From his role as a part of Biff's gang in multiple Back to the Future movies, to wicked
Cal in Titanic, Billy Zane was once a reliably dashing presence on screens both big and small.
He doesn't seem to pop up to provide his quirky charm as much anymore, however, and we've
wondered what he's been up to recently.
Zane has apparently been in over 20 different projects since 2014, and has an army of dedicated
fans…
"What's it like knowing you've got an army of Zane-heads around the world?
Zane-meisters?"
"I believe they're called 'Zaniacs,' if I'm not mistaken."
… so why aren't we actually seeing him?
Here's why you don't see Billy Zane much anymore…and how that could change.
He's not a leading man
Zane scored a series of hits with supporting appearances in projects like Titanic, Dead
Calm, and Charmed.
But on the handful of occasions in which he was the lead actor in a big-budget Hollywood
movie, he tended to strike out.
Take, for example, the flashy 1996 superhero movie The Phantom.
Properties from the 1930s might not be the best things to adapt to the big screen — which
we're reminded of again and again with films like The Green Hornet and The Lone Ranger
and The Shadow — so it's probably not really Zane's fault.
The Phantom was intended to be the start of a franchise, but it made just $17 million
at the box office.
That franchise never materialized, and while the part got James Cameron's attention, it
didn't land Zane a leading role.
He can't escape Titanic
Anytime Zane makes the rounds to promote a new project, interviewers don't want to talk
about it.
All they want to discuss is Titanic.
Sure, it was once the highest-grossing movie of all time and spent more than a dozen weeks
as the #1 movie at the box office, and he of course played the villainous, controlling
Cal expertly — but it's time to move on, people.
"Is it annoying that people love the movie like they do?"
"Yeah, I hate it.
It's awful, really, no.
You know."
"I'm curious…"
"It's the gift that keeps giving.
It's such a great honor."
He's made it clear that he's aware of how lucky he was to be in one of the most popular
movies of all time, and bears the overwhelming Titanic phenomenon no ill will.
But it must be tough to get out of the big boat's shadow.
His TV series are flops
In the summer of 2016, Zane had one of his highest-profile gigs in years with the soap
Guilt, in which Zane played Stan Gutterie, a fashionable, scheming defense lawyer who
has to navigate a foreign legal system.
The series was canceled after one short season.
Zane even played an important role in the Amazon original series Mad Dogs, as the quirky,
roguish Milo, a part most definitely in his wheelhouse… even if, spoiler alert, he dies
in the first episode.
Nevertheless, scarcely a month after its debut, Amazon announced there would be no second
season, barring any ghostly Billy Zane appearances or flashbacks from ever happening.
Back in 2010, Zane even seemed to have a promising role in ABC's legal drama, The Deep End, but
that show was killed prematurely also, after just six episodes.
Zane also had a recurring role in the 2009 ABC sitcom Samantha Who?, which was also put
out of its misery midway through its second season.
To put it simply, Zane's TV efforts have always been doomed, but it's not like he doesn't
have other projects going on.
They're just a little less visible.
He makes his own movies
Zane might not always be in front of the camera, but he stays active in movie-making as a principal
partner in a production company and content distributor called RadioactiveGiant.
The company's produced a handful of modest movies, including Killing Winston Jones and
the acclaimed documentary, Searching for Eddie Running Wolf.
And back in the late '90s, Zane produced and starred in a labor of love he produced called
I Woke Up Early the Day I Died, a silent film based on an unproduced screenplay left behind
by famed bad moviemaker Ed Wood.
He's busy selling chicken
Nothing catches fast-food customers' attention quite like a change in a chain's beloved mascot,
and KFC has taken full advantage of this over the last few years.
After decades of existing mainly as a kindly, kind of greasy cartoon voiced by Randy Quaid,
a real life Colonel Sanders started appearing in KFC's commercials again — but with a
twist.
Instead of an anonymous actor playing the part, KFC began using well-known faces like
SNL vet Norm Macdonald and stand-up comic Jim Gaffigan.
Zane joined the Colonel Sanders lineup in early 2017, slathering himself in gold paint
to help roll out the restaurant's line of "Georgia Gold Chicken."
"I put gold on my legs, my thighs, my tenders."
As KFC CMO Kevin Hochman explained, the idea to hire Zane was directly inspired by his
past as a villainous rich dude, which is supposed to underscore the idea that anyone can dig
into a bag of drive-through poultry.
If it's good enough for Billy Zane, it's good enough for us.
"That's good chicken."
"Thanks!"
It's not the first time Zane has been in a food commercial, though….
"Big big big big cookie time.
Big big big big cookie time.
Archman cookies!
Wouldn't you like some now?"
… but it's definitely the least embarrassing.
The return of Billy Zane
Zane may not be an A-lister headlining giant movies anymore, but that's not his niche anyway.
He's more of a character actor, handsome enough to play Cads, charismatic villains, and engrossing
weirdos.
That said, he still continues to work as often as he likes.
He's got multiple movies set for release in the future, including the post-apocalyptic
sci-fi movie Blue World Order, and the comedy The Last Party with fellow '90s survivors
Sharon Stone and Gina Gershon.
In short, Zane's got versatility, and it continues to keep him busy, even if we have to try a
little harder to see him in action these days.
Plus, he's a cool dude.
"Listen to your friend Billy Zane.
He's a cool dude."
Thanks for watching!
Click the Looper icon to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Plus check out all this cool stuff we know you'll love, too!