Image via Complex Original
With the opening notes of Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion," the last day of school in 1976 began. Over the course of the day, futures are decided, relationships change, and a small Texas town is made to seem as large as the entire state. This is the premise for Richard Linklater's classic movie Dazed and Confused, which he wrote and directed based on his high school years in the Lone Star State.
Far from the semi-wholesome slice of Americana that is American Graffiti, Dazed and Confused focuses on disaffected youth who deal with life's BS by escaping it through fun. All that matters in high school is that moment you and your friends would share inside the haze of too much booze—then you'd wake up, shake off the hangover, and do it again.
Dazed and Confused also features an amzaing soundtrack that perfectly captures the decade. This film is the reason you hear Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold" in your head at any party in a large, open field. It's also the reason that Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Tuesday's Gone" signals the end of such gatherings.
Despite depicting the exploits of baby boomers in their young and reckless days, it resonated well with Generation X and introduced a new generation of talent to Hollywood. Dazed and Confused was released 20 years ago today, so we're taking a look at what some of the cast members are up to these days. Think of it as a 20-year high school reunion, even though it's based on fictional events that took place 37 years ago.
Written by Julian Kimble (@JRK316)
Wiley Wiggins (Mitch Kramer)
Most recent project: Computer Chess (2013)
Wiley Wiggins made his film debut in Dazed and Confused as Mitch Kramer, the incoming freshman who would grow up to be The One. Because Kramer took his post-baseball game ass-whooping the new seniors served him like a man, the upperclassmen took a liking to the kid. Real recognize real, and Pink took him under his wing and the OG's coached him on how to bag older women, something he succeeded with later in the film.
Wiggins has kept his film appearances sparse throuth the years, appearing in the confusing Winona Ryder vehicle Boys. He had a small role in The Faculty before linking up with Linklater once again for 2001's Waking Life. He made a smart move by appearing in 2013's Computer Chess, a small indie that's found tremendous critical success.
Don't ask Wiggins why he kept touching his nose and hair so much in the film. Please don't do that.
Michelle Burke (Jodi Kramer)
Most recent projects: LOL (2012), Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (2012)
Michelle Burke played Jodi Kramer, older sister of Mitch Kramer, the next Randall "Pink" Floyd. She was also a rival of Simone Kerr, fanning the flames of the rivalry (unbeknownst to Simone) by letting Pink tongue her down at the kegger at the film's end.
Burke appeared opposite Charlie Sheen as the fed-up love interest of Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn in Major League ll. She also had a part in the adaptation of Mario Puzo's The Last Don before vanishing for most of the aughts.
She'll always be best remembered as Jodi Kramer, the cool older sister who will make up for you getting stomped our by her friends by preventing your mom from stomping you out because you stayed out all night.
Marissa Ribisi (Cynthia Dunn)
Most recent project: Lightfield's Home Videos (2012)
With her curly red 'fro, Cynthia is the lone girl in the friendship triangle that includes Tony and Mike. Neither guy's interested in her—Tony has his eyes on the young Sabrina; Mike just wants to dance)—but Wooderson sure liked what he saw ("I love those redheads!").
Marissa Ribisi hasn't seemed to find the niche that twin brother Giovanni found, but she's kept working. She was in The Brady Bunch Movie, Pleasantville, and Grown Ups, also known as Jaleel White's post-Urkel return television
She was also in 2000's cult classic 100 Girls, which you can find for under $5 dollars at the front of any 7-Eleven if you're the type that still buys DVDs. Her career has been relatively dormant over the last decade, as she's been busy raising her two kids with husband, Beck. The 'fro is gone, but the memory remains.
Anthony Rapp (Tony Olson)
Most recent projects: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2012), The Other Woman (2011)
Anthony Rapp played Tony, the bespectacled rising senior who's developing a bit of a thing for incoming freshman, Sabrina. His approach isn't predatory, though.
Rapp honed his acting skills on the stage, appearing as Mark Cohen in the Broadway production of Rent. He's alternated between the big screen and stage since the '90s, appearing as a douchey, hatin'-ass T.A. in Road Trip and in Ron Howard's A Beautiful Mind. In 2005, he reprised his rose as Mark Cohen in the film adaptation of Rent and embarked on a national tour of the show in 2009. His work in Rent is more memorable than anything he did in Dazed and Confused, and that's far from a diss.
Adam Goldberg (Mike Newhouse)
Most recent projects: Anna Nicole (2013), Franklin and Bash (2013), NYC 22 (2012)
As Mike Newhouse, Adamn Goldberg played the nebbish, neurotic outcast who finally stands up for himself by punching a misplaced '50s greaser. Sure, the consequence is him getting his ass kicked and crying, but he's finally seized that moment that high schoolers are always searching for.
