Remember Jesse from Free Willy? Here’s what he looks like now!

Jason James Richter played little Jesse who made friends with an Orca whale and tried to save him from captivity

Jason James Richter as Jesse in Free Willy

by Francesca Battson |
Published on

At the time, Jason James Richter played 12 year old Jesse in the 1993 film Free Willy, around the same age as the lead character.

And some may remember 17 year old Jason from the final film in the series Free Willy: The Return, looking like this…

Jason James Richter as Jesse in Free Willy
Jason James Richter as Jesse in Free Willy ©Warner Bros

But now, Jason is a 36 year old man, who is still acting and living in LA.

And this is what the cute little teen looks like now…

For one of his recent acting roles he even grew a moustache…

And for another he had a full beard…

Which certainly makes a difference from the young, fresh faced kid in the Free Willy films.

Speaking to OK! Online, Jason revealed: "Well, I'm still acting. I just finished a film called High and Outside.

"I got to play a crazy biker in the film which was pretty different."

Jason James Richter as Jesse in Free Willy
Jason James Richter as Jesse in Free Willy ©Warner Bros

Since starring in the first instalment of Free Willy, Jason went on to star in the two follow up films, as well as star in other 90s favourites The Neverending Story III, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Rugrats.

The cast of the heartwarming 90s film reunited in 2013 for the 20th anniversary of the film, and you can see just how much Jason’s grown up!

Jason James Richter, Michael Madsen and Jayne Atkinson at Free Willy 20th Anniversary
Michael Madsen, Jason James Richter and Jayne Atkinson at Free Willy 20th Anniversary ©Getty

Jason is very active on his Twitter (@JasonRichter_) and Instagram accounts, and regularly posts cute throwbacks like this:

Aww!

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