MATILDA ACTRESS SPUN BY PIGTAILS HAS WILDLY DIFFERENT CAREER NEARLY 30 YEARS ON

When the film adaptation of Matilda hit the big screens back in 1996, no one could have predicted the enduring childhood classic it would become.

Based on Roald Dahl's 1988 novel and directed by Danny DeVito, who also played Mr Wormwood, Matilda told the story of Matilda Wormwood (Mara Wilson), a gifted young girl with telekinetic abilities, misunderstood and mistreated by her family.

After failing to appreciate her intellectual prowess and control her, her parents send her to Crunchem Hall Elementary School. Here, Matilda encounters the compassionate teacher, Miss Honey (Embeth Davidtz), and clashes with the fearsome headmistress, Miss Trunchbull (Pam Ferris).

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While many recognise the main actors in the film, one cast member who briefly stole the show before disappearing completely is Jacqueline Steiger.

Best known to fans as Amanda Thripp, the blonde-haired child who is flung across the playground by her pigtails on Matilda's first day at school – Steiger's brief but unforgettable role is one of the first scenes that come to mind when recalling the '96 classic.

Steiger, who was just ten years old when the film hit the screens, continued her acting career for two more decades, featuring in films like 'Dennis the Menace Strikes Again' and 'An American Rhapsody', as well as numerous TV roles and adverts.

As she matured, Steiger ventured beyond acting to explore behind-the-scenes roles, becoming an adult production coordinator, writer, and web actor.

Famed for performing her own stunts and a self-confessed sci-fi and fantasy enthusiast, it may come as a surprise to many that she has since left the entertainment industry to embark on a completely different career path.

Today, she is the proud owner of Magic Hour Content, an educational design firm that crafts curriculum and video content for nonprofits and small creative businesses, as per her website.

She also frequently posts updates about her life and adventures on social media, particularly Instagram.

In 2013, Steiger, along with several of her co-stars, reunited for a 21-minute documentary where she and Bruce Bogtrotter actor Jimmy Karz recreated the iconic cake-eating scene from the film.

Steiger and Ferris also re-enacted their scene, minus the pigtail throwing. She also shared some behind-the-scenes details about the filming of that scene, revealing that it was largely her own hair except for one part, which was 'mostly extensions'.

Steiger went on to disclose that she was also fitted with a 'body cast' and harness when she was 'hooked up to the crane' which hoisted her into the air, revealing: "I loved it. I was nine years old and I got to fly."

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2025-12-14T11:13:31Z