By Jessica Wedemeyer
5:08am PDT, Oct 19, 2020
It's been 25 years since Kevin Smith's "Mallrats" debuted in theaters on Oct. 20, 1995. The iconic slacker comedy, which features several up-and-coming actors before they were stars, failed to make an impression at the box office — or with critics! — but has achieved cult status over the years. In honor of its big anniversary, Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at the cast and how they've changed since they first starred in "Mallrats," which takes place over the course of a single day at a local mall. Keep reading to catch up with Jeremy London, Jason Lee, Claire Forlani, Shannen Doherty, Ben Affleck and more…
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The same year "Mallrats" opened in theaters, Jeremy London made his debut as Griffin Holbrook on "Party of Five," on which he starred until 2000. He then starred on "7th Heaven" from 2002 to 2004. In the years since, he's appeared in countless films and made-for-TV movies, though none aside from 2003's "Gods and Generals" have garnered much mainstream attention. In recent years, he's become known for the drama in his personal life: In 2006, Jeremy married actress Melissa Cunningham. The duo welcomed a son, Lyrik, the following year. In 2010 — after he claimed he was kidnapped, held at gunpoint and forced to do drugs — the former teen heartthrob and his missus appeared on season 4 of "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew." In 2012, he was charged with spousal battery following an incident with Melissa in Palm Springs, California, though the charges were ultimately dropped. In 2014 — all within the span of a week — Jeremy finalized his divorce from Melissa, married Juliet Reeves and welcomed a son, Wyatt, with his second wife. The following year, the new couple starred on an episode of "Celebrity Wife Swap." Then in 2018, Jeremy was arrested twice within 10 days — first for misdemeanor domestic violence for an incident involving Juliet and then for missing a hearing for a different legal matter. He's been dating a woman named Leslie Stewart since at least mid-2019.
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Jason Lee starred as T.S.'s best friend, slacker mallrat Brodie Bruce — who's also dumped by his girlfriend toward the beginning of "Mallrats."
After scoring his first big break with "Mallrats," Jason Lee appeared in several more Kevin Smith films — "Drawing Flies," "Chasing Amy," "Dogma," "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," "Jersey Girl," "Clerks II," "Cop Out" and "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot" — as well as "Enemy of the State," "Almost Famous," "Heartbreakers," "Vanilla Sky," "The Ballad of Jack and Rose" and more. He also voiced Syndrome in "The Incredibles," starred as Dave in four "Alvin and the Chipmunks" movies and, most notably, portrayed the title character on "My Name Is Earl," for which he earned two Golden Globe nominations. The former professional skateboarder, who's also an avid photographer, married actress Carmen Llywelyn in 1995. They divorced in 2001 and she later claimed that his commitment to Scientology contributed to the implosion of their marriage. Two years later, he welcomed a son, Pilot Inspektor, with then-partner Beth Riesgraf, to whom he was engaged — though they never made it to the altar. In 2008, he married Ceren Alkac, with whom he shares three children: daughters Casper and Birdy and son Sonny. In 2015, Jason and his family moved to Denton, Texas, where he co-owns a restaurant. The following year, he revealed that he's no longer a practicing Scientologist.
Claire Forlani starred as T.S.'s off-and-on girlfriend, college student Brandi Svenning.
Claire Forlani went on to star in "The Rock," "Meet Joe Black," "Mystery Men," "Green Street Hooligans" and, more recently, "Five Feet Apart." She also had stints on "CSI: NY," "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "Hawaii: Five-0," starred on the 2011 "Camelot" miniseries and is set to appear on the upcoming ancient Rome-set drama "Domina." In 2007, the English actress married Scottish actor Dougray Scott. They adopted their son, Milo, in 2015.
Shannen Doherty starred as Brodie's longtime girlfriend, Rene Mosier, who dumps him at the beginning of "Mallrats."
"Mallrats" debuted a year after Shannen Doherty left "Beverly Hills, 90210." She went on to star on the first three seasons of "Charmed" from 1998 to 2001. (Aaron Spelling reportedly fired her amid her feud with co-star Alyssa Milano.) In 2008, she returned to the role of Brenda Walsh on "90210" and then — more than a decade later — she played a version of herself on FOX's 2019 meta-drama "BH90210." Another reboot on which she appeared? She had a three-episode stint on the controversial 2018 "Heathers" TV show after starring in the "Heathers" movie in 1989. More recently, Shannen honored her late "90210" co-star Luke Perry by appearing on a 2019 episode of "Riverdale" that explained his on-screen alter ego's death. In addition to her work on television, she's appeared in several films over the years, though none have garnered much mainstream attention. In 2002 — following an early '90s marriage of less than a year to Ashley Hamilton — the actress had another super-short marriage (of just nine months) to Rick Salomon. The third time proved to be the charm: She married photographer Kurt Iswarienko in 2011. They're still going strong, though they tragically lost their California home to a wildfire in late 2018. That's not the only way in which she's struggled in recent years: Shannen has battled cancer off-and-on since 2015.
Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith starred as Jay and Silent Bob, weed-slinging slackers and partners in crime, in "Mallrats" — and in several other comedies written and directed by Kevin over the years.
A year before "Mallrats" opened in theaters, Jason Mewes made his acting debut portraying Jay in "Clerks." He returned to the role in "Chasing Amy," "Dogma," "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," "Clerks II" and "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot." He's also appeared in two other films written and directed by pal and frequent collaborator Kevin Smith: "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" and "Yoga Hosers." But it hasn't always been smooth sailing for the longtime screen partners. The duo were briefly estranged amid Jason's battle with drug addiction, which kicked off in the late '90s. He attempted to get clean several times, but it wasn't until 2010 that sobriety stuck. He reportedly suffered a big relapse in 2009 — the same year he married Jordan Monsanto. They welcomed a daughter, Logan Lee, in 2015. Jason made his feature film directorial debut with the 2019 meta crime-comedy "Madness in the Method," in which he played a version of himself — along with several real-life pals and former co-stars also portraying fictionalized versions of themselves.
Three years after "Mallrats" debuted, Kevin Smith won an Independent Spirit Award for writing "Chasing Amy." He earned another Indie Spirit Award nomination in 2000 for writing "Dogma." His other biggest hits as a writer-director include "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," "Jersey Girl," "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" and "Cop Out." In addition to appearing in his own flicks, he also popped up in the 2003 "Daredevil" movie and in two 2007 flicks: "Live Free or Die Hard" and the romantic dramedy "Catch and Release." But that's not all: He also directed episodes of "The Goldbergs," "Supergirl" and "The Flash," co-executive produced "Good Will Hunting" and starred on the AMC reality show "Comic Book Men" — which centers around his New Jersey comic book shop — from 2012 to 2018. On top of all that, he's written several comic books, hosted several podcasts and appeared in several documentaries. Two years after his relationship with "Mallrats" and "Chasing Amy" actress Joey Lauren Adams came to an end in 1997, Kevin married Jennifer Schwalbach — whom he met when she interviewed him for USA Today. They welcomed daughter Harley Quinn Smith in 1999. He's since directed his little girl in "Tusk," "Yoga Hosers" and "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot." He's been on a weight-loss journey for the past few years. During a 2018 setback, he suffered a widowmaker heart attack that nearly claimed his life.
Ben Affleck starred as sleazy Shannon Hamilton, the manager of Fashionable Male, a menswear boutique at the mall in "Mallrats."
In the years since he starred in "Mallrats," Ben Affleck has become one of Hollywood's hottest stars. In 1998, he won his first Oscar for co-writing "Good Will Hunting" with childhood pal Matt Damon. He won his second Academy Award in 2013 for producing "Argo," which he also directed after making his feature film directorial debut with 2007's "Gone Baby Gone." (He also directed himself in "The Town" and "Live By Night.") His other big hits as an actor include "Armageddon," "Pearl Harbor," "The Sum of All Fears" and "Gone Girl" — and, of course, he's portrayed Batman on the big screen since 2016. Equally noteworthy? His love life. He dated "Shakespeare in Love" and "Bounce" co-star Gwyneth Paltrow, was engaged to "Gigli" and "Jersey Girl" co-star Jennifer Lopez and married "Daredevil" co-star Jennifer Garner, with whom he welcomed three children: daughters Violet and Seraphina and son Samuel. They called it quits in 2015 right before he was romantically linked to his kids' nanny. He then enjoyed high-profile romances with "Saturday Night Live" producer Lindsay Shookus and Playboy model Shauna Sexton before finding love with "Deep Water" co-star Ana De Armas. In recent years, Ben has also made headlines for his public battle with alcohol issues.
Joey Lauren Adams starred as T.S.'s high school girlfriend, Gwen Turner, who's maintained a friendship with him over the years — even though she constantly cheated on him during their relationship.
