You won’t believe what Jesse from Free Willy looks like now! Child star looks unrecognisable

He rose to fame as cute street kid Jesse in the cult hit children’s film, Free Willy.

But actor Jason James Richter is now barely recognisable from his days playing the little boy who befriended a killer whale. 

Wearing a baseball cap and sporting a thick moustache and a light beard, Jason, 43, appeared on Nine’s Today Extra to discuss the 30th anniversary of the movie. 

He told hosts Sylvia Jeffreys and Tim Davies how excited he was to score the coveted role at the tender age of 11.

‘I was just about 11-years-old,’ he said during an interview on Wednesday. ‘I ran through the neighbourhood to brag to all my friends.

‘Nobody believed me until I left to go make the movie.’

The plot of the film centres on Jason’s character Jesse, a street kid who befriends an orca called Willy. 

When the life of the killer whale is threatened, Jesse sets him free.

The film became a fan favourite for its intimate scenes showing the young pint-sized actor interacting with a real killer whale called Keiko. 

Asked about whether he was frightened during these scene, Jason replied, ‘Oh, yeah!’

‘I mean, its all of that. But you know, life is very risky man.’ 

Keiko originally came from Norway and was taken from her family to appear in the film. 

She later lived in an aquarium in Iceland, where she stayed with four other young orcas.

Shortly afterwards, Keiko was sold to MarineLand, according to animal activist Phil Demers.

Keiko was then sold on to an entertainment park in Mexico, but would later be rescued, rehabilitated and returned to the sea near Iceland.

Keiko died of pneumonia in 2003 in a bay in Norway at the age of 27.

Meanwhile, Free Willy grossed $153.7million at the box office and spawned three sequels.

After pursuing an acting career, including roles in TV hits like The Client and Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, Jason played in bands for ten years including the groups Blue Root and Fermata.

He announced a return to feature films on Today Extra, as a producer of a soon-to-be released horror film Natty Knocks, in which he says he plays a small role.

 

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