Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
When Richard Linklater made 1993's 'Dazed and Confused,' his ode to '70s high school L-I-V-I-N, he used a cast full of then-unknowns: Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, Milla Jovovich and some extra named Renée Zellweger. Unlike high school girls, they got older -- and mega-famous, too. Check out the 'Dazed' cast then and now.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Jason London
Then: London had only a couple of credits under his belt before snagging the lead role of star quarterback Randall "Pink" Floyd, who seems headed toward a bright future of playing college ball and getting high (not necessarily in that order) -- until the coach insists he sign a no-drugs pledge. Talk about a buzzkill.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Jason London
Now: He became a heartthrob on 'Party of Five' and '7th Heaven' ... wait, that's his twin, JEREMY London. Jason's career hasn't been quite as glam: In recent years he's starred in the NBC miniseries 'Jason and the Argonauts,' appeared on ABC Family's 'Wildfire' and popped up on an episode of 'Grey's Anatomy.'
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Matthew McConaughey
Then: After taking the vital role of Guy #2 in 'My Boyfriend's Back,' the Texan made his first real screen impression as Wooderson, the archetypal older guy still hanging with high schoolers. His drawly, quotable "I keep getting older, they stay the same age" became a favorite of movie fans and perverts everywhere.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Matthew McConaughey
Now: McConaughey easily won the title for "Most Apt Act for a 'Dazed' Alum" when he was arrested for playing bongos naked ... while high on weed. Now a bona fide A-lister, he's been voted People's Sexiest Man Alive and starred in a disturbing number of romantic comedies, his next being 'Fool's Gold' with Kate Hudson.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Parker Posey
Then: The Mississippi native, along with 'Dazed' vets Michelle Burke and Joey Lauren Adams, appeared in the skit-to-screen travesty 'Coneheads' (maybe the sets were adjacent?) just months before humiliating future freshman girls with air raids and condiments as super-beeyotch senior Darla Marks.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Parker Posey
Now: Posey would become the queen bee of Indiewood for her work in low-budget fare like 'Party Girl,' 'Henry Fool' and every Christopher Guest mockumentary. She's chased paper more of late, taking her most high-profile role in 'Superman Returns' and next appearing in the horror remake 'The Eye.'
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Ben Affleck
Then: He's Fred O'Bannion, the cruelest and meatheadiest senior in school, who takes pleasure in paddling and generally humiliating the freshmen. Justice is served, though -- even his fellow seniors abandon him when the frosh get their revenge.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Ben Affleck
Now: Maybe you've heard of him? He's Matt Damon's BFF, an Oscar winner (with Damon, for 'Good Will Hunting'), one half of Bennifer part 2, daddy to the adorable Violet and director of his first feature film -- the well-reviewed crime drama 'Gone Baby Gone,' starring his little bro Casey.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Joey Lauren Adams
Then: Adams had parts in 'Coneheads' and 'The Program' in 1993, but it's her turn as Randall "Pink" Floyd's girlfriend Simone Kerr that put her on the map. Who can forget that nasal, oddly alluring voice uttering such eloquent lines as "Fry like bacon, you little freshman piggies!"? Anything for you, Joey.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Joey Lauren Adams
Now: Best known for her Golden-Globe-nominated turn as a Ben-Affleck-loving lesbian in 'Chasing Amy,' Adams played Jennifer Aniston's catty best friend in 2006's 'The Break-Up' and also made her directorial debut that year with the acclaimed indie 'Come Early Morning.' Next up, she'll co-star in the drama 'Trucker.'
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Rory Cochrane
Then: A year after his first major movie role in 'Fathers and Sons,' Cochrane found what would be his career-defining role in Slater, the long-haired hippie whose glazed-over eyes were never more than 25 percent open, and who we're pretty sure fantasized about making love to "hip, hip" First Lady Martha Washington.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Rory Cochrane
Now: Cochrane landed on 'CSI: Miami' in 2002 as Det. Tim Speedle, but he tired of the role after two seasons, and his character was offed. The actor's since reunited with Linklater in 'A Scanner Darkly' and starred in 'Right at Your Door,' about a totally-not-cool terrorist attack in L.A.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Milla Jovovich
Then: Jovovich started modeling at age 11 and landed her first big film role in 1991's 'Return to the Blue Lagoon.' As Michelle Burroughs in 'Dazed,' she sang from 'The Alien Song,' which she'd written; but most of her dialogue was cut. This snub and her split with co-star Shawn Andrews caused her to take a hiatus from acting.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Milla Jovovich
Now: Jovovich got a husband (director Luc Besson, now her ex) and a career boost out of 1997's 'The Fifth Element,' and had soon started a fashion line, recorded more music and kicked zombie ass in the 'Resident Evil' movies. That's how she met her fiancé Paul W. S. Anderson, with whom she's expecting a baby girl.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Adam Goldberg
Then: He's Mike Newhouse, a self-proclaimed misanthrope who ends up getting a little closer to his fellow man than he'd like when he engages in a drunken brawl with the aptly named Clint Bruno (Nicky Katt). Still, all he really wants to do is dance.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Adam Goldberg
Now: After appearing on 'Friends' as Chandler's insane roommate, he scored a gig on the 'Friends' spin-off 'Joey' -- as a completely different character. More recently, he's starred opposite ex-girlfriend Julie Delpy in '2 Days in Paris' and played the drug-and-stripper-loving producer Nick Rubenstein on 'Entourage.'
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Renée Zellweger
Then: In one of her first movie appearances, Zellweger shows up as an extra at the party in the park -- blink and you might miss her. Back then, the Katy, Tex., native stuck close to home: By 1994 she'd been in eight movies filmed in Texas, including 'Dazed' and 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation.'
