Rick Moranis Ended Acting Retirement After Nearly 30 Years and Says ‘It Was Very Strange’ on ‘Spaceballs 2’ Set: ‘I Felt Like I Was in a Time Warp’

Jul 28, 2026 8:35am PT

Rick Moranis Ended Acting Retirement After Nearly 30 Years and Says ‘It Was Very Strange’ on ‘Spaceballs 2’ Set: ‘I Felt Like I Was in a Time Warp’

Michael Buckner/Variety

Rick Moranis spent nearly 30 years retired from acting, but the comedy icon finally got back in front of the camera last fall to reprise the role of Lord Dark Helmet in “Spaceballs 2: The New One.” Acting again threw Moranis for a loop, not least because he was returning alongside his original “Spaceballs” co-stars to film a sequel nearly 40 years later.

“Well, I kept having to pinch myself because I would look at Daphne [Zuniga] and Bill [Pullman] and George Wyner. And then there were all these young people,” Moranis said at Comic-Con (via People). “And I realized I was their age 39 years ago when we made this. And here we are now and my kids are the age of this.”Moranis added, “I felt like I was in a time warp, but I was in that outfit and wearing the helmet. And it just felt very strange to be honest with you. But it started to feel really good and I really started to love it.”