Joey Lauren Adams went on to score a Golden Globe nomination for starring as Alyssa Jones in Kevin Smith's "Chasing Amy." She returned to the role in "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" and "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot." She also starred in "Bio-Dome," "Michael," "Big Daddy" and "The Break-Up" and had stints on "Party Down," "United States of Tara" and "Switched at Birth." In 2006, she made her directorial debut with the romantic drama "Come Early Morning," which she also wrote. The actress, who had a two-year relationship with Kevin Smith around the time they first worked together, reportedly married cinematographer Brian Vilim in 2014.
Michael Rooker starred as Brandi's controlling father, Jared Svenning, who's producing a dating game show at the local mall in "Mallrats" … and who hates T.S.
Michael Rooker went on to star in "Bastard out of Carolina," "The Bone Collector," "Here on Earth," "Jumper" and more. He scored a major career boost after he made his debut as Merle Dixon on "The Walking Dead" in 2010. After that, he was cast as Yondu Udonta in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie franchise. He also had a two-episode stint on the third season of "True Detective" and popped up in the horror flicks "Brightburn" and "Fantasy Island." He has several big projects in the works including "F9" and "The Suicide Squad." In 2019, he and his wife, Margot, reportedly celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. They have two daughters.
Ethan Suplee portrayed Brodie's mallrat pal Willam, who desperately wants to see the sailboat in the Magic Eye poster on display at the mall.
When "Mallrats" debuted, Ethan Suplee was in the midst of a lengthy stint on "Boy Meets World," which came to an end in 1998. He went on to star in "American History X," "Road Trip," "Remember the Titans," "Blow," "John Q," "Cold Mountain," "The Butterfly Effect," "The Fountain," "Brothers," "Unstoppable," "The Wolf of Wall Street," "Deepwater Horizon" and more. He also reunited with "Mallrats" co-star Jason Lee on "My Name Is Earl," which ran from 2005 to 2009, and had stints on "Raising Hope," "Santa Clarita Diet" and, more recently, "The Ranch" and "Good Girls." He also recently appeared in "The Hunt" and Edward Norton's "Motherless Brooklyn." In 2006, he married Juliette Lewis's sister, childhood pal Brandy Lewis. They have four daughters, including her two girls from a previous relationship. Over the course of the past decade, the actor has been on a total health and fitness overhaul, which has helped him lose hundreds of pounds!
Renee Humphrey starred as 15-year-old high school senior Tricia Jones, who's sleeping with guys between the ages of 14 and 30 while writing a book about the male libido.
Renee Humphrey worked with Kevin Smith again on "Drawing Flies" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." She then appeared in several small independent films and a pair of shorts before taking an extended hiatus from acting between 2007 and 2019 — when she played a waitress in the rom-com "You Can't Say No." She also produced and served as a casting director on the 2006 thriller "Family." She now works in the wine business: Renee and her brother launched Eric Kent Wines, a boutique producer of wine labels in California's Sonoma County.
Priscilla Barnes portrayed topless flea market psychic Miss Ivannah, who guides T.S. and Brodie on their mission to win back their exes.
Priscilla Barnes has worked consistently since 1995's "Mallrats," though few of her projects have achieved much mainstream attention. Most notably, she starred in Rob Zombie's cult 2005 horror flick "The Devil's Rejects." Then, from 2014 to 2019, she portrayed Magda on "Jane the Virgin." The actress — who memorably starred as Terri Alden on the last three seasons of "Three's Company" — reportedly married actor Ted Monte in 2003. They both appeared in the 2012 Western "Hatfields & McCoys: Bad Blood" starring Christian Slater.
Brian O'Halloran portrayed Suitor No. 3 Gill Hicks — a contestant on Mr. Svenning's dating game show.
Brian O'Halloran starred in "Mallrats" just a year after making his acting debut in "Clerks." He went on to collaborate with Kevin Smith again in "Chasing Amy," "Dogma," "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," "Clerks II" and "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot." He also popped up in "How Do You Know?" and "The Happening" as well as several other smaller films. These days, Brian works predominantly on the stage. He also recently relaunched his online presence with a 2020 podcast called "The OHalloRANT."
Sven-Ole Thorsen portrayed fearsome mall security guard LaFours, who doesn't have a single line of dialogue in "Mallrats."
Sven-Ole Thorsen later appeared in "George of the Jungle," "The 13th Warrior," "Gladiator," "Collateral Damage," "The Sum of All Fears," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and more, though he hasn't appeared on the big screen since 2005's "Hostage," in which he played an unnamed "hooded thug." The Danish stuntman and bodybuilder reportedly spent the '90s and early aughts in an open relationship with Grace Jones. In 2013, he married his third wife: talent manager Birgitta Sunding.
