To anyone who was a pre-teen or teenager in the 1990s, the name Devon Sawa rings a bell. To some, he was a heartthrob. To others, a hip young actor, working alongside names like Christina Ricci and Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Sawa is a native of Canada, Vancouver specifically, who had his debut in 1994’s Little Giants. He spent the next six years starring in a slew of films about the various trials and tribulations of youth.
Sawa’s teen acting career reached its peak in 2000 when he played the crazed title character in Eminem’s world-famous music video for a song named after an obsessive fan: “Stan.” Sawa has continued to act since then, but his reputation and status have diminished. As it goes with many child actors, the aging process takes hold and things change. This list rounds up Sawa’s most iconic roles in the 1990s, ranked according to IMDb.
Casper (1995) - 6.1
Sawa’s breakthrough role was playing the friendly ghost Casper in human form in this popular live-action adaption of the Harvey Comics book character. The first film to include a CGI main character, Casper tells the story of Ms. Carrigan, who inherits her father’s old mansion in Maine. She finds out it’s haunted by Casper and his uncles, but she also finds out there’s buried treasure hidden within it.
She recruits a ghost psychologist played by Bill Pullman, who occupies the house with his daughter, played by Christina Ricci. Casper has a crush on Ricci’s character, Kit, and the two spend most of the film flirting and hanging out. Tween across America swooned over the ending, where Sawa appears as Casper in order to dance with Kit.
A Cool, Dry Place (1998) - 6.2
Sawa stars alongside Vince Vaughn and Joey Lauren Adams in this drama. Vaughn plays a lawyer and single dad trying to care for his 5-year-old son while managing work. He coaches the local basketball team, and Sawa plays a disruptive student who Vaughn’s character, Russ, kicks off the team.
Adams plays the older sister of Sawa’s character, Noah, and she sparks a romance with Russ in the aftermath of her brother’s behavior. Just as things are starting to look up, Russ’s estranged wife, the mother of his son, comes back into the picture.
Idle Hands (1999) - 6.2
A classic teen horror-comedy, Idle Hands tells the story of a stoner named Anton whose right hand becomes possessed by Satan himself after the Dark Lord kills the teen’s parents. As Anton, Sawa gives a hilarious slapstick performance that involves a lot of bloodshed.
Anton’s demonic hand slaughters his two best friends, played by Seth Green and Elden Henson, but they come back from the dead to help him get through his predicament. To make matters worse, Anton has plans to take his crush, played by Jessica Alba, to a school dance. Fortunately, a demon slayer played by none other than Vivica A. Fox arrives on the scene to save the day.
The Boys Club (1996) - 6.3
In this Canadian drama, Sawa plays a teen named Eric who spends most of his free time hanging out in a secluded, wooded cabin with his best friends. One day, the buds stumble upon a wounded man in their after-school domicile, and they believe his story about being a wounded police officer.
The boys help him heal, but they eventually come to realize the man, Luke, is actually a wanted murderer responsible for the death of a police officer, not the other way around. Luke turns violent on the teens, and they must figure out a way to defeat him after he takes Eric hostage.
Wild America (1997) - 6.4
Sawa stars alongside fellow 1990s heartthrobs Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Scott Bairstow in this nature adventure story. The trio plays the Stouffer brothers, who, in the 1960s, set off from their home in rural Arkansas to film a nature documentary.
Bairstow plays the oldest brother Marty Jr., Sawa the middle brother Mark, and Thomas the youngest, Marshall. As the brothers travel west, they encounter and immerse themselves in the beauty and wonder of the natural world. Their adventure is full of close calls, breathtaking interactions with animals, and unforgettable moments of bonding.
Little Giants (1994) - 6.4
Sawa’s first feature film, Little Giants is a quirky sports film for kids. Rick Moranis plays a nerdy gas station owner who decides to start his own little league football team after his older brother, played by Ed O’Neil, only picks the best of the best players.
Moranis’s character Danny forges his team, putting his athletic daughter Becky front and center in it. Sawa plays Junior Floyd, a formidable player Danny is able to convince should play with him. Junior also happens to be Becky’s crush. Despite the obstacles that seem to up against them, the Little Giants do well enough to play against his brother’s talented team, the Cowboys, vying for top honors in the city.
Final Destination (2000) - 6.7
While it was technically released in 2000, the film that launched the popular horror franchise was made in the previous year, justifying its place on this list. Sawa plays the main character Alex Browning, who begins the film onboard a plane to Paris. He has bad feelings about the trip from the beginning, and things culminate when Alex has a dream before take-off wherein the plane explodes.
Alex freaks out, and he flees the plane. A handful of his classmates and one of his teachers are forced off with him, and they all watch in horror as the plane takes off and blows up seconds after ascending. While they think they’ve bypassed the fate of their peers, the group soon realizes whatever force propels destiny is after them and won’t stop until they meet the end they should have on the plane.
Now And Then (1995) - 6.8
This is Sawa’s third feature, which focuses on four female friends reminiscing about their lives during the summer of 1970. Demi Moore, Rita Wilson, Melanie Griffith, and Rosie O’Donnell, the adults, are portrayed by Gaby Hoffman, Ashleigh Aston Moore, Thora Birch, and Christina Ricci, respectively, as teens.
Sawa plays the teen love interest, Scott Wormer, of O’Donnell/Ricci’s character, Roberta Martin, a tough tomboy whose mother died when she was young. After sharing a kiss with Scott, Roberta comes to accept her burgeoning sexuality.
SLC Punk (1998) - 7.5
This indie comedy about life for punks in 1980s Salt Lake City, Utah, stars Matthew Lillard as Stevo and Michael Goorjian as Heroin Bob, his best friend. Both don mohawks and live in a dilapidated warehouse apartment decorated with spraypainted slogans and anarchy symbols.
Sawa has a memorable cameo as Sean, a friend of theirs who accidentally absorbs an entire sheet of LSD after fleeing from the police. Sean is so unhinged from the psychedelic drug that he chases his mother around his home with a kitchen knife and spends hours squatting in his front yard before the police finally catch up with him.