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Renée Zellweger
Now: Currently, she stars opposite Jerry Seinfeld in 'Bee Movie' and then will appear with George Clooney in '08's 'Leatherheads,' but Zellweger became an A-list star with her sweetly daft portrayal of Bridget Jones and with critically lauded (and award-winning) performances in 'Chicago' and 'Cold Mountain.'
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Wiley Wiggins
Then: At age 15, Wiggins made his acting debut as Mitch Kramer, a freshman who gets initiated into the cool crowd by Pink -- despite his beef with O'Bannion (Ben Affleck) and his annoying habit of constantly grabbing the bridge of his nose.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Wiley Wiggins
Now: He starred as the philosophical main character of Linklater's groundbreaking 2001 film 'Waking Life,' which used rotoscoping (animating over actual celluloid footage) to dazzling effect. He currently works as a Web designer and video/film editor, and blogs about film online at News of the Dead and Videothing.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Anthony Rapp
Then: As socially awkward, bespectacled senior Tony Olson, he dreams of getting it on with "this perfect female body ... but with the head of Abraham Lincoln" -- but ends up hooking up with cute frosh chick Sabrina instead (who, if she were a president, would be Babe-raham Lincoln).
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Anthony Rapp
Now: Brother of writer-director Adam Rapp ('Winter Passing') and frontman for the band AlbinoKid, Anthony originated the role of Mark in the hit musical 'Rent,' reprising it in the '05 movie and again on Broadway in '07. In '06, he published the memoir 'Without You' and co-starred in the short-lived series 'Kidnapped.'
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Marissa Ribisi
Then: In her big-screen debut, Ribisi is Cynthia Dunn, a cute, philosophical redhead and one of the nerdy group, with Tony and Mike. In a moment of naive weakness, she gives her phone number to Wooderson. Rookie mistake!
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Marissa Ribisi
Now: Ribisi has had lots of medium-to-small parts on screen ('Pleasantville') and TV ('Felicity'), but she hasn't achieved the success of her twin brother Giovanni. She's retreated from acting anyway, since she and hubby Beck (yes, THAT Beck) have settled down and had two kids.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Cole Hauser
Then: The great-grandson of the founder of Warner Bros. Studios, Hauser got an early acting start alongside Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in 'School Ties.' Shortly afterward, he was cast as the freshmen-paddling enthusiast Benny.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Cole Hauser
Now: After Hauser reunited with Damon and Affleck for 'Good Will Hunting,' testosterone-charged titles like 'Pitch Black,' 'Hart's War' and '2 Fast 2 Furious' dominated his résumé until the comedy 'The Break-Up.' He's now patrolling New Orleans on the small screen in the cop drama 'K-Ville.'
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Michelle Burke
Then: Fresh off a starring role as Connie Conehead in 1993's 'Coneheads,' Burke showed she could play human as popular Jodi Kramer -- who makes out with Pink at the Austin Moontower (that's good), but inadvertently plants a target on the back of her brother Mitch when she tries to protect him (that's bad).
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Michelle Burke
Now: While her last credit was a 2002 episode of 'The Division,' the mother of three keeps some very cool company: Her husband, Scott Thomas, is in the band Ringside with actor Balthazar Getty, and their friend Joaquin Phoenix directed their video 'Tired of Being Sorry.' (At left is Burke in Ringside's 'Criminal.')
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Shawn Andrews
Then: In his first film role, he played Kevin Pickford, whose potential rager was busted up by his parents. In a way, art imitated life: He and 'Dazed' co-star Milla Jovovich eloped to Las Vegas during filming, but as she was only 16, her mom got the marriage annulled. Parents are just no fun.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Shawn Andrews
Now: He has just six minor film credits since 'Dazed,' the biggest of which was the Matt Dillon-directed 'City of Ghosts.' He currently stars in the indie 'Fix,' a "scripted documentary" co-starring Olivia Wilde and directed by Wilde's husband, Tao Ruspoli.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Nicky Katt
Then: Though he'd been acting in movies ('Gremlins') and TV ('V') since the age of 10, Katt was still relatively unknown before 'Dazed.' But as hothead Clint Bruno, he won an indelible spot in our minds as the guy who came to the Moontower to "drink some beer and kick some ass." Looks like we're almost out of beer.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Nicky Katt
Now: Perhaps best known for his turn as hardnosed teacher Harry Senate on TV's 'Boston Public,' Katt reteamed with Linklater for '01's 'Waking Life' and '03's 'School of Rock.' In the past year he's appeared in both halves of the Rodriguez-Tarantino double feature 'Grindhouse' and played a badass cop in 'The Brave One.'
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Sasha Jenson
Then: Jenson did stunt work (he was Craig Sheffer's double in 'Some Kind of Wonderful') before playing Pink's eyebrowed pal Don Dawson.
Now: Unlike many 'Dazed' alums, Jenson never really broke out; his last credited role was in 2003's skateboarding flick 'Grind,' alongside buddy Jason London.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Richard Linklater
Then: The Houston-born filmmaker had just scored one of the '90s' first indie success stories when his $23,000-budgeted 'Slacker' (about, you know, hanging) became one of the most talked-about movies of 1991. It was only right he follow it up with more misadventures of disaffected, 'Dazed and Confused' youth.
Whatever Happened to Pink and Wooderson?
Richard Linklater
Now: Linklater has made 10 films since, including the romantic talkies 'Before Sunrise' and 'Before Sunset,' the trippy animated thinkers 'Waking Life' and 'A Scanner Darkly,' and the relatively coarse kids' flick 'School of Rock.' He's currently working on the baseball documentary 'Inning by Inning.'
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