Thora Birch, the 90s movie star known for a string of hit films like Hocus Pocus and American Beauty, looked completely unrecognisable from her heyday during a rare red carpet appearance in Los Angeles this week. The actress, now 44, attended the screening of Find Your Friends, wearing loose-fitting navy trousers and a black button-down shirt, smiling for the cameras.
Early Career and Breakthrough
Birch made her movie debut in the 1988 science fiction comedy Purple People Eater and went on to have a glowing career throughout the 90s and 2000s. She became a regular on the NBC sitcom Day By Day before landing her next big break starring alongside Harrison Ford in the 1992 film Patriot Games at just eight years old.
Hocus Pocus and American Beauty Fame
Her biggest role came when she played Dani in the Halloween cult classic Hocus Pocus, starring alongside Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. She later starred as Jane in American Beauty and appeared in the indie film Ghost World. In 2001, she starred opposite Keira Knightley in the British psychological thriller The Hole.
Almost Cast in Interview with the Vampire
During her heyday, Birch was an in-demand child star and was up for the role of child vampire Claudia in the 1994 film Interview with the Vampire alongside Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. However, at 12 years old, she wasn't deemed ready for the controversial role, which went to Kirsten Dunst. Birch told People: "I took a number of meetings with the director... I grew up fast being a child actor, but there were still parts of that character that I felt were too adult."
Recent Work
More recently, Birch has starred in The Chronology of Water, Thirsty, The Midway Point, The Gabby Petito Story, and The Walking Dead. She also played Gifford Mayfair in Mayfair Witches, a distant cousin of the head witch Rowan. Speaking about the role, she said: "She's part of the Mayfair empire and she's a very wealthy, prominent figure... She has this sense of impending doom."
