Hairspray Cast: Where Are They Now?
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VOICE OVER: Emily - WatchMojo
WRITTEN BY: Timothy MacAusland
We've been thinking about the “Hairspray” cast. Where are they now? For this list, we'll be looking at the most prominent actors in the movie musical “Hairspray” and checking in on what they've been up to since the film's release in July 2007. Our countdown includes Brittany Snow, Amanda Bynes, Zac Efron, and more!
You can’t stop the beat, or these stars. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Hairspray Cast: Where Are They Now?
For this list, we’ll be looking at the most prominent actors in the movie musical “Hairspray” and checking in on what they’ve been up to since the film’s release in July 2007.
James Marsden may have gotten older since 2007, but he certainly hasn’t shown it. Just a year after “Hairspray”, his fans were blessed with possibly his funniest performance to date as the overly macho Rex in “Sex Drive.” He later played perhaps the exact opposite character of John F. Kennedy in “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.” His high-profile roles haven’t been limited to film, however, as he played the Western hero archetype on the first two seasons of HBO’s “Westworld.” Granted, a lot of people remember him as Cyclops, a part he briefly reprised in “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” But he’s since returned to blockbuster movies with “Sonic the Hedgehog” in 2020, which, based on its revenue, is primed for a sequel.
With the theme of racial integration at the core of “Hairspray,” Elijah Keeley’s character of Seaweed exemplifies this through his relationship with Penny. Keeley would continue to star in films with similar themes like “Red Tails” and “The Butler” - there’s that movie again. That’s about it on the movie side of things, but on the small screen Keeley had a memorable role as the Scarecrow in “The Wiz Live!,” something that will be a bit of a trend on this list. He also partnered with BET to play singer Ricky Bell in the miniseries “The New Edition Story” and “The Bobby Brown Story,” and had a recurring role on the second and third seasons of Fox’s “Star.” So you can go run and tell that.
Back in the mid-2000s, Brittany Snow was the new girl in town, but today she’s anything but. She followed up “Hairspray” by playing the final girl in the “Prom Night” remake, but the less said about that one, the better. She’d later return to movie musical prominence in 2012 with “Pitch Perfect,” a movie so popular it spawned two sequels. She had the lead role in Fox’s “Almost Family,” though it was cancelled after one season. Ever the philanthropist, Snow co-created the “Love is Louder” movement for The Jed Foundation, and even found love herself when she tied the knot in March of 2020.
When “Hairspray” was released, many didn’t know Christopher Walken for his musical efforts, and were absolutely charmed by the charisma he displayed. Turns out he was far from done singing, however, as he’d go on to play a distinctive Captain Hook in “Peter Pan Live!,” even if he did forget his line. He’d also have a musical number in the live-action “Jungle Book” as King Louie, one of the few songs kept from the animated version. The 2010s also saw him earn some acclaim working with director and playwright Martin McDonagh twice: earning a Tony nomination for the Broadway play “A Behanding in Spokane”; and playing the hilariously deadpan Hans in “Seven Psychopaths.”
Just weeks after “Hairspray’s” release, Michelle Pfeiffer again stole the show playing the villain in the cult classic “Stardust.” 2017 would be the year that saw her return to critical acclaim, not only for films like “mother!” and “Murder on the Orient Express,” but for the HBO film “The Wizard of Lies,” for which she was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe. She joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2018 as the original Wasp, and in 2019 she returned to the villain archetype in “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.” 2019 also saw her launch her own line of fragrances called Henry Rose, in addition to appearing in the highest-grossing film of all time. Sheesh, now we know why she really won Miss Baltimore Crabs.
Since she’s singer and actress, casting Queen Latifah as Motormouth Maybelle just made sense. While the multi-talented artist did lend her vocal chops to the big screen again in 2012 with “Joyful Noise,” “Hairspray” is technically the last traditional movie musical she starred in. That’s to say nothing of television musicals, however, as she too starred in “The Wiz Live!” as the titular character and slid seamlessly into the role of Ursula in “The Little Mermaid Live!”. TV was kind to her in 2015 as well, which saw her receive Golden Globe and Emmy nominations playing blues singer Bessie Smith in HBO’s biographical picture “Bessie.” Also, we’ll have to start referring to her as Dr. Latifah now since she earned her honorary doctorate in 2018.
