It’s shocking to think that it’s been over 20 years since “The Ring” hit movie theaters. We’ll forever be haunted by Samara, the revenge-seeking girl in the well, looking to ruin the lives of every VCR-owning person. Beyond those jerky, creepy movements that had viewers screaming, her general appearance was pretty haunting, too.
Daveigh Chase was the actor who played the role at age 12, but (not so surprisingly), Daveigh didn’t look like her in real life. She was undeniably adorable as a kid (when she wasn’t styled to wear dripping wet, matted black hair and corpse-like makeup. At the premiere, she looked the opposite with a healthy, radiant, and blonde look. And as an adult, she grew up to be an absolute bombshell.
You’ve most likely heard her voice before
The same year that she starred in “The Ring,” Daveigh Chase voiced Lilo Pelekai in the Disney movie “Lilo & Stitch.” The film’s co-writer and co-director Dean DeBlois reminisces, saying that the precocious main character wasn’t easy to cast, but when Daveigh came in with her dry humor and unique personality that exploded on screen when performing lines, he knew she was the one.
She could go between glum and overly excited, which hooked him. She also voiced Lilo in the “Lilo & Stitch” video games and other franchise films, as well as doing voice work for the 2016 “Let It Die” video game.
She worked consistently on movies and TV shows before “The Ring”
While you might know her as Samara, and it’s her best-known role (she even won the best villain category at the MTV Movie Awards in 2003), she had over a dozen onscreen credits by the time she appeared in the horror films. She played Joyce in the Fox sitcom “Oliver Beene” and had roles on TV shows like “Charmed,” “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” and “ER.” She also had guest roles on popular shows like “Cold Case,” “CSI,” and “Without a Trace.”
She also played dramatic roles, such as Rhonda Volmer on HBO’s “Big Love,” and in movies, played Samantha in the sequel to “Donnie Darko.” Daveigh also dabbled in indie films. Today, there has been controversy over whether she would be able to voice Lilo Pelekai today as a white actor. Notably, this is why the creators opted for Hawaiian-born Maia Kealoha instead.
The Daveigh Chase Instagram isn’t active today
Despite growing up in Albany, Oregon, Daveigh Chase’s now-inactive Instagram feed might as well have been a guide for tourists visiting LA back when it was last updated in 2017. She shared images of the skyline that were picturesque, and while she left the West Coast occasionally, she would always come back. Beyond cool pictures of Los Angeles, she would share photos of quality time that she spent with adorable dogs.
Her X account also went dark in 2014, showing her intentional move from being in the spotlight to seeking more privacy. Still, she gave the public a sneak peek at what her life was like in an Instagram post published in late 2016 with the caption, “I’m on the hunt for who I’ve not yet become,” paired with a picture of herself in sunglasses and smoking a cigarette (her feed would often include images of her smoking hookah and cigarettes).
That little girl from “The Ring” has faced her fair share of legal trouble
In recent years, Daveigh Chase has sadly faced some legal trouble. This started around the time that she stopped updating social media pages. In 2017, she was arrested on a warrant after a traffic violation and was released after posting bail. She was questioned about an anonymous man she dropped off at a hospital the month before she ran away during the same incident. Later, the man died of a fatal overdose, but Daveigh wasn’t charged or considered a suspect.
In November 2017, she was arrested on a felony charge for being in a car without the owner’s consent (the car was apparently stolen, even though she wasn’t driving it). A report from The Blast stated that she faced misdemeanor charges due to an arrest for possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia in 2018. The following year, she was booked on a warrant for these charges but was once again released after paying bail. These run-ins with the law would continue in 2022 when Daveigh was arrested for alleged drug possession and burglary.
Daveigh is taking a break from acting
Despite growing up into a gorgeous woman, she’s faced a string of legal woes, and her social media presence has gone dark, so it isn’t surprising that Daveigh Chase decided to take a break from Hollywood and from acting despite an impressive range of onscreen credits. Her 2017 filming scheduling remained empty, and in 2018, she did just one voice-acting gig for a TV show called “King of the Golden Sun,” and that’s her last onscreen gig to date.
We’re not quite sure what she’s up to today (in her personal life or career), but given her big plans as a child, we’re hopeful that a Hollywood comeback might be in her future one day. In an interview with Interview magazine in 2009, she said, “I just want to make something that I love, and people will respect. I want to do things that will change someone’s life, not something they’ll forget about tomorrow.”