“Holes” Cast Catch Up And Embrace At 20th Anniversary Reunion

Aug 13, 2023 by apost team

“Holes” remains popular with its audience 20 years after its release for many reasons. The early Aughts movie utilized nostalgia, especially with its portrayal of the relationship between the two main characters, Stanley Yelnats IV — played by Shia LeBeouf — and Zero — played by Khleo Thomas — and the choice of music. 

The coming-of-age movie was considered family-friendly entertainment and didn’t play on the intelligence of its audience. It also appealed to its audience with its imaginative plot. Moreover, the balance of mystery, adventure and comedy helped to make the movie lighthearted without straying from the source material. 

“Holes,” set in Texas, told the story of the Yelnats family who had been cursed with bad luck over a century after their ancestor, Elya, failed to keep their promise to a fortune teller. The curse had plagued members of the family since then. It manifested again when Stanley was unjustly accused of stealing the pair of sneakers a baseball player had donated to charity and was sentenced to a detention facility, Camp Green Lake, in the desert for 18 months. 

Stanley met Zero at the juvenile detention center, and together, they embarked on an adventure. Inadvertently, they broke the curse plaguing Stanley’s family and found treasure that Stanley’s great-grandfather lost due to the curse. Both boys are released after the curse is broken.

20 years after “Holes” was released in 2003, Thomas gathered his co-stars for a reunion. The gathering, posted on YouTube on Aug. 1, 2023, showed the moments the stars connected and chatted with each other about what they had been up to until then. They also had a panel session with fans. Continue reading to know what happened at the reunion. 

Shia LaBeouf and Khleo Thomas were the movie’s protagonist and deuteragonist, respectively, and brought it to life. LaBeouf was born to parents with an artistic flair, but his childhood was troubled. His father was a professional clown, and LaBeouf would sometimes mimic him to deal with their family’s problems. 

His parents divorced when he was still very young, largely due to the financial situation, and the actor often performed comedy in the neighborhood to escape from the harsh situation at home. LaBeouf’s dad had a drug problem and abused his son. The “Transformers” actor previously disclosed that his dad once pointed a gun at him when he had a flashback of the Vietnam War. However, the two have a healthy relationship now and remain close. 

Luckily for LaBeouf, he found a way to escape through movies and got his big break early in life with movies like “Holes” and “Even Stevens,” for which he won a Daytime Emmy. 

Thomas meanwhile went on to act and produce music while also gaining fans for his online gaming. He also got his big break on “Holes” as Hector “Zero” Zeroni. The 34-year-old is a huge fan of Mortal Kombat (MK), and won the Mortal Kombat 11 Tournament wearing his own Powerline cosplay at Dream Con 2023. Dream Con is an anime and video game convention held in Austin, Texas. 

The actor said in an interview following his win: 

“MK is my favorite fighting game 100 percent. I’m a lifer when it comes to this franchise. The characters, the story, the stages, all of it.” 

Thomas also shared his history with the game and told Kotaku: 

“It’s a tradition with me and my brother that when the new MK game drops we play 100 matches to see who comes out on top. We’ve done this with every single MK game.”

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The cast of “Holes,” including LaBeouf and Thomas, reunited after 20 years. In a video posted on YouTube on Aug. 1, 2023, the co-stars caught up with one another at the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles during the film screening. Some of the stars at the reunion included Jon Voight (Mr. Sir), Byron Cotton (Armpit), and Miguel Castro (Magnet), plus director Andrew Davis and author/screenwriter Louis Sachar.

Thomas and LaBeouf greeted and embraced each other, after which they enquired about what the other person had been up to lately in their respective careers. 

“I was a huge gamer, always,” Thomas told LaBeouf in the clip. He added, “I just invested into my own equipment and just made me, brother.”

LaBeouf’s appearance at the reunion was a rare public outing as the actor is currently embroiled in a legal battle after his former partner, FKA Twigs, alleged he was abusive.

84-year-old Voight and Thomas also hugged each other, after which Voight quipped: 

“How come you grew up?” 

Thomas’ younger brother also joined them for the reunion, and the former made sure to introduce him to his former co-stars, one of who joked that the younger brother was more handsome. 

While the co-stars were catching up, Thomas also showed gratitude to his older co-stars, who showed him the ropes. 

Later in the video, Thomas, Davis, and Sachar had a Q&A session followed by a screening of “Holes,” where they reminisced about making it. Thomas also spoke about how challenging it was to play a younger and quieter character in the movie. Afterward, the cast and crew came together for a group photo.

Did you watch “Holes”? Do you remember the characters? Let us know — and be sure to pass this on to friends, family, and fans of “Holes.”