'Independence Day' Cast: Where Are They Now?
Independence Day Was Written in Three Weeks, Pitched and Approved in a Few Days and Shot Mostly in a Few Months. but Despite Its Fast Track, It's Left a Long...
Independence Day was written in three weeks, pitched and approved in a few days and shot mostly in a few months. But despite its fast track, it's left a long legacy, upping the star power of leads including Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and Vivica A. Fox and cementing a spot in pop culture history.
As the film celebrates his 27th anniversary on July 3, 2023, catch up with the cast, then and now.
Will Smith as Capt. Steven Hiller
The rapper and actor was already famous for his sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran from 1990 to 1996. Independence Day skyrocketed Smith, who played leading man Capt. Steven Hiller, to international stardom — despite initial pushback from the studio that he was "unproven," according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Smith, a father of three, has continued to have a blockbuster career as both an actor and producer, with some of the Oscar winner's most notable roles including the Men in Black (1997–2012) and Bad Boys (1995–2020) franchises, along with Hitch (2005), The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) — starring his real-life son, Jaden — and Aladdin (2019).
He won the Best Actor Oscar for King Richard in 2022, though the big moment came minutes after he walked onto the stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock following a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The actor later apologized (though not to Rock) and was banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years.
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Margaret Colin as Constance Spano
Colin's Constance Spano ran the show as White House Communications Director (and the ex-wife of David Levinson). A decade later, she'd be the girl-boss-in-charge once again as wealthy, absent mother Eleanor Waldorf on Gossip Girl (she reprised the role on the HBO Max reboot series). Colin has had roles in a few films and a number of TV series before and after her role in Independence Day, including Veep and Chicago Med.
Colin has been married to actor Justin Deas, who played her romantic interest in As the World Turns, since 1988. She shares two sons with Deas and is a stepmother to his daughter from a previous marriage.
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