Hawthorne James AKA Big Red from 'The Five Heartbeats' Looks Unrecognizable 30 Years after the Movie

Thirty years after the release of "The Five Heartbeats," Hawthorne James, who starred as Big Red, still looks remarkably good. From snapshots shared on social media, one can see how much the actor has changed over the years.

Hawthorne James, popularly known as an American actor and producer has featured in numerous movies, including the 1994 movie "Speed," 1995's "Se7en," and 1996's "Heaven's Prisoners."

The actor made a name for himself after he starred as Big Red in the 1991 classic, "The Five Heartbeats." Thirty years after the premiere of the movie, James looks unrecognizable yet elegant.

WHAT JAMES LOOKS LIKE NOW

In a post shared on James' Facebook page on June 23, the actor looked delectable in a black shirt, which he donned over a pair of denim pants. James looked terrific with his hair plaited to the back, and he finished off the look with a pair of black shoes.

He also took to Instagram to share a series of snapshots that featured him donning blue and black robes. In the first slide of the four-piece slideshow, James rocked his blue robe with black pants, and dished out a lovely smile, revealing his dentition.

The icon wore his hair in cornrows and accessorized his look with a wristwatch and silver rings; he looked terrific. In another post, James looked fabulous in a black suit, a white shirt, and a matching bow tie. The post was captioned:

"New Year in Vegas."

Although James poses for the camera alone sometimes, photos have shown that the actor looks even better when posing with his colleagues. In one of his pictures, the "Se7en" icon stood side-by-side with Cynda Williams.

In the caption, James explained that he was working on the set of a movie with the beautiful, talented, and professional actress. James was also seen posing with Jackie Christie after they featured on the show "Got a Good Woman" in Cleveland.

The movie depicted people like himself's struggle to fit into the system.

A MEMORABLE REUNION

Recently, fans of "The Five Heartbeats" were taken down memory lane after the actors of the 1991 classic, reunited during the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and took pictures, which were shared on social media.

Celebrating thirty years of the movie's premiere, actors— Robert Townsend, Harry Lennix, Tico Wells, John Terrell, Michael Wright, Leon, and James were seen posing together on the red carpet.

A few moments after the snapshots were shared on Leon's Instagram page, fans and followers trooped to the comments section and dropped words of admiration, expressing love for the group.

In an interview with Tom Joyner earlier this year, Townsend revealed that he was in the process of making a documentary on the movie which was inspired by famed tales of stardom from some Black male-led groups.

JAMES' RECENT WORKS

Many who witnessed James in his element in the '90s have wondered what the actor has been up to recently. Well, social media posts and information has shown that the "Speed" star has been working hard, acting and producing more movies.

In 2017, James urged his fans on Instagram to see an episode of a show he featured in, titled: "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders." The actor showed off his character as he donned a "Rastafarian" look, which featured him in long dreads.

Two years later, James starred in the movie "Flint Tale," where he played Chief Hartwell. Hartwell was a man who had worked in the police force for decades but decided to blow the whistle on water contamination in an area; he, unfortunately, got framed before he could.

In an interview, James revealed why he had to do the film. According to the star, the movie depicted people like himself's struggle to fit into the system, why they fit in, and how they could manipulate and change the system.

Although James enjoys keeping his life private and rarely grants interviews, he was on "The DJ Cisco Radio" with Jori Jordan.

During the conversation, he explained the struggles of being a black man in the movie industry. However, he was able to surmount such challenges and achieve success as a renowned actor.