1. Sara Paxton in 2002:
Steve Granitz / WireImage Sara Paxton now:
What she's up to now: After her reign as teen movie royalty, Sara has continued acting. Most recently, she was in the films The Front Runner and Netflix's Blonde , and she had a role on the show Good Girls .
Charley Gallay / Getty Images for Netflix 2. JoJo in 2004:
Her teen movies: Aquamarine
Gregg Deguire / WireImage JoJo now:
What she's up to now: Of course, JoJo was more known for her music career. After having hits like "Leave (Get Out)" and "Too Little, Too Late," JoJo had a nearly decade-long battle with her record label that prevented her from releasing music for years. She finally released another album in 2016 and has continued to release music since. In terms of acting, she had a recurring role on All American and made her Broadway debut as Satine in Moulin Rouge ! earlier this year.
Bruce Glikas / Getty Images 3. Brenda Song in 2004:
Her teen movies: Like Mike, Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior
Steve Granitz / WireImage Brenda Song now:
What she's up to now: After her Disney days, Brenda has continued to work consistently. Most notably, she starred on the Hulu show Dollface starting in 2019. She's also been in movies like Secret Obsession and Love Accidentally . Brenda is engaged to fellow child star Macaulay Culkin, and they have two children together.
Michael Kovac / Getty Images for Ghetto Film School 4. Christina Milian on her first red carpet in 2001:
Her teen movie: Love Don't Cost a Thing, Bring It On: Fight to the Finish
Steve Granitz / WireImage Christina Milian now:
What she's up to now: While Christina acted a bunch, she was also well-known for her music — and for famously bringing us the Kim Possible theme song, "Call Me, Beep Me." More recently, she has starred in Netflix movies like Resort to Live and Falling Inn Love . She also owns the bakery Beignet Box.
Kristy Sparow / Getty Images 5. Rachael Leigh Cook in 1999:
Her teen movies: She's All That, Josie and the Pussycats
Ron Galella / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images Rachael Leigh Cook now:
What she's up to now: Recently, Rachael has starred in a number of Netflix movies including Love, Guaranteed and A Tourist's Guide to Love . Notably, she played Addison Rae's mom in the 2021 She's All That remake, He's All That .
Robin L Marshall / Getty Images 6. Jodi Lyn O'Keefe in 1998:
Her teen movie: She's All That, Whatever It Takes
Ron Galella / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images Jodi Lyn O'Keefe now:
What she's up to now: If you're a fan of teen TV, you know that Jodi eventually played Jo on The Vampire Diaries and even reprised the role in the spinoff series Legacies in 2018. She also starred in Hit the Floor and appeared in Lucifer .
Wwd / Penske Media via Getty Images 7. Mandy Moore in 1999:
Her teen movies: The Princess Diaries, A Walk to Remember, Saved!, How to Deal, Chasing Liberty
Scott Harrison / Getty Images Mandy Moore now:
What she's up to now: You may have heard of a little show called This Is Us that Mandy starred on until last year, receiving Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her work. Mandy, of course, is also a musician, and she released her seventh studio album In Real Life last year.
Kevin Winter / Getty Images 8. Lauren German in 2002:
Her teen movie: A Walk to Remember
Steve Granitz / WireImage Lauren German now:
What she's up to now: Lauren's been booked and busy since her teen movie days, most notably starring on two huge shows: Chicago Fire and Lucifer .
Morgan Lieberman / Getty Images 9. Gabrielle Union in 2000:
Her teen movies: 10 Things I Hate About You, Bring It On, She's All That
Getty Images Gabrielle Union now:
What she's up to now: Of course, Gabrielle has acted a ton since her teen movie days. Notably, she starred on the shows Being Mary Jane, L.A.'s Finest, and Truth Be Told . She's also written two memoirs and two children's books, and was included on Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World list in 2020.
Stefanie Keenan / Getty Images for Neiman Marcus 10. Brittany Snow in 2002:
Her teen movies: John Tucker Must Die, Hairspray
Steve Granitz / WireImage Brittany Snow now:
What she's up to now: Of course, Brittany went on to have the role of Chloe in the Pitch Perfect franchise. She also starred in the films Someone Great and X , and made her directorial debut with the film Parachute this year.
Michael Buckner / Variety via Getty Images 11. Sophia Bush in 2004:
Her teen movie: John Tucker Must Die
Peter Kramer / Getty Images Sophia Bush now:
What she's up to now: Sophia was best known for her TV work as Brooke Davis on One Tree Hill . Most recently, she's acted in projects like Love, Victor, Chicago P.D., and Good Sam . And since 2021, she's cohosted the One Tree Hill podcast Drama Queens alongside her former costars and close friends Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz.
