Cult Classic Comeback…
Remember wishing for your own Indian in the cupboard after you watched this film back in the 1990s? Fantasy never gets outdated, and thanks to the wonderful performances by the lead actors and actresses, The Indian in the Cupboard seemed real as well. So what’s Omri doing now? Where is Little Bear? What about the other actors who took us on a magical journey? Where are they now? Let’s find out.
Hal Scardino (Omri)
Hal Scardino now. Image courtesy Hal Scardino’s LinkedIn profile
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/hal-scardino/91/7a9/220
After being Omri, Scardino acted in Marvin’s Room (1996) before disappearing from the silver screen for almost a decade. During this time, he attended the Columbia University to complete a Bachelor’s program and was a part of their fencing team. After that, there were rumors that he was making a screen comeback with a drama, The Show.
However, Scardino is now making news in a different capacity. He co-founded a non-profit organization, Aperta Productions, with Itab Azzam. Their organization promotes art, artistic endeavors, and free creative expression amongst the deprived sections of the society. Their latest project was with Syrian women in refugee camps near Beirut. Scardino and Azzam aim to infuse a sense of empowerment in these displaced and war-ravaged women and give them the confidence to speak out and reclaim their rights and dignity.
Litefoot (Little Bear)
Litefoot now. Image courtesy Uyvsdi on Wikimedia Commons via Public Domain license
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Litefoot_tahlequah_1995.jpg
Litefoot appeared in films like Kull the Conqueror and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (both 1997); some independent productions like Song of Hiawatha (1997), The Pearl (2000), and 29 Palms (2002); and TV shows like CSI: Miami, Any Day Now, and Family Law.
However, after The Indian in the Cupboard, Litefoot has found fame as a rapper. He has released more than a dozen albums of which more than 10 have been recorded by his label Red Vinyl, won six Native American Music Awards, and produces his own national hip-hop and R&B show, Reach The Rez Radio. He also owns several clothing lines, the most well-known amongst these being the Native Style.
The Reach The Rez tour is Litefoot’s endeavor to give back to the Native Indian community; the actor-cum-rapper-cum-motivational speaker is a Cherokee and a descendant of a north Mexican indigenous tribe. The Reach The Rez caravan visits American-Indian reservations and raises awareness amongst the youth about substance abuse, AIDS, and unwanted early pregnancy. Litefoot is aware of the high rates of high-school dropouts, suicide, and crime amongst the youth of this under-privileged community and wants to use his fame and music to inspire them to lead more meaningful and productive lives.
Rishi Bhat (Patrick)
It seems that The Indian in the Cupboard will be the only cine adventure of Rishi Bhat. He is now an Internet entrepreneur with a string of achievements to his name.
After the movie, Rishi developed an Internet security program, SiegeSoft, when he was 15 years old. He also created a company, myEDesk.com, to let people remotely access a Windows-like desktop. He then old his startups to a Canadian firm. From 2002 to 2006, he attended the University of Pennsylvania and obtained Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science within a span of four years. The computer whiz kid can code in 30 programming languages.
After founding several more tech companies, Rishi is currently pursuing a Ph.D. program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Steve Coogan (Tommy Atkins)
Steve Coogan now. Image courtesy Stemoc on Wikimedia Commons by CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic license
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steve_Coogan_2013.jpg
After enacting Tommy Atkins, Coogan became famous for playing Alan Partridge in the namesake movie and several shows that feature the character, like Knowing You with Alan Partridge and Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge. He has also starred in Around the World in 80 Days (2004), Tropic Thunder (2008), Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), Philomena, Despicable Me 2 (both 2013) and Minions (2015).
His production Steve Coogan: The Man Who Thinks He’s It was nominated for a prestigious Lawrence Olivier Theater.
Coogan has also been dabbling with the pen with impressive results to show for his efforts. He penned a fake memoir of Alan Partridge, his alter-ego, which became an instant bestseller. Coogan is now writing his autobiography.
David Keith (Boone the Cowboy)
David Keith now. Image courtesy Emerson7 on Wikipedia via Public Domain license
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Keith#/media/File:David_Keith_ (cropped).jpg
David Keith has been busy after The Indian in the Cupboard. He has appeared in several films like U-571 (2000), Hangman’s Curse, Daredevil (both 2003), Raise Your Voice (2004), and Expiration Date (2006); and TV shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, NCIS, CSI: Miami, Lone Star, and Hawaii Five-O.
He holds a position in the advisory board of the National Association to Protect Children, and as one of their principal campaign strategists, he lobbies to impose stricter penalties for crimes against children and make governments at various levels accord more priority to the issue of protection of children.
For his efforts to bring about stricter punitive measures and his relentless support to promote the activities of various organizations engaged in fighting crimes against children, Keith was awarded the Director’s Community Leadership Award in 2008 by the FBI.
Richard Jenkins (Victor)
Richard Jenkins now. Image courtesy Nehrams2020 on Wikipedia via CC BY-3.0
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Jenkins#/media/File:RichardJenkins2AAFeb09.jpg
It is hard to believe that Richard Jenkins was a no-body when he played Victor. His acting break came almost a decade after The Indian in the Cupboard, with the HBO drama series Six Feet Under. Since then, he has appeared in films like How to Make an American Quilt (1995), There’s Something About Mary (1998), Me, Myself, & Irene (2000), Hall Pass (2011), Dear John (2011), Eat, Pray, Love (2011), The Cabin in the Woods (2011), Jack Reacher (2012), and White House Down (2013), and the much-acclaimed TV mini-series Olive Kitteridge (2014). His crowning glory came with an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his role in The Visitor (2008).
Richard’s life revolves around acting, in all its forms. He has served as the artistic director of the Trinity Repertory Company, acted in their productions like Brother to Dragons, True West, Waiting for Godot, and directed pieces like The Glass Menagerie, Macbeth, and Twelfth Night.
Lindsay Crouse
Lindsay Crouse on screen. Image courtesy The 80s Revisited Blog via CC Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Source: https://the80srevisited.blogspot.in/2012/09/80s-neo-noir-house-of-games.html
After playing Omri’s mother in The Indian in the Cupboard, Lindsay Crouse continued acting and appeared in TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alias, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Law & Order, ER, and NYPD Blue. She has also acted in numerous plays like The Belle of Amherst and Going to St. Ives by the Gloucester Stage Company.
Lindsay has also crafted another avatar. As a practicing Buddhist, she has organized several Buddhist educational conventions across Massachusetts. She has also prepared Buddhist teachings that are available for purchase.
Some of the principal cast members of The Indian in the Cupboard, have moved on and are now busy with other pursuits. Some are still acting. Most of them have been quite successful in their ventures. But they will all probably agree that they have had the chance to be a part of a fantasy that will forever remain a unique experience in their lives.
