What Has The Crew Of ‘SpaceCamp’ Been Up To Since 1986?


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Let’s not get all hung up on whether SpaceCamp was a great film or not. It was. Besides the general consensus on the film’s quality, what we can all agree upon is that SpaceCamp is one of those ’80s movies that wore away the mechanisms in our Beta Max players. (Don’t you dare say VCR!)

The movie, which followed a gang of youngsters who just happen to get launched accidentally into space, was a staple for us ’80s babies and for good reason: It allowed us to vicariously live out our space-exploration fantasies seated next to Lea Thompson, Kelly Preston, the guy from Revenge of the Nerds, and a future awards-season darling. But the accidental astronauts from the film are certainly not in space anymore, and the actors who played them are almost 30 years removed from orbit. What has the SpaceCamp crew been up to since 1986? Let’s find out.

Kate Capshaw — Andie Bergstrom

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Capshaw briefly served as an ’80s “It Girl,” starring in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, before going on to star in SpaceCamp, and then the Michael Douglas-vehicle Black Rain in 1989. After the ’80s, Capshaw — a former model — slowed down, taking a role in 1995’s Just Cause with Sean Connery, appearing as a part of an ensemble in 1999’s The Love Letter, and in a few smaller projects before her last screen credit in 2002. Capshaw married Steven Spielberg in 1991, and the couple has defied the Hollywood odds, continuing to keep a strong bond while raising their seven children.

Lea Thompson — Kathryn Fairly

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Thompson continues to be a hard-working actress, appearing in a bevy of TV films and series like Family Guy, Switched at Birth, and even 2011’s J. Edgar. She began directing with 2006’s Jane Doe TV movie, and in 2016, Thompson will direct her first feature-film project with The Year of Spectacular Men, which she also stars in. The Back to the Future actress has also appeared in reality TV projects, coming in sixth place in the 2014 season of Dancing With the Stars. 

Also in 2014, Thompson won an American Movie Award for her role in The Trouble with the Truth.

Kelly Preston — Tish Ambrosei

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Just as she was in the ’80s, Kelly Preston continues to be one of the most stunning women in Hollywood, deviating from her family life of three children with John Travolta to appear in a film or TV project every once in a while. She had a recurring role in Medium, and was last seen in a feature film in 2010’s Casino Jack. Since then, Preston has maintained a relatively low profile, acting in Bryan Fox’s short film Dissonance in 2014. Despite the rare appearance on film, she can still be seen regularly at Hollywood events with her husband.

Larry B. Scott — Rudy Tyler

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The ’80s were good to Scott. In addition to starring in SpaceCamp, the actor appeared in the Revenge of the Nerds series of films, a host of popular TV shows, and a movie called Snake Eater II: The Drug Buster. In this century, Scott only has a few credits to his name, with his last appearance coming in 2010’s Nobody Smiling.

Joaquin Phoenix — Max

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As “Leaf Phoenix,” Joaquin was the youngest member of the crew of the SpaceCamp shuttle that was accidentally launched into space. In real-life, Phoenix is one of the finest actors working today, showing his chops in Oscar-nominated roles in Gladiator, Walk the Line, and The Master. He also recently appeared in PT Anderson’s Inherent Vice and Spike Jonze’s Her, and was last seen in Woody Allen’s 2015 drama Irrational Man. Next, we’ll see Phoenix star in Casey Affleck’s western, Far Bright Star, in which he’ll fight against the desert elements after his team of soldiers are killed in an ambush. This is Phoenix’s second time working with Affleck. We all remember the first time.

It’s been almost 30 years since he spoke to his former robot best friend, Jinx.

Tate Donovan — Kevin Donaldson

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Damages, Damages, Damages. Tate Donovan could do nothing for the rest of his life, and he’ll still be remembered (by me, at least) as starring in the under-appreciated and highly excellent Damages series. Besides that, Donovan has had recurring roles in the last season of 24, the also excellent Masters of Sex, and a role in the Oscar-winning Ben Affleck film, Argo. The New Jersey-born actor has just finished working on Elvis & Nixon, starring Kevin Spacey and Michael Shannon as the President and the King, respectively, and it’ll be released in 2016.

Tom Skerritt — Cmdr. Zach Bergstrom

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With an acting career spanning back to 1962, Skerritt remains a prolific and gifted actor, showing up in Ted, The Good Wife, and Madam Secretary. You can see him next in Tom Tykwer’s (Run, Lola, RunA Hologram for the King, with Tom Hanks. In 1993, Skerritt won an Emmy for his role as a sheriff in Picket Fences, and he still regularly appear on stage, television, and in cinemas.

Jinx The Robot — A Robot Named Jinx

Jinx may not stand out like other ’80s movie robots and, as far as we can tell, he has no relationship with Joaquin Phoenix today, but he did pop up in a 2007 Family Guy episode beside the Robot from Rocky IV, so that’s not nothing.

Terry O’Quinn — Launch Director

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Back when he still had some semblance of skull fur left, it was not known that O’Quinn would one day become one of the most iconic television characters of all-time with his portrayal of John Locke on ABC’s Lost. For his part in the mega-popular series, O’Quinn walked away with three Emmy nominations and one win. The now 63-year-old actor can still be seen on TV, in Secrets and Lies, and he recently wrapped up roles on Hawaii Five-O and the cancelled series, Gang Related.

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