In the years after Dazed and Confused, Goldberg has brought that same neurosis to a number of film and television roles. He was in Higher Learning, appeared on Friends and in Saving Private Ryan, Deja Vu, and Zodiac. On HBO's Entourage, he was Nicky Rubenstein. Most recently Goldberg played Anna Nicole Smith's former attorney and partner, Howard K. Stern, in Lifetime's made-for-television biopic, Anna Nicole.
Sasha Jenson (Don Dawson)
Most recent project: The Doppler Effect (2011)
The fun-loving Don Dawson is all about partying, beer, women, and smoking weed on the 50 yard line. Like the rest of the cast, his future is unwritten—he might spend his entire life in the town, he might make it out.
Sasha Jenson, who amassed several small roles prior to Dazed and Confused, faded from the spotlight after the film's release, working here and there (an episode of NYPD Blue, 2003's Grind, and 2010's The Grind are notable highlights of his post-Dazed and Confused resume) after the film's release. He'll always have Linklater's classic—and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Shawn Andrews (Kevin Pickford)
Most recent project: My Little Hollywood (2012)
Shawn Andrews played Kevin Pickford, who would've hosted a '70s version of Project X if his parents hadn't shut things down beforehand. (Blame the keg delivery man.) Andrews dated Milla Jovovich (who played his on-screen girlfriend) during the filming of Dazed and Confused. His work has been sparse in the two decades since the film. In 2008, he apperead in Fix with Olivia Wilde and was awarded Best Actor for his performance at the Brooklyn International Film Festival.
Rory Cochrane (Ron Slater)
Most recent project: Argo (2012),
As skinny, squinting pothead Ron Slater, Rory Cochrane has many of the film's best lines (check his stoned speech about the coolness of Martha Washington). After his performace as the smug, turtlenecked Lucas in Empire Records, Cochrane's career was quiet until somehow managing to withstand the excellence that is David Caruso on CSI: Miami.
In 2006, he reunited with Linklater for a role in the adaptation of Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly. He did a few episodes of 24 back in 2009 and was most recently in the Oscar-winning Argo, which was directed by Dazed and Confused co-star Ben Affleck.
Joey Lauren Adams (Simone Kerr)
Most recent projects: Switched at Birth (2013), Blue Caprice (2013)
Following Dazed and Confused, Joey Lauren Adams cemented herself as one of the definitive Gen X actresses. Known for her radiant smile and helium-pitched voice, Adams appeared alongside Stephen Dorf in SFW before blessing a triumvirate of Kevin Smith films with her presence. The first was Mallrats, the last Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, but her breakout role came in the middle, with Chasing Amy. As Alyssa Jones, her performance sparked conversation about relationships, sexuality and gender roles in the beautifully confused decade of nostalgia that was the '90s
However, her Golden Globe nomination failed to yield the success that many predicted for Adams. She hasn't had a shortage of work since playing Pink's somewhat catty girlfriend in Dazed and Confused, but subsequent viewings of Chasing Amy will leave you wondering what could've been for Adams.
Nicky Katt (Clint Bruno)
Most recent projects: Behind the Candelabra (2013)
Nicky Katt's Clint Bruno was one of those guys who just enjoyed getting into fights, and liquor always made the situation worse. Mike punched him in the face, and he didn't like that too much, so he pummeled him to the point that he cried.
Katt is another one of those faces familiar faces from Gen X classics, such as The Doom Generation. He and fellow Dazed and Confused alum Ben Affleck both appeared in Boiler Room, but his best role was as the controversial yet effective teacher Harry Senate on Fox's Boston Public. Since then, he's popped up in films like School of Rock, Sin City, Grindhouse, and The Sitter, before appearing in Behind the Candelabra, HBO's adaptation of Scott Thorson's account of his relationship with Liberace.
Jason London (Randall "Pink" Floyd)
Most recent projects: Avarice (2013), Scandal (2012)
Not to be confused with twin brother, Jeremy, Jason London has had quiet, yet steady work in the two decades since Dazed and Confused was released. He was in To Wong Foo Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar, the forgettable Carrie sequel, The Rage: Carrie 2, and a television version of Jason and the Argonauts (playing Jason, of course). He also appeared in an episode of the Dallas reboot and an episode of everyone's favorite guilty pleasure, Scandal.
Though his run-in with police in Arizona earlier this year surely didn't aid his career, it's easy to forgive the easygoing quarterback whose love for weed and Aerosmith transcended his love for football.
Cole Hauser (Benny O'Donnell)
Most recent projects: Olympus Has Fallen (2013), A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)
In one of his first roles, Cole Hauser played Benny, a junior football player who loves three things: beer, football, and fucking up underclassmen when the moment presents itself. Dazed and Confused launched a successful film career for Hauser, whose intense stare and sharp cadence make him perfect for villanous roles. He played the leader of the white supremacist group in Higher Learning and Carter Verone, the villain from John Singleton's 2 Fast 2 Furious. In between, he appeared in the Academy Award-winning Good Will Hunting, as well as Pitch Black, the first installment of the Riddick series. This year, he starred in A Good Day to Die Hard and summer disaster flick Olympus Has Fallen.
