Matilda's Bruce Bogtrotter actor looks unrecognizable 30 years later

One of the most iconic scenes from the 1996 film adaption of Roald Dahl's Matilda involves schoolboy Bruce Bogtrotter being forced to eat an entire chocolate cake by himself.

It's an image burned into the brains of every millennial who watched the film over and over again as a kid, but what you may not know is that the actor who played Bogtrotter in the film looks entirely unrecognizable today, 30 years on from Matilda's original release.

Jimmy Karz potrayed Bruce Bogtrotter in the 1996 film Matilda and although some of his co-stars in the movie, such as Danny DeVito and Pam Ferris, have remained international stars, he's faded from the spotlight.

But Karz, 30 years on from Matilda's release, looks very different today.

Jimmy Karz starred as Bruce Bogtrotter in the 1996 adaption of Roald Dahl's Matilda. Credit: Sony Pictures

What does Bruce Bogtrotter actor Jimmy Karz look like today?

Jimmy Karz didn't pursue a full-time acting career following his appearance in Matilda, instead choosing to step away from the spotlight despite his success at such a young age.

Only 12 years old at the time of Matilda's release, Karz actually reunited with a lot of his on-screen cast, including Mara Wilson (Matilda) and Rhea Perlman (Mrs Wormwood) for a 2013 special, Afternoon Tea: A Matilda Reunion.

During an interview in 2015, Karz reminisced about his time filming Matilda, including his iconic chocolate cake scene.

He remembered that filming of that particular sequence took roughly three weeks to film, and came with its own challenges.

"I had to be on set everyday and wear the same clothes every day," he told the American Osteopathic Association. "Every day I had to have the chocolate painted on my face the way it was painted the day before.

"I despised the smell of chocolate for a few weeks after that."

Jimmy Karz looks very different today (Picture: Sony Pictures)

Jimmy Karz looks very different today. Credit: Sony Pictures

What happened to Bruce Bogtrotter actor Jimmy Karz after Matilda?

Following the release of Matilda, Karz had a role in the 1998 rom-com The Wedding Singer, starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, as well as a bit-part in popular US medical drama ER, which starred George Clooney.

However, Karz stepped back from the camera and spent two years at MTV as a production associate before finding, in his words, a passion for "service-orientated" work.

He worked in a community garden, volunteered to teach people from low-income communities how to grow their own food and decided to study biochemistry, before moving into medicine.

Today, Karz is a doctor, having graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2017.

Featured image credit: Sony Pictures

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Given the fact that I am in my early-mid twenties, the film Matilda is a bit of a cult classic to me. Alongside the like of Toy Story, the 1996 adaption of the classic Rohl Dahl novel formed the basis of my childhood and every time I hear "Send Me on My Way" by Rusted Root, I am instantly transported back to happier, carefree times. However, while my feelings towards the movie will always remain wholly positive, there is a certain scene in Matilda that has been engraved into my mind for many years, and not because it was enjoyable. I don't know what it is about the scene when Bruce Bogtrotter is forced to eat a giant chocolate cake in front of school assembly, but the entire thing makes me feel uneasy. Take a look at the now-infamous scene below. Be warned, however, it may make your stomach churn. [[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOQeU_6vbeg]] Whether it's the gross mush that the cake becomes, nausea-inducing camera play or the fact that Ms Trunchbull is snarling in the face of the boy throughout the scene, the whole ordeal makes me feel queasy, sticky and gross. However, while Bogtrotter was a chubby, chocolatey mess in the film, he looks completely different now. Jimmy Karz was just 12-years-old when he played the part of Bruce in the movie, but since his acting debut, he has shed the pounds and left the world of Hollywood behind him. His last credited role was as an actor in an episode of ER way back in 1998. Obviously inspired by this role in the medical drama, Jimmy is now training to become a doctor at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. It's some turn around for the actor, who starred in one of the iconic movies of all time and brought in over $62 million at the box office. Speaking about the auditioning process for the movie, Karz said: "The first couple auditions were pretty standard. You read your lines with a casting director. And then the third audition, I read my lines with Danny DeVito at Sony Studios. That was an extraordinary experience because I had never interacted with a celebrity like that before. It was a really dimly lit room, and Danny was very passionate and really getting into his role. He was playing the Trunchbull." Once he landed the movie, Karz had to shoot the scene, something which he said involved eating 'a lot' of cake. "There were a ton of cakes. They had a factory, like, pumping out the cakes. Seemed like every day there was a new cake on set. They had three or four ready to go if they needed. It seemed like there was a lot of cake always at the ready. I don't know how much I ate. It was definitely a lot. "The hardest thing was coming to set every day and getting the chocolate painted onto my face the way it was painted the day before. And wearing that crusty shirt every day. That was probably the worst, as far as I can remember." However, despite the turmoils of shooting the distressing scene, it went on to become one of the most memorable from the movie. It seems like the cast has remained friends, with them having a reunion at Danny DeVito's house a couple of years ago. Speaking about Jimmy's new look, DeVito said: "Jimmy's looking amazing. He's grown into a fine young man. He was a little chub-chub when I knew him. Now he's a strapping young gentleman! And a doc-tah! Oh, I need bone doctors, man. I'm the original guy in need of bone doctors." Fair play to Jimmy, I don't think many people would've thought that's how Bruce would've turned out after eating that much cake. It probably took him 20 years to shed the weight in all honesty.

