Independence Day is a movie everyone still remembers, more than 25 years later. It gave us Will Smith, the movie star, an incredible trailer that ended with a non-CGI White House blowing up, and a still-remembered, mood-changing presidential speech. The movie wouldn’t have worked without an incredible cast that made the film’s stakes believable, and they have steadily kept working in Hollywood. Here’s where the cast is today:
Will Smith
20th Century Fox
Will Smith was already known when he was cast in this film, although back then, he was still a rapper and known for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The triple-punch of Bad Boys, Independence Day, and Men in Black made him a movie star, and he never looked back.
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About Smith’s casting, director Roland Emmerich told The Guardian: “Will Smith’s role was not written as black; his ethnicity was not mentioned, so the studio assumed we wanted to hire a white guy. But we set our sights on Will very early. There is no one more American than Will Smith. The studio had a problem with it as he was mainly known for a sitcom, but they came round to it.”
Since his role as the lead in this movie, Smith has been in many great movies, from Ali to The Pursuit of Happyness and Focus. His whole career should have culminated in him winning his first Academy Award for King Richard last year. Unfortunately, he slapped Chris Rock, defiling his big night and getting suspended by the Academy for the next 10 years. His new movie, Emancipation is already getting awards buzz, but we will never be able to see Smith the same way as before.
Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum was already known when he appeared on Independence Day, as he had been in The Fly and Jurassic Park, and those characters helped to form this one, as he kept getting roles as the nerdy scientist, who is actually pretty handsome and charming. He started as an actor in the ’70s, and has worked in some great movies. Since this film, he has been in most Wes Anderson movies, appeared in the MCU as The Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok (a role fitted to his vibe explicitly), and has become a quirky personality, as he is always in on the joke. Goldblum is a fashion icon and a jazz player, and he even got his own documentary show: The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
Vivica A. Fox
Vivica A. Fox’s movie career accelerated after she played an unforgettable movie mom in this film, as she was the woman in love with Will Smith’s character. After her role in Independence Day, she has never stopped working, and she’s acted in more than 200 roles between film and TV, as she brings her intensity and heart to every one of her roles. Since this film, her biggest roles have been in Kill Bill, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Empire, while also lending her voice to many animated shows (Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated) and video games (Hitman: Absolution). Her latest lead role is on the TV miniseries, Keeping Up with the Joneses.
Bill Pullman
Bill Pullman started his career in comedies, getting his big break with Ruthless People and Spaceballs, but most people associate him with his role as President Whitmore in this movie, especially for his chill-inducing speech. About that speech, director Roland Emmerich told Comicbook: “I think Bill Pullman was born to play that part. Because he always said, “I want to play this like, don’t laugh now, but I want to play this like John Wayne.” I said, “Okay, give it your best John Wayne.” I have no idea why he said that, but he played John Wayne in his mind.” Since Independence Day, Pullman has been a great supporting character actor in both TV and film, from Lost Highway to Torchwood and The Equalizer. He even played a President again, although in a more comedic tone, in 1600 Penn. His latest big role has been as the lead, Harry Ambrose, in Netflix’s The Sinner.
Margaret Colin
Margaret Colin had a career in TV before this film. She was on Sibs and had a guest arc in Chicago Hope. In Independence Day, she played Constance Spano, White House Communications Director, and ex-wife to David Levinson (Goldblum’s character). Colin kept steady work on film and TV, always as a supporting player, with a couple of memorable characters: Eleanor Waldorf (Blair’s mother) in Gossip Girl and Lisa Wiseman in Now and Again. In the last year, she’s been in seven episodes of Chicago Med, and has appeared in the Christmas TV-movie, Three Wise Men and a Baby.
Judd Hirsch
Judd Hirsch was famously known as driver Alex Reiger on the comedy series, Taxi. In this film, he played Julius Levinson, Jeff Goldblum’s character’s father, in a great move, as the chemistry between both actors was unbelievable. After the film, he kept working in both film and on TV, first being the father of other geniuses in shows like Numbers, and lately being the uncle of almost-Spielberg in the belated autobiography of the Jaws director, named The Fabelmans.
Mary McDonnell
Mary McDonnell had already earned two Oscar nominations (Dances with Wolves and Passion Fish) before she played first lady Marilyn Whitmore in Independence Day. Her characters are sweet but show intelligence underneath, and have some fight in them. These qualities made her a great casting choice for the role of a lifetime, the one most young people would recognize her for President Laura Roslin in Battlestar Galactica. That performance got McDonnell the second round of acknowledgments that gave her career a boost, leading to big roles in The Closer and Major Crimes. You’ll see her next on Mike Flanagan’s new scary miniseries, The Fall of the House of Usher.
Mae Whitman
Mae Whitman was a child actor when she played Patricia Whitman, the daughter of the President. She kept acting and had big performances in Arrested Development, Good Girls, and especially, Parenthood. Inexplicably, her role was re-cast with Maika Monroe in 2016’s Independence Day: Resurgence, creating a well-earned backlash, as the speculation was the producers felt Whitman wasn’t “conventionally pretty” enough for the role. After Good Girls ended, Whitman has lent her voice to many animation shows, like Young Justice and The Owl House.
