As meddling mailman Newman in Seinfeld, Wayne Knight played the quintessential character that you loved to hate.
Despite not being a main cast member, Newman was arguably the most memorable and iconic recurring star on the legendary sitcom.
Outside of Seinfeld, he memorably starred in Jurassic Park, 3rd Rock From The Sun, and Space Jam.
He even appeared directly opposite Sharon Stone during her jaw-dropping interrogation scene in Basic Instinct.
Now at age 70, Knight is back on top thanks to his role in the hit horror sequel, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.
The father-of-one stepped out for the film’s Los Angeles premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood last week.
He looked dapper in a maroon turtleneck and black blazer as he worked the red carpet.
Knight plays villainous science teacher Mr. Berg in Five Nights At Freddy’s 2.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 has already raked in over $110million since opening on Friday and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.
The horror sequel has smashed multiple box office records, including the biggest December horror opening and the biggest opening ever for a post-Thanksgiving theatrical release.
The commercial success of the video game adaptation comes following a wave of scathing reviews from both critics and fans alike.
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the average score of Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 has hovered between 12% and 15%.
At one point, it was the worst-reviewed wide release film of the year.
‘An inexcusable horror sequel that lowers the bar to zero in terms of fun and fright. The only thing that scares me is this turd’s inevitable box-office success,’ penned critic Peter Travers.
The film, based on Scott Cawthon’s 2014 Five Nights at Freddy’s video game series, features a star-studded cast including Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, and Matthew Lillard.
The first film follows a troubled security guard named Mike Schmidt (Hutcherson) who begins working at an abandoned pizzeria called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.
He soon learns that the vacant animatronix in the eatery are in fact possessed by the spirits of murdered children – and they want his younger sister Abby to join them.
It proved to be an unexpected smash success upon its 2023 release when it grossed a staggering $297 million against a $20 million budget, despite being released simultaneously in theaters and on the Peacock streaming service.
The sequel is set one year after the original and once again follows Mike and his sister Abby as they battle the possessed animatronics – one of which is voiced by Megan Fox.
Actor Matthew Lillard has already hinted that a third film instalment is on the way, although nothing has been officially announced yet.
Last year, Knight complained that acting roles had dried up for him after he lost an astonishing 100lbs.
However, he quickly clarified that he was expecting work to pick up again once Hollywood got used to his slimmer look.
‘It takes time for people to accept you as you are, and then they find out whether or not you can still do things without being fat,’ he told TMZ.
The actor was less forthcoming when it came to his secrets for losing weight.
He clarified that it wasn’t a rapid Ozempic-style weight loss, but took place ‘over a period of many years.’
Knight explained that he had lost around 100lbs since he appeared as a scheming computer programmer in Steven Spielberg’s iconic 1993 film Jurassic Park.
In 2023, he shared more about his weight loss journey in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
‘I used to smoke, drink, and eat a lot, with a family history of heart disease,’ he admitted.
He sounded game to do whatever it took to get in shape, and he said he had done ‘everything that anyone could ever try.’
That included ‘therapy,’ ‘drugs,’ ‘surgery’ and ‘radiation,’ though he didn’t expand on any of those methods.
When asked if he was trying to lose weight ‘the old-fashioned way,’ he responded: ‘What do you mean, not eating? Yes, that does work.’