Forget Eleven from Stranger Things - everyone knows the coolest girl with telekinetic powers was Matilda. In the movie, based on the classic children's book by Roald Dahl, Matilda is a six-year-old genius who uses her special abilities to deal with her abusive parents and tyrannical principal, Mrs. Trunchbull. The film came out in 1996, and for many people, still brings back fond memories of childhood.

Now the child actors in the movie are all growed up. Mara Wilson, who played Matilda, has mostly left the acting industry, pursuing a career as a writer instead. And remember Bruce Boxtrotter, the overweight kid who was forced to eat that giant chocolate cake? The actor, Jimmy Karz, lost all those extra pounds and is training to become a doctor at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. (No word on if he still likes chocolate cake.)

But what about little Lavender? You remember her framed glasses, cool braids and floral dresses. She was Matilda's first friend, and pranked the cruel Principal Trunchbull by putting a newt in her water. Well, Kiami Davael played Lavender in the movie and is now 31 years old. While you don't see her on the big screen these days, she is active on social media. Here's what "little Lavender" looks like two decades later.

[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BVv3Ss7AJmc/]]

I bet you feel pretty old right now! Well, although Matilda came out in 1996, it still holds a special place in Kiami's life. On Instagram, she frequently shares photos of children dressed as Lavender for Halloween. Also, she shared a throwback pic of herself and Mara from while they were filming.

[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BR__VphgJbd/]]

In the caption, she says starring in the children's fantasy movie was a blessing:

"I've grown up, my circle around me is now smaller than ever & people have revealed their ugly truths in ways I would have never imagined.

"But this right here ... THIS moment will FOREVER REMAIN true & pure. My present & my future (regardless of 20, 50 or 80 years) are NOTHING without this blessing from God. Just a small town girl from humble beginnings, changing the world, one smile at a time."

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/KiamiDavael/status/564214828898594816]]

And she still keeps in touch with Mara Wilson! In 2015, she shared a photo of her and Mara on a lunch date. (I wonder how often people asked Mara, "What's 13 times 379?") Kiami wrote, "Lunch date with my sis from another miss @MaraWritesStuff ? #WeStillHang #SoHappyToSeeHer #BFF #JustLikeTheOldDays." The only thing that would make this picture better is Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman. And Jimmy Karz with a giant chocolate cake.

Well, life knocks us in different directions like pinballs, but it's good to see Lavender is doing well, and still keeps in touch with Mara. Now, how about a Matilda sequel? We all know she could kick Eleven's ass.

A former child star who played the protagonist in the 1996 film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda has recently opened up about a horrific discovery she made after googling herself.

Mara Wilson revealed to Channel 4 that a few years after starring in the beloved movie, she looked herself up on the internet, and what she saw has haunted her ever since.

The now 38-year-old discovered people claiming they had images of the prepubescent actor nude and having sex in forums.

Wilson was just nine years old when she played Matilda. Credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment/Matilda

Wilson explained: "So the summer I turned 12 years old, I decided to look myself up on the internet, and I spent the next 25 years or so, to this day, wishing I had never done it."

“Because what I found were people on a forum saying they had images of me nude and having sex.

