The wildly popular ’90s romantic comedy Clueless is celebrating its 30th anniversary on July 19… but do you recognize the cast today?
The original 1995 movie, which is loosely based on Jane Austen’s novel Emma, starred Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, the late Brittany Murphy, Stacey Dash, Breckin Meyer and Donald Faison.
The Amy Heckerling-directed film was a surprise box office smash and made a whopping $88 million with a budget of $12 million.
Three decades later the rom-com has maintained such a devoted following that it sparked a teen sitcom, an off-Broadway musical, and a forthcoming TV series.
Fans were left divided by the announcement of a Clueless television series at Peacock, with Silverstone set to reprise her iconic role. However, the upcoming series will be written by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage who worked on Gossip Girl and The O.C. which gave millennial Clueless lovers hope for the eventual reboot – plus, Silverstone is returning to the small screen.
Despite the movie’s popularity and the cast skyrocketing to superstardom from relative obscurity, plenty of drama followed them after the film’s premiere. Now, Daily Mail is revealing how the surprising blockbuster transformed the lives of the cast, who were plagued by addiction issues, multiple divorces, and a whole slew of controversies.
The wildly popular ’90s romantic comedy Clueless is celebrating its 30th anniversary on July 19…but do you recognize the cast today?
Alicia Silverstone, 48, looked worlds away from her Clueless days as she swapped tartan for track pants on an outing in West Hollywood in March
These days, Silverstone, 48, looks nothing like the plaid-wearing, preppy fashionista she shot to fame playing when she was only 18.
The Miss Match alum often dresses down in neutral tones and has lived a much more granola life than her bougie Beverly Hills counterpart.
The vegan lifestyle blogger has found herself in hot water many times over the years for her parenting beliefs, including saying her son Bear has never needed medicine thanks to being vegan and taking baths with her son during quarantine.
The Aerosmith music video star also posted a video in which she fed her infant by chewing food and then transferring it from her mouth straight to his, which proved to be quite controversial as a parenting technique.
The Hollywood star shares Bear with ex-husband Christopher Jarecki, who she was married to from 2005 to 2018. They share joint legal and physical custody and she pays him spousal support.
While Silverstone might seem as far removed as possible from glamorous Cher, she has revisited the character who made her famous over the years.
Most recently she reprised the role during a Super Bowl commercial for Rakuten, stepping back into her famous yellow plaid ensemble.
Stacey Dash, 58, played Cher’s best friend Dionne, a fellow Beverly Hills preppy party girl. Unlike Silverstone, Dash reprised her role for the Clueless TV series in 1996. Since her time on Clueless she has proven to be quite the controversial figure, with multiple divorces, a Fox firing, and a mugshot to her name.
Clueless star Stacey Dash was arrested for domestic battery in Florida after she allegedly got into a fight with her husband Jeffrey Marty (left) after playing Beverly Hills teen Dionne
While other stars of the film like the late Brittany Murphy went on to stardom, Justin Walker disappeared from the spotlight
Over the years, Dash has opened up about her abusive upbringing and her struggles with drugs, admitting that at one point she was taking 18 to 20 Vicodin pills a day at the height of her addiction.
The right wing anchorwoman has also proven quite controversial. The former commentator was fired by Fox News in 2016 after she claimed Barack Obama ‘didn’t give a s**t’ about terrorism.
Dash drew intense criticism for backing Trump’s statement after the 2017 Charlottesville neo-Nazi rally in Virginia when he said there were ‘very fine people on both sides,’ as well as for defending Trump’s claim that Mexican immigrants were drug traffickers, rapists and criminals and calling for an end to celebrating Black History Month.
In a DailyMailTV interview in March 2021, Dash apologized for any hurt she had caused, blaming her ‘arrogant pride and anger’ and vowed to withdraw from politics.
Dash has also dealt with a myriad of serious issues in her personal life.
The Sharknado: The 4th Awakens star has been married and divorced four times and has two children. In September 2019, Dash was arrested for alleged domestic assault towards then-husband Jeffrey Marty, after she called 911 to report he ‘put her in a chokehold.’ Marty later bailed her out and case was dropped on his request.
Clueless star Justin Walker looks unrecognizable 30 years after the release of the iconic high school comedy (left pictured 2019, right pictured in the movie)
While other stars of the film like the late Brittany Murphy went on to superstardom, Justin Walker disappeared from the spotlight
Heartthrob Justin Walker, 55, played potential love interest Christian Stovitz, who was Cher’s crush until she realized he wasn’t interested in women after her failed seduction. Walker disappeared from the spotlight and now looks quite different, sporting salt and pepper locks instead of ’90s heartthrob hair.
Walker went on to appear in an episode of Pamela Anderson’s V.I.P and a Pizza Hut ad and later ran California restaurant Teddy Teadle’s Grill before launching a fantasy sport wagering website.
Of course, Brittany Murphy, who played outsider Tai Frasier who gets the ultimate cool girl makeover, met the most tragic end of all.
After her breakout role in Clueless, Murphy went on to star in hit films like Girl Interrupted, Uptown Girls and Riding in Cars With Boys. She then married English filmmaker Simon Monjack in 2007. However, their life together was cut short when in December 2009, the actress suddenly passed away at just 32 from pneumonia, which was said to be exacerbated by iron-deficiency anemia and an overdose of legal drugs.
Breckin Meyer, 51, who appeared as Tai’s love interest, the stoner skateboarder Travis, went on to star in Road Trip, Rat Race, Garfield, and Robot Chicken
Paul Rudd, who starred as Cher’s handsome college step-brother Josh Lucas, has had a massive Hollywood career ever since his debut film and managed to avoid any drama in his personal life
For some luckier actors, Clueless proved to be a star making moment that didn’t lead to behind-the-scenes issues.
Jeremy Sisto, who played popular high schooler Elton in Clueless, went on to star in more than 20 movies, including Thirteen and Waitress. Sisto also appeared in Six Feet Under, Suburgatory (which Silverstone played his love interest), Law & Order and FBI.
Donald Faison, 51, who played Dash’s popular boyfriend Murray, went on to reprise his role in the TV series and take off from there. The dad of six starred in Scrubs alongside pal Zach Braff.
Breckin Meyer, 51, who appeared as Tai’s love interest, the stoner skateboarder Travis, went on to star in Road Trip, Rat Race, Garfield, and Robot Chicken.
Paul Rudd, who starred as Cher’s handsome college step-brother Josh Lucas, has had a massive Hollywood career ever since his debut film and managed to avoid any drama in his personal life.
Rudd, 55, starred as Marvel’s Ant-Man and appeared in classic comedy movies like Anchorman and Ghostbusters.