Amanda Bynes has been in the headlines numerous times since her turn as Penny Pingleton, but not exactly for the right reasons. Months before her final and critically lauded movie role in 2010’s “Easy A,” Bynes announced an indefinite hiatus from acting. At the time, we had to imagine what may have led to her disillusionment with the craft, but subsequent personal problems painted a clearer picture. She was charged with driving under the influence and marijauana possession in 2012 and 2013, respectively. In 2018, Bynes proclaimed she’d been sober for four years, so we’re hoping her troubles have turned around, as 2020 has seen her engaged and expecting her first child.
One could argue we wouldn’t have the Link Larkin we know without Troy Bolton. Fortunately for fans, they wouldn’t have to wait long for Efron to reprise the latter when “High School Musical 2” debuted in August 2007, followed by the theatrical “High School Musical 3” in 2008. From there, he starred in a variety of projects, from raunchy comedies like the “Neighbors” movies to playing serial killer Ted Bundy in Netflix’s “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.” But it would seem he never forgot his musical background, as he starred in the smash sensation “The Greatest Showman.” Like his “Hairspray” co-star, Efron sought treatment for substance abuse in 2013 and has been sober since, churning out his finest work in the process.
John Travolta has led a turbulent career, with his crossdressing turn as Edna Turnblad being a definite up. While this led to him voicing the title character in Disney’s criminally-underrated “Bolt” in 2008, his movie roles have either been in forgettable action/thrillers like “The Taking of Pelham 123,” or they’ve been “Gotti,” which was critically reviled. However the 2010s saw him receive the good kind of press, too, as he received Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for playing lawyer Robert Shapiro on the first season of “American Crime Story,” subtitled “The People v. O. J. Simpson.”
Being cast as Tracy Turnblad was a dream-come-true for then-unknown Nikki Blonsky, and we still can’t see anyone else in the role. Following her breakout, Blonsky made an appearance on “Ugly Betty” and had the lead role on the ABC drama “Huge,” which sadly was cancelled after one season. In 2011, Blonsky earned a cosmetology license with reports of her holding down a part-time job at a salon in her hometown of Great Neck, NY between acting roles. Since then, she appeared in two episodes of NBC’s musical drama “Smash” and went back to high school for a part in the ABC family film “Geography Club.” Whatever Blonsky does in the future, we can still hear the bells.
For this list, we’ll be looking at the most prominent actors in the movie musical “Hairspray” and checking in on what they’ve been up to since the film’s release in July 2007.
#10: James Marsden
James Marsden may have gotten older since 2007, but he certainly hasn’t shown it. Just a year after “Hairspray”, his fans were blessed with possibly his funniest performance to date as the overly macho Rex in “Sex Drive.” He later played perhaps the exact opposite character of John F. Kennedy in “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.” His high-profile roles haven’t been limited to film, however, as he played the Western hero archetype on the first two seasons of HBO’s “Westworld.” Granted, a lot of people remember him as Cyclops, a part he briefly reprised in “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” But he’s since returned to blockbuster movies with “Sonic the Hedgehog” in 2020, which, based on its revenue, is primed for a sequel.
#9: Elijah Keeley
With the theme of racial integration at the core of “Hairspray,” Elijah Keeley’s character of Seaweed exemplifies this through his relationship with Penny. Keeley would continue to star in films with similar themes like “Red Tails” and “The Butler” - there’s that movie again. That’s about it on the movie side of things, but on the small screen Keeley had a memorable role as the Scarecrow in “The Wiz Live!,” something that will be a bit of a trend on this list. He also partnered with BET to play singer Ricky Bell in the miniseries “The New Edition Story” and “The Bobby Brown Story,” and had a recurring role on the second and third seasons of Fox’s “Star.” So you can go run and tell that.
#8: Brittany Snow
Back in the mid-2000s, Brittany Snow was the new girl in town, but today she’s anything but. She followed up “Hairspray” by playing the final girl in the “Prom Night” remake, but the less said about that one, the better. She’d later return to movie musical prominence in 2012 with “Pitch Perfect,” a movie so popular it spawned two sequels. She had the lead role in Fox’s “Almost Family,” though it was cancelled after one season. Ever the philanthropist, Snow co-created the “Love is Louder” movement for The Jed Foundation, and even found love herself when she tied the knot in March of 2020.