"I was 12 years old, obviously, there was nothing like that out there about me, I had never been kissed."

Twisted criminals had turned clips and images of the star into manipulated child sexual abuse material.

Speaking about her reaction to finding the material, Wilson said, "I was incredibly devastated, I could not stop crying, I felt ashamed, I tried to hide.

Tragically, she admitted, “I think it may have been one of the factors that led me to not want to act anymore."

The star has chosen to speak out again now because the crime is becoming even more common and easy to commit in the age of AI.

Wilson hopes to warn people about the spread of harmful manipulated images online, as with the widespread use of social media, it's not limited to those in the public eye.

She said, "With AI, what happened to me can happen to any child or any woman. It can happen to anybody."

However, this is not the first time Wilson has spoken about what she went through publicly.

In a 2021 article for the New York Times, called “The lies Hollywood tells about little girls” she said: "Before I even turned 12, there were images of me on foot fetish websites and photoshopped into child pornography.

"Every time, I felt ashamed."

Featured image credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment

If, like me, you grew up before the days of smart devices and social media with a preference for the written word, you're probably very familiar with the works of Roald Dahl. The British-Norwegian author whose own life was as colourful and eventful as the lives he wrote about, his books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. You've probably read the likes of Matilda or the BFG (or watched their wonderful movie adaptations), but Roald Dahl's perhaps most famous work is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. For those of you who haven't read the book or watched the movies, it's about the rags to riches story of a young boy named Charlie Bucket who wins a golden ticket to a strange and wonderful chocolate factory, run by the wildly eccentric Willy Wonka. In the two movies chronicling Charlie's story in 1971 and 2005, Charlie Bucket has been played by Peter Ostrum and Freddie Highmore, who both brought the character to life in different ways, but are both white actors. Of course, Roald Dahl died in 1990 of a very rare form of blood cancer, but the book that would go on to define his legacy was initially intended to have the titular Charlie Bucket as a black character. September 13 is known amongst literature aficionados as Roald Dahl day, marking the anniversary of the decorated author, and this year, Dahl would have been 101 years old. To commemorate the day, Donald Sturrock, Roald Dahl's biographer, conducted an interview with BBC Radio 4, where he recounted his conversation with Felicity Dahl, Roald Dahl's widow, about the initial first draft of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. “His first Charlie that he wrote about was a little black boy,” Felicity said to Donald Sturrock of the initial manuscript. The biographer said that Roald Dahl had "understood the American sensibility", and Felicity said that Charlie's race had been "influenced by America". Today, we're yet to see Charlie Bucket as a black character. That's down to an unnamed agent, who Sturrock says talked Roald Dahl out of the idea, convincing him to rewrite the character. "It was his agent who thought it was a bad idea when the book was first published to have a black hero. She said people would ask why." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/BBCr4today/status/907857636477075461]] Although Felicity declared Roald's u-turn to be "a great pity", Dahl's widow admitted she'd be open to any "reworkings" that may occur in the future. When posited about the idea, Felicity Dahl replied: “It would be wonderful, wouldn’t it?” Felicity's revelation is especially curious considering that in the past, Roald Dahl's legacy has been slightly tainted by racial controversy. In initial publishings of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Oompa Loompas that man the titular chocolate factory were initially mischievous African pygmies brought over by Willy Wonka to work in the factory. Later, this detail was changed in later editions and films to little orange people hailing from the fictional Loompaland. Roald Dahl is perhaps the most famous children's book author ever to live, and his works have gone a long way toward shaping the formative periods of many a youngster. With the last Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film coming out in 2005, perhaps there's a chance that any new adaptation will have a black Charlie discovering the Golden Ticket and going on the adventure of a lifetime. Conor McGregor, Melania Trump, Lady Gaga, Ben Affleck, Billie Eilish, Hillary Clinton, Sophie Turner, Matthew Perry, Harry Styles, Chris Rock, Megan Fox, Demi Lovato, Chris Pratt, Khloe Kardashian, Cardi B, Kevin Winter, Derek Chauvin, Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Lawrence, Courteney Cox, Jeffrey Epstein, Nicki Minaj, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Justin Timberlake, Jason Momoa, James Corden, Bruce Willis, Drew Barrymore, Michelle Obama, Chris Evans, Lisa Kudrow, Andrew Harnik, J.K. Rowling, Jeff Bezos, Demi Moore, Hugh Jackman, Amy Schumer, Elton John, Howard Stern, Emma Watson, Prince Charles, David Beckham, Ryan Gosling, Sean Combs, Jeff Kravitz, Jim Carrey, Jordyn Woods, Daniel Radcliffe, David Schwimmer, Nicole Kidman, Chris Hemsworth, Kevin Spacey, Reese Witherspoon, Gigi Hadid, Bradley Cooper, Chip Somodevilla, Mark Zuckerberg, Princess Diana, Rebel Wilson, Emmanuel Macron, Dave Benett, Bill Clinton, Mike Pence, Scott Disick, Jake Paul, Elvis Presley, Serena Williams, Brian Laundrie, Breonna Taylor, Floyd Mayweather, Caitlyn Jenner, Whoopi Goldberg, Greta Thunberg, Doug Peters, King Charles III, Jamie Lee Curtis, Channing Tatum, Boris Johnson, Hailey Bieber, Gabby Petito, Matt LeBlanc, Halle Berry, Joe Rogan, Halyna Hutchins, Dolly Parton, Ashton Kutcher.