Parker Posey (Darla Marks)
Most recent projects: Highland Park (2012), Louie (2012), New Girl (2012)
As the shrewish Darla, Parker Posey used Dazed and Confused as a stepping stone to become one of the queens of Gen X cinema. Party Girl, The Doom Generation and Linklater's SubUrbia cemented this status, as did her work as Mary Boone in Julian Schnabel's Basquiat. By the end of the '90s, she elected to remove her crown, appearing in You've Got Mail, Scream 3, and Josie and the Pussycats. She also had roles in Blade: Trinity and Superman Returns. She acts when she feels like it, filling only the roles that strike her these days. She's earned her street stripes.
Milla Jovovich (Michelle Burroughs)
Most recent projects: Resident Evil: Retribution (2012), The Three Musketeers (2011)
Though her role in Dazed and Confused is small, Milla Jovovich made her presence felt in the film. Jovovich was able to steal scenes despite hardly having any lines as the hippie stoner chick Michelle.
First making her name as a high fashion model, the multitalented star's breakout acting performance came as the orange-dreadlocked savior of the universe alongside Bruce Willis in 1997's The Fifth Element. Her next big role was as Joan of Arc in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. In 2002, she finally cashed in with the Resident Evil film adaptation, which would spawn five sequels (there's a sixth on the way).
Though she's now known for being this generation's quintessential action heroine, she'll always be the girl who sang the alien song in Richard Linklater's classic.
Matthew McConaughey (David Wooderson)
Most recent projects: The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Magic Mike (2012), Mud (2012), Killer Joe (2011)
The best line in Dazed and Confused comes from Matthew McConaughey: "That's what I love about these high school girls. I get older, they stay the same age."
In just his second role, McConaughey played David Wooderson, a dude who's at least 21 and still hangs out with high schoolers. We all knew someone like that in high school, but they didn't rock the Larry Bird molestache like Wooderson.
McConaughey parlayed that charm into a successful career that's currently hitting its best stride. He erased most of his romantic comedy past with his disturbing, detached performance in Killer Joe and has a role in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street, which hits theaters this fall, and the Oscar bait Dallas Buyers Club. Early next year, he and Woody Harrelson will star in the HBO mini-series True Detective.
Recently, McConaughey reprised his role as Wooderson in Butch Walker and The Black Widows' video for "Synthesizer," proving that Wooderson sold his soul for eternal youth. It all began with the 'stache.
Renée Zellweger (Uncredited Girl in Pickup Truck)
Most recent projects: My Own Love Song (2010)
Most people don't even know that Renée Zellweger was in Dazed and Confused, because the Texas native had an uncredited appearance as "Girl in blue pickup truck." After appearances in two Gen X cult classics (Reality Bites, Empire Records), her breakthrough came in Cameron Crowe's Jerry Maguire. He had her at hello and she had Hollywood in a stranglehold afterwards.
Zellweger did comedy (Me, Myself & Irene) and dark comedy (Nurse Betty) before scoring her first Oscar nomination for Bridget Jones's Diary. The following year, she was nominated for her performance in Chicago and finally won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Cold Mountain in 2004. Though Zellweger hasn't acted since 2010, she's made her presence in Hollywood felt as one of the most successful Dazed and Confused cast members. And she wasn't even credited.
Ben Affleck (Fred O'Bannion)
Most recent projects: Runner Runner (2013), To The Wonder (2012), Argo (2012)
Twenty years ago, who would've thought that Ben Affleck would be the biggest star to emerge from this cast? Shit, 10 years ago in the wake of the massive failure that was Daredevil, you couldn't have convinced most people that Affleck would be where he is now.
One of Affleck's earliest roles was as Fred O'Bannion, a prick football player who apparently repeated his senior year because he loved hazing freshmen so much—or, at least, that's what he told people. He got his comeuppance when he was doused with white paint by the underclassmen and it was glorious. Maybe this performance is part of why people loathe Affleck so much to this day.
The hate couldn't stop him from succeeding, as he moved from Kevin Smith films (Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl) to winning an Oscar for writing Good Will Hunting with friend Matt Damon. The blockbusters and big roles followed, until 2003 happened. He began the year with Daredevil, the first in a series of mistakes that included Gigli and Paycheck. He was able to bounce back from all three of those strikes and a failed, high-profile engagement to Jennifer Lopez, proving how #bostonstrong he is. He stepped behind the camera, directing brother Casey in Gone Baby Gone and The Town, proving he might be better behind the camera. Affleck hit the jackpot again last year, directing and starring as Tony Mendez in Argo. It won 3 Oscars, including Best Picture.
Despite his success, people continue to count Ben Affleck out. Look at the response to the news that he'll play Bruce Wayne and Batman in Batman vs. Superman.