#7: Christopher Walken
When “Hairspray” was released, many didn’t know Christopher Walken for his musical efforts, and were absolutely charmed by the charisma he displayed. Turns out he was far from done singing, however, as he’d go on to play a distinctive Captain Hook in “Peter Pan Live!,” even if he did forget his line. He’d also have a musical number in the live-action “Jungle Book” as King Louie, one of the few songs kept from the animated version. The 2010s also saw him earn some acclaim working with director and playwright Martin McDonagh twice: earning a Tony nomination for the Broadway play “A Behanding in Spokane”; and playing the hilariously deadpan Hans in “Seven Psychopaths.”
#6: Michelle Pfeiffer
Just weeks after “Hairspray’s” release, Michelle Pfeiffer again stole the show playing the villain in the cult classic “Stardust.” 2017 would be the year that saw her return to critical acclaim, not only for films like “mother!” and “Murder on the Orient Express,” but for the HBO film “The Wizard of Lies,” for which she was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe. She joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2018 as the original Wasp, and in 2019 she returned to the villain archetype in “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.” 2019 also saw her launch her own line of fragrances called Henry Rose, in addition to appearing in the highest-grossing film of all time. Sheesh, now we know why she really won Miss Baltimore Crabs.
#5: Queen Latifah
Since she’s singer and actress, casting Queen Latifah as Motormouth Maybelle just made sense. While the multi-talented artist did lend her vocal chops to the big screen again in 2012 with “Joyful Noise,” “Hairspray” is technically the last traditional movie musical she starred in. That’s to say nothing of television musicals, however, as she too starred in “The Wiz Live!” as the titular character and slid seamlessly into the role of Ursula in “The Little Mermaid Live!”. TV was kind to her in 2015 as well, which saw her receive Golden Globe and Emmy nominations playing blues singer Bessie Smith in HBO’s biographical picture “Bessie.” Also, we’ll have to start referring to her as Dr. Latifah now since she earned her honorary doctorate in 2018.
#4: Amanda Bynes
Amanda Bynes has been in the headlines numerous times since her turn as Penny Pingleton, but not exactly for the right reasons. Months before her final and critically lauded movie role in 2010’s “Easy A,” Bynes announced an indefinite hiatus from acting. At the time, we had to imagine what may have led to her disillusionment with the craft, but subsequent personal problems painted a clearer picture. She was charged with driving under the influence and marijauana possession in 2012 and 2013, respectively. In 2018, Bynes proclaimed she’d been sober for four years, so we’re hoping her troubles have turned around, as 2020 has seen her engaged and expecting her first child.
#3: Zac Efron
One could argue we wouldn’t have the Link Larkin we know without Troy Bolton. Fortunately for fans, they wouldn’t have to wait long for Efron to reprise the latter when “High School Musical 2” debuted in August 2007, followed by the theatrical “High School Musical 3” in 2008. From there, he starred in a variety of projects, from raunchy comedies like the “Neighbors” movies to playing serial killer Ted Bundy in Netflix’s “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.” But it would seem he never forgot his musical background, as he starred in the smash sensation “The Greatest Showman.” Like his “Hairspray” co-star, Efron sought treatment for substance abuse in 2013 and has been sober since, churning out his finest work in the process.
#2: John Travolta
John Travolta has led a turbulent career, with his crossdressing turn as Edna Turnblad being a definite up. While this led to him voicing the title character in Disney’s criminally-underrated “Bolt” in 2008, his movie roles have either been in forgettable action/thrillers like “The Taking of Pelham 123,” or they’ve been “Gotti,” which was critically reviled. However the 2010s saw him receive the good kind of press, too, as he received Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for playing lawyer Robert Shapiro on the first season of “American Crime Story,” subtitled “The People v. O. J. Simpson.”
#1: Nikki Blonsky
Being cast as Tracy Turnblad was a dream-come-true for then-unknown Nikki Blonsky, and we still can’t see anyone else in the role. Following her breakout, Blonsky made an appearance on “Ugly Betty” and had the lead role on the ABC drama “Huge,” which sadly was cancelled after one season. In 2011, Blonsky earned a cosmetology license with reports of her holding down a part-time job at a salon in her hometown of Great Neck, NY between acting roles. Since then, she appeared in two episodes of NBC’s musical drama “Smash” and went back to high school for a part in the ABC family film “Geography Club.” Whatever Blonsky does in the future, we can still hear the bells.
