Despite starring in 2006’s The Omen, Julia Stiles still has not seen The First Omen (2024). Stiles was the leading female star of the 2006 remake, which attempted to share Damien Thorn’s story with a more modern audience. It was a financial success, earning $120 million on a $25 million budget, but it earned divisive responses from critics. On the other hand, The First Omen earned positive reviews from critics, though it still struggled at the box office. Stiles did not appear in the prequel, as Rachel Hurd-Wood instead took the role of Katherine.

In an interview with Screen Rant‘s Grant Hermanns, Stiles explained that she has little interest in the prequel. While she was partly delayed by the production of her upcoming romance, Wish You Were Here (2025), she also generally dislikes watching horror movies. She might have been willing to star in a horror remake, but watching it is something else entirely. Check out her explanation below:

I have not had a chance to see it. I’ve had my head buried in the Wish You Were Here sand for over a year. I haven’t been able to consume much of other entertainment, because I’ve been so visualizing this movie and executing it in my head, from filming it to editing it to adding music, you know ,that I haven’t had much room or bandwidth. But I will check it out. I’m also scared of horror movies, to be honest. [Chuckles]

What Stiles’ Lack Of Interest Means For The Omen

The Omen Already Moved On

Stiles was an essential part of the original 2006 remake, but she only ever appeared in one movie in The Omen franchise. Harvey Spencer Stephens, who played the original Damien Thorn in 1976, has made more appearances and is a much more significant face for the franchise. While Stiles was crucial to the success of the remake, she was never the most prominent person for driving it forward. After all, her character even died at the end of the movie, leaving few chances for a potential sequel return.

Her lack of interest in the prequel is not indicative of any underlying issues of the movie. However, it was a notion that was shared by the wider audience. It earned about $54 million on a $30 million budget, which is generally not enough to break even after theaters and marketing budgets take their cuts. The movie did prove to be more compelling for those who did watch it, but that was not enough to save it from the lack of interest from potential viewers. Still, the movie secured a far better Rotten Tomatoes score and deserves more attention.

Our Take On Stiles’ Decision To Skip The First Omen

It Was Right For Her

Knowing that she fears horror movies, there is nothing necessarily driving Stiles to watch the prequel. While beloved by critics, it was a box office disappointment, which could scare the studio away from developing more follow-ups. Having already completed her role, Stiles has no obligation to watch the movie. It is disappointing that she never saw The First Omen, but she is well within her rights to avoid an unwanted and uncomfortable experience. After all, Stiles’ best movies can exist even when she does not watch them afterward, and she was not even involved with this release at all.