It’s already the end of April, and summer is rapidly coming. Yes, teenagers all over the country are counting down the minutes until summer vacation. Whenever the weather gets warmer, we’re prone to remember how angsty we would get around this time of the year. And if one movie captures summer encroaching along with experiencing “Senioritis,” it’s definitely the 1993 cult classic Dazed and Confused. It’s easily one of the best movies ever made about high school.
The movie definitely stands the test of time 21 years later–and what’s even more interesting is that the huge ensemble cast featured so many talented actors that are actually still as relevant as ever. We decided to take a look at where everyone from Dazed and Confused is in the year 2014…
Wiley Wiggins
Character: Mitch Kramer
Wiley is leading a pretty normal life. He was in director Richard Linklater’s super “trippy” 2001 film Waking Life. He was also in a movie called Computer Chess in 2013. Also.. Wiley is super, super sensitive about how much he touched his nose and hair in the movie.
Rory Cochrane
Character: Ron Slater
Like a lot of the actors in Dazed and Confused, Rory was super hot for a while in the mid-nineties. After his success in Dazed, he went on to star in Empire Records. As of late, he played Detective Timothy Speedle on CSI: Miami from 2002-2007. You also might have recognized Rory in Argo last year, where he rocked a killer ‘stache. It must have been fun working with his old cast mate, Ben Affleck…
Jason London
Character: Randall ‘Pink’ Floyd
Jason and his twin brother Jeremy were big deals in the 90s, appearing in teen magazines and the such. Since then, neither of them have been all too famous. If you scroll through London’s IMDB, you’ll see that he has continued steady work–even though a lot of it has been Hallmark movies like 2010’s The Wishing Well.
Sacha Jenson
Character: Don Dawson
Sasha was pretty hilarious in Dazed and Confused as a lovable stoner jock. However, he never really made it big, despite appearances in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and the Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie. As of 2011, he was playing “agent” on The Dopler Effect—whatever that is.
Ben Affleck
Character: Fred O’Bannion
If you’re not familiar with who Ben Affleck is, you’ve probably been hiding away in a cave for some time. Welcome back! Affleck really impressed as a high school senior who was repeating the 12th grade again and who loved beating up freshmen. His success really took off in 1997 when he co-wrote and co-starred in Good Will Hunting with his best friend Matt Damon. As of late, Affleck is everywhere directing and starring in tons of great movies. He’s also going to be the new Batman, as the Internet knows all about.
Parker Posey
Character: Darla Marks
Parker Posey was the “it” girl in the 90s. She even got the nickname “Queen of the Indies” because she was in so many indie flicks throughout the decade. In the 2000s, her career has definitely slowed down a bit–but she’s played great cameos on popular shows like Bored to Death and New Girl.
Joey Lauren Adams
Character: Simone Kerr
Joey followed up Dazed with a huge part in the cult classic Kevin Smith film Chasing Amy. She’s still very much working in 2014, but has moved from California to Mississippi.
Matthew McConaughey
Character: David Wooderson
Like Affleck, McConaughey’s career skyrocketed after appearing in Dazed and Confused. After appearing in a ton of romantic comedies throughout the late 90s and early 2000s, Mconaughey has emerged and is in the middle of a McConaissance, as he refers to it. He just won the Best Actor Oscar this year and has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. He also resurrected his iconic Dazed role for this amazing song in 2012. If you haven’t seen that music video yet, take a few minutes to enjoy.
Adam Goldberg
Character: Mike Newhouse
Adam Goldberg has had a very successful career ever since playing the guy who wants to dance. Goldberg has been in everything from Saving Private Ryan to Entourage. His latest role is playing “Mr. Numbers” in a television version of Fargo. The show has received great reviews.
Milla Jovovich
Character: Michelle Burroughs
You definitely recognize Milla. After Dazed, she went on to be the main alien in another cult classic–that being 1995’s The Fifth Element. Throughout the 2000s, she’s starred in Resident Evil movies and we can assume that she’s been making beaucoup cash off of these films. And in case you forgot how attractive Milla is, here’s a friendly reminder.
Shawn Andrews
Character: Kevin Pickford
Shawn Andrews totally married his 16-year-old co-star Milla Jovovich (we don’t blame you, dude). Sadly (for him) it was annulled a couple months later. Shawn’s career never really took off. The last movie he was in was called Fix, and it came out in 2008.
Deena Martin
Character: Shavonne Wright
Deena went on to have a small part in another classic 90s flick, Swingers. She’s rarely acted since, except for a movie called Leaf which came out in ’08. She now lives in Delaware and her new name is Deena DeLucia.
Esteban Powell
Character: Carl Burnett
Esteban definitely grew up. He’s had a successful career since being the little guy who almost got beat up by Ben Affleck. He’s had guest roles on everything from Dawson’s Creek to CSI: Miami and Monk.
Nicky Katt
Character: Clint Bruno
Nicky Katt’s career has stayed stagnant throughout the years. He played a troubled teacher on the hit show Boston Public from 2000 to 2002. The last thing he was in was the HBO Liberace biopic Behind The Candelabra, with Michael Douglas and Matt Damon.
Renée Zellweger
Character: Girl in Blue Pickup Truck
Zellweger had a super small role in Dazed, but definitely went on to great success. Her biggest roles have probably been starring in the hugely successful Bridget Jones Diary series. Also, the Internet likes to make fun of her a lot.
