Fairuza Balk terrified moviegoers everywhere with her spellbinding performance in The Craft.
Since then, however, she seems to have dropped off the map. As it turns out, she's been up
to all sorts of things since she played Nancy Downs.
Balk's first major acting credit comes from the 1983 made-for-TV movie, The Best Christmas
Pageant Ever. She quickly gained notoriety as a child actor, eventually becoming noticed
by Disney. She was cast as Dorothy Gale in 1985's Return to Oz, a fascinatingly twisted
sequel to L. Frank Baum's classic story. It still holds up as an unappreciated gem of
Disney's live-action catalog, though it surely traumatized many an '80s child whose parents
thought it would be as happy and upbeat as the original. How twisted are we talking?
Well, Balk's Dorothy goes through electroshock therapy in a mental institution right at the
beginning of the film. And don't even get us started on the terrifying Wheelers.
After Return to Oz, Balk was cast in a 1986 adaptation of The Worst Witch, and she appeared
in several more TV movies. Balk's reputation was growing, and Hollywood was taking notice.
It wasn't long after Return to Oz that Balk started receiving major dramatic roles. In
1989, she appeared in Valmont, alongside powerhouse actors like Annette Bening, Colin Firth and
Meg Tilly. Despite her comparative inexperience, Balk more than holds her own against the actors
she shares the screen with.
Balk then went on to other independent work. Her performance as Shade in 1992's Gas Food
Lodging earned her an Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, while her work as Caril
Ann Fugate in the TV mini-series Murder in the Heartland showed off the dark side that
would make her famous a few years later.
Balk hit the big time in 1996, when she landed a lead role in teenage witchcraft movie The
Craft. Balk's performance as stormy Nancy Downs helped The Craft achieve major success
and, eventually, status as a cult classic. The film captures the moody and disaffected
vibe of the mid-1990s with style, and particularly appealed to young women of its era: It was
the number-one film of its opening weekend, despite minor marketing and mixed reviews.
"Run, run back to your room like the little coward that you are. That's what I thought.
She is so pathetic!"
The Craft follows a group of high school girls who cope with their outcast status with witchcraft.
Empowered by a mysterious deity known as Manon, they use their newfound powers to take revenge
on those who have wronged them. Balk's portrayal of Nancy, the ringleader, is the most memorable
part of the film: a fiery misfit dealing with poverty and an abusive stepfather, she combines
genuine tragedy with a terrifying mean streak. She is electric in every scene, and a huge
part of the film's lasting legacy. The Craft propelled Balk to new heights of visibility
and praise, and is remembered fondly today by fans worldwide.
After The Craft, Balk entered the realm of mainstream Hollywood success. Her crazed performance
as coven leader Nancy swiftly saw her picked for another intense, sadistic role: The neo-Nazi
love interest in American History X. Balk played Stacey, ex-girlfriend to Edward Norton's
Derek in Tony Kaye's intense, violent film. Here, she displays the same razor-sharp intensity
she showed off in The Craft, albeit to very different ends.
The same year she appeared in American History X, Balk also starred alongside Adam Sandler
and Kathy Bates in The Waterboy. She plays a character with an edge similar to previous
roles in this film, but the fact that her talents slide so easily into a comedy showed
Hollywood that Balk has some major range.
A variety of roles followed during this period of Balk's career, including supporting parts
in Almost Famous and The Island of Dr. Moreau. She also did some voice acting in shows like
Family Guy and a few early-2000s video games.
Whenever we ask what happened to a major star, we expect to hear about some legendarily terrible
film, or a particularly awful PR move that tanked their career. That isn't the case with
Fairuza Balk. The way she explains it, she never felt right as a Hollywood icon, so she
decided to only tackle projects she finds interesting.
In a 2013 interview with Dread Central, Balk commented on her earlier career and the stress
she felt to constantly take on more work. She eventually decided that the only way for
her to stay sane in Hollywood and enjoy acting was to do it on her own terms. She said:
"I'd rather only take on projects that I want to, not take everything that's offered to
me so I can be more relevant."
Just because Fairuza Balk doesn't appear in dozens of movies per year doesn't mean she
isn't still flexing her creative muscles. She was born into an artistic family, and
has carried on those traditions. As a visual artist, Balk's work is immensely varied, and
it has been exhibited alongside contemporary luminaries including Mark Ryden and Tara McPherson.
As a musician, Balk is the frontwoman of the group Armed Love Militia, an eclectic group
whose songs range from hard-driving rock to folk-inflected ballads. Balk has also inspired
music made by others: Emo puppet band Fragile Rock performed "Fairuza Balk," their ode to
the actress, as part of their 2017 NPR Tiny Desk Concert. Balk reportedly loved the tribute.
More recent roles
Though Balk has branched out into artistic pursuits beyond film, she still works regularly
as an actress in roles that strike a chord with her.
On the movie front, Balk has shied away from mainstream film in favor of smaller, independent
work. Some of her more recent movies include the 2018 horror movie Hell is Where the Home
Is, the 2017 thriller August Falls, and the 2015 war drama, Battle Scars.
Balk has also been active on television. Most prominently, she enjoyed a seven-episode run
on the third season of Showtime's Ray Donovan as Ginger, a call girl trying to make ends
meet. Balk is set to return to the world of rock and roll with a supporting role in Paradise
City, a spinoff of the film American Satan, which explores a Faustian bargain struck for
musical fame.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite
stars are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss
a single one.