A baby observes the adult world — all its faults, all its victories — yet where is that baby now? The cast of Look Who’s Talking has been up to quite a lot since 1989. This year marks the film’s 30th anniversary.
The film follows the story of Mollie Jensen (Kirstie Alley), a single career-driven woman overwhelmed by two men: the father of her first child, Albert (George Segal) and her cab driver-turned-lover James (John Travolta). Throughout the course of the film, Alley faces the trials and tribulations of being a new parent and realizes what she needs most in life — a dependable partner.
Writer and director Amy Heckerling took the romantic comedy to the next level with two sequels, Look Who's Talking Too and Look Who’s Talking Now.
Travolta and Alley’s friendship has been going strong since the movie. They’ve remained friends after all these years, and he even guest-starred on her TV Land series Kirstie years later.
The Hollywood Reporter takes a look at what the stars have been up to for the past three decades since the film’s initial release Oct. 13, 1989.
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Kirstie Alley
Image Credit: TriStar/Photofest; Getty Images Alley plays Mollie Jensen, a single woman left to raise a baby and balance her career after giving birth to the child of a married man. Her character in the film is caught between two men and ultimately must decide which one to pursue. Since the 1989 comedy, Alley continued on Cheers as well multiple other projects, including Veronica’s Closet and Fat Actress. Alley’s TV Land show Kirstie ran for one season. In 1995, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She also was a contestant on the 2011 season of Dancing With the Stars, where she finished the series in second place. Most recently she has played the recurring role of Ingrid Hoffel in Scream Queens. In addition to acting, Alley has served as a spokesperson for Pier 1 Imports and Jenny Craig.
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John Travolta
Image Credit: TriStar/Photofest; Getty Images After Travolta rose to fame in the 1970s, he took a lead role in Look Who’s Talking playing James Ubriacco, a cabbie who ends up falling in love with Mollie. His career experienced a resurgence during the time of the film’s release; it was his most successful film since Grease, grossing $295 million worldwide. Following the Look Who’s Talking trilogy, Travolta landed projects like Pulp Fiction and Hairspray. He plays very different roles in each: a hitman and a mother. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 crime hit. Most recently, he has landed more action and thriller specific films. In 2014, he guest-starred on Alley’s show Kirstie. Travolta starred in the crime drama Gotti last year and has been working on projects including The Poison Rose and The Fanatic.
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Olympia Dukakis
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection; Getty Images The majority of roles Dukakis starred in came before Look Who’s Talking. Films she worked on include Steel Magnolias, Mr. Holland’s Opus, Jane Austen’s Mafia! and The Thing About My Folks. But she has said that Moonstruck changed her entire life. In 1988, Dukakis won an Oscar for best supporting actress for the role. Two years later, she was playing Rosie, the mother of Mollie Jensen (Alley), in Look Who’s Talking. Since then, she has been involved in multiple theater projects, directing the world premiere production of Todd Logan’s Botanic Garden at Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago and working opposite of Kevin Anderson in the revival of Tennessee Williams' The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore. In 2013, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to live theater.
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George Segal
Image Credit: TriStar Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection; Getty Images Segal plays Albert, the floating married man who pursues an affair with Mollie. Prior to Look Who’s Talking, Segal played a similar role of a married American insurance executive in A Touch of Class. Segal has also starred in projects including King Rat and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? He won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar for his role in the latter. His role in Look Who’s Talking contributed to the resurgence of his career in the 1990s and beyond. Currently, he plays the role of Albert “Pops” Solomon in The Goldbergs. Segal was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of television in 2017.
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Abe Vigoda
Image Credit: TriStar Pictures/Photofest; Getty Images Although Vigoda plays a minor role in Look Who’s Talking, his career as an actor began four decades earlier. He worked on multiple Broadway productions and gained acclaimed for his role in The Godfather. Vigoda’s role in Barney Miller as Phil Fish mirrored his personality in real life. In 1982, Vigoda fell victim to mistaken reports of death when People magazine referred to him as “dead,” although he did not die until 2016.
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Bruce Willis
Image Credit: TriStar Pictures/Photofest; Getty Images Willis plays the voice of Mikey, Mollie (Alley) and George’s (Segal) son. Willis’ role is strictly voice-over, but he plays a central role in the film. Mikey’s mind is constantly overwhelmed with thoughts and throughout the film he expresses himself through interior monologues with himself. Look Who’s Talking was Willis’ first voice acting film. Prior to the film, Willis held a five-series long role on Moonlighting, winning him a Golden Globe for best actor in a television series, musical or comedy, and an Emmy Award. Following his wins, he worked on films such as Blind Date and Die Hard, where he performed almost all of his own stunts. Willis continued installments on both the Look Who’s Talking and Die Hard franchises. He also played a supporting role in Pulp Fiction alongside Travolta. Since then, Willis has starred in RED and Death Wish.
