Writer-director Richard Linklater's 1993 film Dazed and Confused is considered to be a cult
classic.
The ultimate ensemble film, this high school comedy featured a host of up-and-coming actors,
and in the twenty-something years since it arrived in theaters, some of those kids have
grown up to become A-list celebrities... while others have faded into obscurity.
Here's what the cast of Dazed and Confused looks like today.
Nicky Katt
In a movie filled with cool and lovable characters, Nicky Katt's Clint Bruno stands apart as one
who's downright scary, and thanks to his intimidating turn as the angry alpha male, actor Nicky
Katt has faced some typecasting over the years.
He told IGN,
"I mean, everyone…says that the bad guys are the most fun, but I've definitely gone
through streaks where that's all people wanted me to play, the bad guy, especially after
Dazed and Confused."
Nevertheless, Katt has managed to carve out a pretty impressive career, and has kept in
touch with some of his Dazed and Confused comrades.
Among countless other roles, he's played a pretty awful guy in the Matthew McConaughey
movie A Time to Kill, joined up with Richard Linklater for SubUrbia, and even starred in
Adam Goldberg's 1998 indie film Scotch and Milk.
Apparently, he's forgiven the guy for slugging him in the nose.
Jason London
If you had to pick a main character in Dazed and Confused, it'd be football star Randall
"Pink" Floyd, played by Jason London.
At first, it seemed like London was poised for stardom, but the A-list life has eluded
the actor so far.
After Dazed and Confused, London showed up in a series of little-seen features, made-for-TV
movies, and TV shows like Tales from the Crypt.
As far as big roles go, he was the leading man in The Rage: Carrie 2, the critically
derided, unnecessary sequel to Brian De Palma's horror classic.
Anthony Rapp
One of the smartest guys in school, Tony Olson is the poker-playing intellectual with really
weird dreams about Abraham Lincoln.
Actor Anthony Rapp got his start in the Elisabeth Shue comedy Adventures in Babysitting.
Later on, he'd play in Six Degrees of Separation, appear in TV shows like The X-Files, and reunite
with Dazed and Confused co-star Adam Goldberg as one of Russell Crowe's buddies in A Beautiful
Mind.
However, Rapp is best known for his work on Broadway.
The Illinois-born actor starred with Idina Menzel in the 2014 show If/Then and toured
the country in Little Shop of Horrors.
And of course, Rapp was one of the original actors in the Tony-award winning musical Rent,
even appearing in the 2005 movie adaptation.
The actor also made headlines in late 2016 when it was announced he'd be playing Lt.
Stamets in Star Trek: Discovery, the first character in the long-running franchise originally
created to be gay.
Rory Cochrane
Everybody's favorite stoner, Ron Slater is one of the most iconic characters in Richard
Linklater's entire filmography.
This long-haired pothead stole the show, and that's 100 percent thanks to Rory Cochrane,
the only guy who could ever convince you that George Washington was involved in an alien
cult.
This wasn't the last time Cochrane would play a spaced-out hippie for Linklater.
In 2006, the actor showed up as a junkie in A Scanner Darkly.
He also played a Doors-quoting biker alongside his future wife Renee Zellweger in Empire
Records, and he later joined up with CSI: Miami, playing the part of Tim Speedle, a
trace evidence and impressions expert who wasn't too big on proper gun maintenance.
More recently, he's popped up in a smattering of high-profile movies like Public Enemies,
Argo, and Black Mass.
Marissa Ribisi
The brains behind the "every other decade" theory, Cynthia Dunn spends most of her time
hanging out with fellow nerds Mike and Tony.
She's a lot more laid back than the rest of her trio, and by the end of the film, she's
got plans to check out an Aerosmith concert.
The twin sister of actor Giovanni Ribisi, Marissa has continued to pop up in TV shows
like Friends and Grace Under Fire.
She hasn't done a lot of acting since 2003, but in 2008, Ribisi teamed up with Sophia
Banks to form Whitley Kros, a fashion line that showed up in the likes of Vogue and ELLE.
Ribisi is also a busy mom, having two kids with the musician Beck.
Adam Goldberg
The snarkiest character in Dazed and Confused, Mike Newhouse, played by Adam Goldberg, is
the wisecracking senior who punches a bully in the face.
Goldberg went on to have one of the most successful careers of anyone involved with Dazed and
Confused.
Consider his filmography: A Beautiful Mind.
Saving Private Ryan.
Waking Life.
These are just a few of the films rounding out his resume, but Goldberg is also equally
comfortable appearing on TV in shows like Entourage, ABC's short-lived cop comedy The
Unusuals, and even as a nutty roommate in Friends.
In addition to acting, Goldberg has directed four of his own movies, and he's released
three albums.
Oddly enough, Goldberg isn't all that enamored with the role of Mike Newhouse, he told Uproxx
that he considers his performance to be "some of [his] worst acting ever."