Arturo Holmes / Getty Images 12. Ashanti in 2002:
Her teen movies: Coach Carter, John Tucker Must Die
Toni Anne Barson Archive / WireImage Ashanti now:
What she's up to now: While Ashanti was unforgettable in John Tucker Must Die , of course she's more well-known for her music career. In terms of acting, more recently she's appeared as herself on Dynasty and starred in the movie A New Diva's Christmas Carol .
John Nacion / WireImage 13. Lindsay Lohan in 2001:
Her teen movies: The Parent Trap, Life-Size, Get a Clue, Freaky Friday, Mean Girls, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
Theo Wargo / WireImage Lindsay Lohan now:
What she's up to now: Yes, Lindsay was one of the reigning queens of 2000s teen movies. More recently, she made her return to acting with Netflix's Falling for Christmas . She just had her first child , a son named Luai, this year.
Jamie Mccarthy / Getty Images for Christian Siriano 14. Alexa PenaVega in 2001:
Her teen movies: The Spy Kids movies, Sleepover
Jeffrey Mayer / WireImage Alexa PenaVega now:
What she's up to now: Since her Spy Kids days, Alexa has continued to act — most recently, she's been in several Hallmark movies including A Paris Proposal and Never Too Late to Celebrate . She's been married to Big Time Rush's Carlos PenaVega since 2014, and they have three kids together.
Noam Galai / Getty Images for Hallmark Media 15. Julia Stiles in 2000:
Her teen movies: 10 Things I Hate About You , Save the Last Dance, The Prince and Me
New York Daily News Archive / NY Daily News via Getty Images Julia Stiles now:
What she's up to now: Most recently, Julia has appeared in movies like Hustlers and Orphan: First Kill and stars on the show The Lake.
Bruce Glikas / Bruce Glikas / Getty Images 16. Hilary Duff in 2001:
Her teen movies: A Cinderella Story, Raise Your Voice, The Perfect Man, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Agent Cody Banks, Cheaper by the Dozen
Gregg Deguire / WireImage Hilary Duff now:
What she's up to now: While Hilary's massive breakout role was as Lizzie in Lizzie McGuire , she became known for so many of her teen movie projects and music career. As an adult, she's starred in several shows including Younger and most recently How I Met Your Father .
Craig Barritt / Getty Images for OLLY 17. Sanaa Lathan in 2000:
Her teen movie: Love & Basketball
David Lefranc / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images Sanaa Lathan now:
What she's up to now: Sanaa had a thriving acting career before and after Love & Basketball . Most recently, she starred on the show Hit & Run and recurred on Succession as Lisa Arthur as well as returning for 2022's The Best Man: The Final Chapters miniseries.
Leon Bennett / FilmMagic 18. Parminder Nagra in 2003:
Her teen movies: Bend It Like Beckham, Ella Enchanted
Jon Kopaloff / FilmMagic Parminder Nagra now:
What she's up to now: Parminder has had lots of TV and movie roles since she was bending it like Beckham. She appeared in the movies Bird Box and Five Feet Apart as well as shows like 13 Reasons Why , Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Intergalactic . She currently stars on the ITV shows DI Ray and Maternal .
Jc Olivera / Getty Images 19. Rosario Dawson in 2001:
Her teen movie: Josie and the Pussycats
Steve Granitz / WireImage Rosario Dawson now:
What she's up to now: Rosario has been in a ton of projects (including Rent , Clerks II and III , and Sin City just to truly name a few) since her Josie days. Recently, she stars as Ahsoka in the Disney+ series Ahsoka after portraying the role in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett . She also had a recurring role on Young Rock and starred in the limited series Dopesick .
Paras Griffin / Getty Images for V-Day 20. Tara Reid in 2001:
Her teen movies: American Pie , Josie and the Pussycats
Frank Trapper / Corbis via Getty Images Tara Reid now:
What she's up to now: Most notably, Tara appeared in all of the Sharknado movies. She's also played herself on shows like Ghosts and The Boys .
Frazer Harrison / Getty Images 21. And finally, America Ferrera in 2002:
Her teen movies: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Gotta Kick It Up!
Jean-paul Aussenard / WireImage America Ferrera now:
What she's up to now: After her teen movie performances, America's next massive role was starring as Betty Suarez on Ugly Betty . She also voiced Astrid in the How to Train Your Dragon series and starred as Amy on Superstore . More recently, America starred in a little movie called Barbie that a few people saw this summer...
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