1996-2005 iteration of "The News Room," and "Slings and Arrows" where he played Mr. Archer. Some might recognize his voice more than his face since he served as the narrator of "Meet the Family" and lent vocal performances to series like "Crash Canyon" and "Ruby Gloom" where he voiced Scaredy Bat.
In 2010, Peter Keleghan received his first executive producer credit for the TV movie "Love Letters" which he co-wrote alongside Leah Pinset based on a play by A.R. Gurney. Keleghan also played a supporting role in the TV movie.
Danielle Hampton as Trina
Lesser-known actress Danielle Hampton played the part of Trina Sinclair, the bitter rival of the Fitzpatrick sisters who bullies Brigitte and gets put in her place by Ginger. Her dog is one of several to go missing in the town of Bailey Downs, and she blames the sisters before winding up dead.
Before "Ginger Snaps," Danielle Hampton had appeared in just one project, a guest spot on the basketball televisions series "The Hoop Life". After "Ginger Snaps," Hampton would only go on to appear in a handful of additional projects, accruing just 11 more credits in the 21 years since the film's release. Of those 11 additional credits, most of them are bit parts and small projects that didn't reach a wide audience. A couple of the most noteworthy are "Detention," a B-action movie where she acted alongside Dolph Lundgren, and "Rookie Blue" where she guest-starred for one episode in the second season. Her appearance on "Rookie Blue" in 2011 has been her last credit to date.
Lindsay Leese as Nurse Ferry
Nurse Ferry, as played by Lindsay Leese, might not have a ton of screen time in "Ginger Snaps," but she leaves a huge impact in her one key scene where she delves into the woes of puberty and menstruation for the late-budding Fitzgerald sisters. Given that Nurse Ferry is, in part, a comedic role, it makes sense that a performer with a background in comedy was brought in for the part.
Much of Lindsay Leese's career has been tied to comedy, specifically improv comedy. Leese is amongst the prestigious comedy alumni of much-beloved Second City improv theater. She went on to teach the craft of improv to future generations of up-and-coming comedians who passed through The Second City. She has performed improv alongside the likes of Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles of "Whose Line is it Anyway?" fame and Mike Myers of "SNL," "Austin Powers," and "Wayne's World" fame amongst others.
Leese has had small, unnamed roles in films like "Tommy Boy," "National Lampoon's Senior Trip," and the "Kids in the Hall" movie "Brain Candy," but much of her work has been on the improv stage and in television commercials. She also served as the Union Vice President of the Ontario Film Review Board and founded a charity to support young comedy talent known as the Tim Sims Encouragement Fund.
Pak-Kwong Ho as the janitor
It might not be a named part, but Pak-Kwong Ho leaves quite an impression as the janitor of the Bailey Downs High School in his limited screen time. From his kindness toward Brigitte all the way to his death at the hands of Ginger, the janitor feels like a more substantial character in the hands of veteran character actor Pak-Kwong Ho than he may have if portrayed by a different actor.
Pak-Kwong Ho wasn't in much after the release of "Ginger Snaps," which marks his last significant role with his final performance coming in 2012 in "XIII: The Series." Post-"Ginger Snaps" he appeared in six additional projects, but was uncredited in two of them and unnamed in all six of them. The end of his career was a far cry from the earlier stages of his career which began in the Hong Kong film industry in the late 1950s.
From the late 50s to the end of the 90s, Pak-Kwong Ho appeared in more than 300 movies, most of them made in Hong Kong. Many of his roles were small, but Pak-Kwong Ho routinely appeared in upwards of 10 movies — and sometimes as many as 20 movies— per year. He worked under major Hong Kong directors like John Woo with "Hua ji shi dai," Corey Yuen with "Yes, Madam!," and Jackie Chan with "Dragon Lord." He also notably appeared in Guillermo Del Toro's first American film, "Mimic," as a preacher.
Christopher Redman as Ben
Christopher Redman played Ben, one of Jason's friends who is on the periphery of the happenings with the Fitzgerald sisters. Like many of his co-stars, Christopher Redman has found many of his best roles post-"Ginger Snaps" in television rather than in films. His path crossed again with Peter Keleghan, who played Mr. Wayne in "Ginger Snaps," when they both landed recurring roles on "Workin' Moms." Redman has also played recurring characters on "CSI: Miami," "Graceland," and Amazon original series "Homecoming," where he played Kyle in the second season.
In 2016, Redman co-directed the personal documentary "Decades: Part One –- The Rowan Tree" alongside Matthew Lemche. Redman also edited and provided music for the documentary in addition to appearing in the film along with his co-director. Matthew Lemche is the younger brother of Kris Lemche, who co-starred with Redman in "Ginger Snaps." The two attempted to make a movie together in 2002 but abandoned the project halfway through. After remaining friends for the intervening years, they got together to make this documentary about the abandoned project.
Lucy Lawless as the announcer
Lucy Lawless just might be the most famous name associated with "Ginger Snaps," perhaps only contested by Mimi Rogers. Lucy Lawless had already become a household name for her portrayal of Xena on both "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess." Her involvement in "Ginger Snaps" is confined to a small, easy-to-miss cameo as the voice heard over the Baily Downs High School PA system.
Following "Ginger Snaps," Lucy Lawless's career has shown no signs of slowing down. Some her biggest roles have been on the TV shows "Battlestar Galactica," "Ash vs Evil Dead," and both "Spartacus" and the mini-series spinoff "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena" as Lucretia. She has also had significant roles on "Parks and Rec" as Diane Lewis, "Top of the Lake" as Caroline Platt, and "Salem" as Countess Marburg.
Most recently, Lucy Lawless has starred as Alex Crowe, the lead of the Acorn TV series "My Life is Murder." She has also provided the voice of Nunchuk in the upcoming animated sequel "Minions: The Rise of Gru" set to release in 2022.
Nick Nolan as the werewolf
Though his face is never visible, Nick Nolan was the man inside the wolf costumes. He provided the physical performance and stunts for both the first werewolf, AKA 'the beast of Baily Downs,' and the werewolf version of Ginger after her transformation, AKA 'the Gingerwolf.' Performing in a giant, special-effects laden costume can be a challenge, but Nick Nolan ensures that viewers only see an impressive horror creature and never a guy in a rubber suit.
Just like John Bourgeois and Peter Keleghan, Nick Nolan also appeared on "Murdoch Mysteries" where he played Tim O'Shea in three episodes — and it was, in fact, one of his only acting roles. The rest of Nick Nolan's career has been spent on stunt work. Nolan performed stunt work for a number of large films including Zack Snyder's "Dawn of the Dead" remake, George A. Romero's "Land of the Dead," "Resident Evil: Apocalypse," and "Max Payne." His last credits arrived in 2014 with the aforementioned "Murdoch Mysteries" where he also performed uncredited stunts in addition to playing the character of Tim O'Shea.