Considering it was only his third feature film, he's probably being a bit hard on himself.
Wiley Wiggins
Whether he's trying to escape from a gang of paddle-wielding seniors or get it on with
an older girl, Mitch Kramer is the kid we're all cheering on.
And in that role is Austin resident Wiley Wiggins, who's made an interesting life for
himself in the years since Dazed and Confused.
He's shown up in a couple of small films, but his next biggest role when he signed up
for another Richard Linklater flick, Waking Life.
Wiggins hasn't done any professional acting since 2013.
Instead, he makes his living in the tech world.
He's also big into the indie gaming scene, helping to found a video game collective known
as Juegos Rancheros.
Created in 2011, the group hosts an annual Austin festival called Fantastic Arcade and
operates an arcade and art space known as the Museum of Human Amusement.
Parker Posey
Time Magazine named her the "Queen of the Indies," but before Parker Posey became a
darling of the indie scene, she terrified freshmen students as Darla Marks, the meanest
girl in school.
Of course, prior to landing the role of Darla, Posey was a regular on the soap opera As the
World Turns.
Later on, she appeared in the cult classic Party Girl, and Richard Linklater's SubUrbia.
But while she's had a few mainstream roles here and there—like Lex Luthor's moll in
Superman Returns—she's probably best known for her collaborations with improv extraordinaire,
Christopher Guest, starring in four of his films.
Posey fans should keep an eye out for Netflix's upcoming Lost in Space series, in which the
actress will play Dr. Smith, a gender-bending take on the classic character.
Christin Hinojosa
After being publicly humiliated and slathered with condiments, Sabrina Davis spends the
rest of her evening proving she's more mature than her 14 years might otherwise indicate.
Her real-life counterpart, Christin Hinojosa, has a similarly impressive attitude, only
instead of hanging out with the cool kids, she spends her time helping those who are
far less fortunate.
Hinojosa appeared in a few more projects after Dazed and Confused, like the TV show Clueless
and the made-for-TV movie The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes.
However, Hinojosa quickly grew "bored" with acting.
As she explained to the Third Coast Press in 2005,
"I was doing silly TV movies and sitcom work….With the type of work I was doing, I knew I wasn't
that great at it, and I wasn't being of any use to this planet I love."
Inspired to do something more, she became involved with the anti-war group called the
American Friends Service Committee, coordinating a multimedia exhibit called Eyes Wide Open:
Beyond Fear, which displayed a pair of boots for every American soldier killed in Iraq.
As recently as 2013, Hinojosa worked as a director of philanthropy for Solidarity Bridge,
a group that provides medical equipment for people in Bolivia and Paraguay.
Milla Jovovich
One of the biggest stars to come out of Dazed and Confused, Milla Jovovich left a lasting
impression as Michelle, the guitar-strumming stoner.
Perhaps more than anyone else, Dazed and Confused had a direct impact on Jovovich's life: the
16-year-old married her 20-year-old costar, Shawn Andrews, and the couple remained hitched
for a grand total of two months.
Before Dazed and Confused, she scandalized audiences in Return to the Blue Lagoon, and
she stole the spotlight as Leeloo in The Fifth Element.
But if you're at all familiar with zombie flicks, then you're well aware that Jovovich
is best known for her role as the tough-as-nails Alice from the Resident Evil franchise.
Jovovich has also worked as an official spokesmodel for L'Oréal, started her own fashion line,
and even made a name for herself in the music industry.
As for her acting career goes, she's far from done.
Ben Affleck
Maybe he's a good guy to have blocking for you, but Fred O'Bannion is the kind of person
you love to hate, and that's all thanks to Batman himself, Ben Affleck.
It's no secret what he's up to today.
He may have had his show business start appearing in Burger King commercials, but after beating
up on Wiley Wiggins, Affleck continued struggling in the film industry until finally winning
an Oscar for co-writing Good Will Hunting.
With that statuette in hand, the actor went on to star in blockbusters like Armageddon
and Pearl Harbor.
Affleck turned his career around after starring in bombs like Daredevil and Gigli by stepping
behind the camera, directing movies such as Gone Baby Gone, and the Oscar-winning Argo.
And of course, he's also been donning Bruce Wayne's cape and cowl and mercilessly beating
anyone unlucky enough to get in his way.
Hey, that sounds kind of like Fred O'Bannion.
Matthew McConaughey
A-list actor Matthew McConaughey keeps getting older, but David Wooderson stays the same
age.
Really, McConaughey doesn't need an introduction, but even though he's been in tons of films,
Wooderson is still his most memorable character.
Since then, McConaughey has become a major Hollywood player, starting off in films like
Contact and A Time to Kill before charming it up in a series of rom-coms like The Wedding
Planner and Failure to Launch.
More recently, the actor has been wowing critics and audiences alike in roles in True Detective
and Dallas Buyers Club.
In other words, it seems the man is doing pretty okay.
Or, as he'd say it…
"alright alright alright"
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