Emma Thompson has found herself at the center of a social media storm after Netflix released a first look at her in its upcoming movie-musical Matilda.

The 63-year-old actress plays evil headmistress Agatha Trunchbull in the film, which is a musical adaption of Roald Dahl's beloved 1988 book.

In the photos, Thompson is almost unrecognizable thanks to facial prosthetics that have transformed her into the wicked Trunchbull. However, her costume also includes another image-altering feature that many fans aren't happy about - a fat suit.

Many have taken to Twitter to call out Thompson - who has always been an advocate for body positivity - and question why a plus-size actor wasn't cast in the role instead.

"It has been really disappointing to see Emma Thompson put on a fat suit for this role. I’ve always loved her work. But this is just so gross," one person tweeted.

"I love Emma Thompson. She's amazing. However, there are many wonderfully talented plus-sized actresses who are constantly disregarded & should be considered for these roles instead of making a thin actress wear a fat suit," another chimed in.

"The new matilda adaptation looks fun but did we have to put emma thompson in a fat suit with facial prosthetics...... I'm sure there are thousands of talented actresses that could play ms trunchbull who actually fit the role's body type," added a third.

But not everyone agreed that the blame should fall on Thompson's shoulders. So people defended the Love Actually star, saying that the real problem was with the character of Ms. Trunchbull and the storyline of Dahl's classic tale.

"I've said before I've serious problems with Roald Dahl's conflation of physical appearance & personality (pretty people good, ugly people bad)," one person tweeted, adding: "There are newer, better & kinder books. We don't need to keep regurgitating Matilda."

Another agreed, writing: "The initial failure is that almost every woman Dahl wrote is either a sugar-sweet, pretty, good natured Miss Honey or a haggard evil (and in his mind, physically disgusting) Miss Trunchbull."

This isn't the first time Thompson has worn body-changing prosthetics for a role. The Oscar-winner has previously donned fake bingo wings and jowls in The Legend of Barney Thomson, and a fat suit for Love Actually.

Matilda's Bruce Bogtrotter actor looks unrecognizable 30 years later

What does Bruce Bogtrotter actor Jimmy Karz look like today?

What happened to Bruce Bogtrotter actor Jimmy Karz after Matilda?

Featured image credit: Sony Pictures

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Follow Up Articles

The actor who played Bruce Bogtrotter in 'Matilda' looks like a totally different person now

Here's what little Lavender from 'Matilda' looks like these days

Matilda star Mara Wilson explains how she felt when making horrific discovery after googling herself as a child

Did you know that Charlie from 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' was supposed to be black?

Fans 'really disappointed' in Emma Thompson for wearing fat suit in new 'Matilda' movie

The actor who played Bruce Bogtrotter in 'Matilda' looks like a totally different person now

Here's what little Lavender from 'Matilda' looks like these days

Matilda star Mara Wilson explains how she felt when making horrific discovery after googling herself as a child

Featured image credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment

Did you know that Charlie from 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' was supposed to be black?

Fans 'really disappointed' in Emma Thompson for wearing fat suit in new 'Matilda' movie

Featured Image Credit: REUTERS / Alamy

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