Fairuza Balk, who played a fan-favorite witch in The Craft, has been out of the limelight for quite some time. Many fans of the classic cult film have wondered what she’s been up to, but Balk hasn’t really gone anywhere. While every era has big stars who just sort of disappear from Hollywood, Balk isn’t one of the many ’90s celebs who qualify.
She’s been working pretty consistently for the last two decades, even though you might not recognize the names of most things she’s been in. Balk hasn’t limited her talents to the silver screen either; she’s dipped her hands into a number of artistic pots and the results are about as creepily satisfying as her first break-out hit.
Fairuza Balk’s misgivings about the industry in general may have also caused her departure from the spotlight. In the documentary Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau, the actress says that people in her work environment have “no morals… no integrity at all.” Balk goes on to say she believes they’d sell their own children down the river for money, and chooses to separate herself from that.
She further explained to Dread Theory that in her twenties, she found happiness in only taking work that interested her creatively. Some might think that her words are inauthentic but the majority of her filmography includes indie works that received critical acclaim despite a lack of commercial success.
The Craft’ Became A Cult Film
The Craft was a horror movie released in 1996 that stars Fairuza Balk as one of four high school girls who pursue witchcraft and suffer for it. Balk is kind of perfect for the role, playing the most ambitious of the four friends and becoming the villain of the film. Her dark hair, striking eyes, and mysterious demeanor landed her similar roles in the years to come.
She Was In ‘Almost Famous’ And She Didn’t Have To Wear All Black
Perhaps her most significantly different role came in the much-celebrated Almost Famous. She departs sharply from the evil-girl typecast and plays Sapphire – a light-hearted musician with a soft spot for young protagonist William. While Sapphire is hardly the most popular character from Almost Famous, she adds a lot to the film. Balk makes the character funny and loveable.
The Artist Further Diversified Her Portfolio By Branching Out Into Music
Fairuza Balk released a single in 2010 called “Stormwinds” under the artist name Armed Love Militia. It was her first song but there weren’t many more to follow. One of her websites offers that song in addition to “Davie” and “Dream45.”
Balk has a voice somewhat reminiscent of a gentler Stevie Nicks and her music is a little bit alt-rock.
You Probably Remember Her From ‘The Waterboy’
Back in Adam Sandler’s heyday, Balk played Vicki Vallencourt in one of Sandler’s more popular movies, The Waterboy. Vallencourt is a bit of a bayou bad girl, and Bobby Boucher’s mother swears the girl is a bad influence on her innocent son.
Balk shows some serious comedy chops in this film, but she’s able to be dark and brooding here, too.
Balk Also Pursued Various Other Artistic Endeavors
Balk has done everything from drawing, to fashion design, to sculpting. She’s even had some of her work on exhibit in New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA. In 2012, she was in a group art show called MiXTAPE in which the artists created works inspired by music. The actress-turned-artist exhibited a mixed-media sculpture inspired by Django Reinhardt’s “Nuages.”
Many Of Balk’s Roles Have A Dark Undercurrent
Balk certainly kept up her dark and scary streak, appearing in movies like The Island of Dr. Moreau and American History X, where she plays a neo-Nazi alongside Ed Norton. She seemed to become pigeon-holed as a stormy, brooding character.
Though she continued to book roles and none of them were shrouded in obscurity, few of them achieved as much notoriety as her part in The Craft.
Fairuza Balk Has Consistently Had A Project In The Works
Since The Craft, the raven-haired actress has accumulated 23 movie credits. She’ll add another to the list in 2018 with Hell Is Where the Home Is. Fairuza Balk has also been in a total of seven shows over the years. She’s clearly a very consistent artist, even if some of her projects have flown under the radar.
Most Notably, A Band Called Fragile Rock Made A Song In Fairuza Balk’s Honor
If the name Fragile Rock calls to mind the Muppet-adjacent show Fraggle Rock, that’s no strange coincidence. Fragile Rock is an “emo puppet band” from Texas and their song about Fairuza Balk is aptly called “Fairuza Balk.” You can (and should) watch the song in the video above.
She clearly appreciates great art.
Balk Certainly Possesses An Air Of Witchery
Robin Tunney, another star from the bewitching film, told The Guardian that many people believed Fairuza Balk (who plays Nancy in the movie) was actually into witchcraft because her performance was so authentic.
Even supernatural professionals sensed something similar. Balk appeared in an episode of A&E series The Haunting Of in 2013, and medium Kim Russo even claimed to feel an aura of witchcraft emanating from her when she comes to purportedly clean the actress’s loft of undesirable spirits.
There’s Some Voiceover Work On Her Resume
Balk has a rather short resume when it comes to voice work. She’s Connie D’Amico in one episode of Family Guy from 2000 and she voices a character named Penny Dee in an episode of the animated series Justice League.
In addition to that, she has two video game titles under her belt. She voices Mercedes Cortez in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Lady T’Lak in Lords of EverQuest. It’s unclear why her voice acting career only lasted from 2000-2003 but she found other things to occupy her time.
Balk Is Actually Looking Forward To A Different Sort Of Role In The Future
In a 2014 interview with Shock Ya, Balk said that people tend to see [her] “as an actress who has played edgier, darker roles.” While she enjoyed exploring those characters she doesn’t want to limit herself to only one area of expertise.
Perhaps the reason she’s seen in fewer roles is because she’s become more selective. In one of her more recent films, August Falls, Balk plays a determined mother and she’s really able to grasp the complexity of a more mature and introspective character.
Balk Had A Recurring Role In ‘Ray Donovan’
In 2015, Balk appeared in seven episodes of the popular Showtime thriller Ray Donovan. She played a call worker named Ginger, showcasing her versatility and interest in a wide range of characters.
You May Have Seen Fairuza Balk In An Episode Of ‘The Sopranos’ And Totally Forgot
Balk plays FBI Agent Deborah Ciccerone in one episode of the wildly popular show The Sopranos. Due to scheduling conflicts, she was replaced by Lola Glaudini. In fact, after the episode originally aired in 2001, it was re-filmed so that the DVD episode would feature Glaudini instead.
This marked a real turning point in her career, in some respects, as the roles she earned in the coming years became increasingly smaller.
