Comedic actor Rick Moranis, who stepped away from the spotlight in 1997, described what it felt like to reprise his role in 1987’s Spaceballs sequel.
Moranis, 72, made an appearance on a panel alongside his Spaceballs: The New One co-stars at San Diego Comic Con. The sci-fi comedy film parodies Star Wars, Star Trek, and other classic pop-culture franchises. Moranis plays Dark Helmet, the movie’s comedic take on Darth Vader.
The actor joins original ’80s cast members Bill Pullman, Mel Brooks, Daphne Zuniga, and George Wyner for the reboot, which also features newcomers Keke Palmer, Josh Gad, Pullman’s son Lewis, Anthony Carrigan, and Liz Kingsman. Moranis said at Comic Con that he felt like he was “in a time warp” during filming.
“I kept having to pinch myself because I would look at Daphne and Bill and George Wyner. Earl Sanders. And then there were all these young people,” Moranis said, according to People. “And I realized I was their age 39 years ago when we made this. And here we are now, and my kids are the age of this.”
“I felt like I was in a time warp, but I was in that outfit and wearing the helmet,” he continued. “And it just felt very strange to be honest with you. But it started to feel really good, and I really started to love it.”
Moranis left his big-screen career—which included the hits Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Ghostbusters, and Little Shop of Horrors—to dedicate his time to his two children, following the death of his wife, Ann Belsky, from cancer.
He’s turned down other opportunities to end his 28-year-hiatus, telling The Hollywood Reporter that he was offered a walk-on role in the all-female reboot of Ghostbusters. “I hope it’s terrific,” he said in 2015, “But it just makes no sense to me. Why would I do just one day of shooting on something I did 30 years ago?”
The actor is just fine with bringing back his iconic characters if the role is big enough. In addition to reprising his role in Spaceballs, Moranis also agreed to return for the reboot of 1989’s Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, titled Shrunk, which is reportedly stuck in development.
