What The Cast Of Varsity Blues Has Done Since The 2000s Movie

The 1999 teen film Varsity Blues featured a young cast just starting their careers, and the actors have appeared in many movies and TV series since. The movie follows Jonathan “Mox” Moxon (James Van Der Beek), a teenage quarterback in West Canaan, Texas, who excels in school and feels pressured by his coach and his father. While not popular with critics during its release, the movie is considered a nostalgic portrait of its time and is also a somewhat realistic look at the stressors of playing high school football and dreaming of leaving a small town for a more exciting place.

While the young cast was just beginning their careers, with Van Der Beek starring as an aspiring filmmaker on Dawson’s Creek from 1998 to 2003, a few other actors played some notable movie roles. Jon Voight, known for the 1972 thriller Deliverance, appeared as Coach Bud Kilmer, and Scott Caan starred in the 1997 movie Nowhere alongside Denise Richards and Ryan Phillippe. While Tiffany C. Love’s only film role was portraying mother Collette Harbor in the film, the cast of Varsity Blues has gone on to star in memorable movies and TV shows in the decades since the movie’s release.

James Van Der Beek – Jonathan “Mox” Moxon

After starring as Varsity Blues’ quarterback Mox, James Van Der Beek has mostly stuck to light-hearted TV roles. After Dawson became a teen drama showrunner in the Dawson’s Creek series finale, the actor went on to play Adam Reese, another emotional filmmaker, in several episodes of One Tree Hill. Since Adam was quite similar to Dawson, it’s not surprising that Van Der Beek eventually moved towards more comedic roles, such as Bo Johnson in Modern Family and Simon in How I Met Your Mother,.as it allowed him to avoid being typecast and showed his skills on another level. Recently, the actor changed genres again and has appeared in Vampirina.

Paul Walker – Lance Harbor

Paul Walker played Mox’s friend, Lance Harbor, and football team captain in Varsity Blues. In the same year of the movie’s release, Walker would become a star known for playing confident, popular high school characters. Walker starred in a variety of genres, from the makeover movie She’s All That to thrillers The Skulls and Joy Ride. However, it was the action genre that brought his most notable role. The actor became known for playing the kind and loyal Brian O’Conner in The Fast and the Furious franchise. Walker passed away in 2013 and his last movie role was Brian in Furious 7, which was released in 2015.

Jon Voight – Coach Bud Kilmer

Acclaimed actor Jon Voight has played a compelling combination of light and serious movie characters since he was cast as the tough Varsity Blues coach, along with one memorable TV part. He has portrayed fathers and several real-life figures and whether in a main or supporting role, he is a strong presence. His early 2000s roles include Franklin D. Roosevelt in Pearl Harbor, sports reporter Howard Cosell in Ali, and Larry Zoolander in Zoolander. The actor appeared in the heartwarming National Treasure franchise as Patrick Gates and portrayed Mickey Donovan in the Ray Donovan series and 2022 film.

Eliel Swinton – Wendell Brown

Eliel Swinton portrayed the running back Wendell Brown in Varsity Blues and played football for the Kansas City Chiefs. The movie is his only acting role and after the movie was finished filming, he became injured and left the sports industry (via AppleTV.com). He worked as a production assistant and then began mentoring other athletes as Vice President and Founder/CEO of CarPe Diem Sports Academy. Swinton’s character is an important part of the movie as he hurts himself and Coach Killmer wants him to receive a cortisone shot and then continue to play, which is a tough and relatable part of playing the game.

Scott Caan – Charlie Tweeder

After the receiver Charlie Tweeder who likes to party in Varsity Blues, Scott Caan is most recognized for playing Turk Malloy in the iconic Ocean’s Eleven action franchise. However, TV is where he has made the biggest impression, playing tough and intelligent characters who have demanding and fast-paced careers (whether in entertainment or law enforcement). Caan played Scott Lavin in Encourage, who founds a management company with Eric Murphy (Kevin Connolly), and Danno Williams in Hawaii Five-O. He has also appeared in action films such as Gone In 60 Seconds and Ready To Rumble. .

Ali Larter – Darcy Sears

Ali Larter played cheerleading captain, Darcy Sears, in Varsity Blues and has had more complex roles since, moving from 2000s teen comedy Drive Me Crazy to horror films, House on Haunted Hill and Final Destination. Like Linda Cardinelli, Larter also had a role in Legally Blonde, playing the wealthy Brooke Taylor-Windham, who is accused of murdering her husband. While that allowed her to showcase her comedic talents, she soon began to take more heroic parts, playing Niki Sanders in Heroes to Claire Redfield in 2016’s Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. Larter also had a small part in the 2022 political comedy The Hater.

Amy Smart – Julie “Jules” Harbor

Amy Smart’s Varsity Blues role as Mox’s partner, Jules Harbor, led her to portray charming and kind love interests in other 2000s movies, from Beth in Road Trip, Tracy Faucet in Rat Race to Jamie Palamino in Just Friends. Smart played Evan’s (Ashton Kutcher) girlfriend Kayleigh Miller in the 2004 time travel movie The Butterfly Effect, which is darker than her usual characters. In recent years, the actor has turned to TV, playing Pat Dugan’s (Luke Wilson) wife Barbara Whitmore in Stargirl. Next, Smart will appear in some more serious projects such as the thriller Blunt and the dramas Rally Caps and On Sacred Ground.

Jesse Plemons – Tommy Harbor

Jesse Plemons had a small part of the cast of Varsity Blues as Julie and Lance’s sibling Tommy Harbor and found fame as sensitive and intelligent Landry Clarke in Friday Night Lights. The actor has continued to appear in dramatic TV series as regular people facing dangerous situations, playing butcher Ed Blumquist in Fargo and exterminator Todd Alquist in Breaking Bad. Plemons’ most notable film roles have seen him play the humorous neighbor Gary in Game Night and the CEO in the crime thriller Windfall. When compared to the rest of the cast, Plemons never plays the same type of character twice.

Ron Lester – Billy Bob

Playing the offensive guard Billy Bob in Varsity Blues, Ron Lester was known for portraying high school characters in the late ’90s, early 2000s teen shows. Although he appeared in Freaks and Geeks, it was his role as Popular‘s Michael “Sugar Daddy” Bernardio proved to be more memorable as it allowed him to showcase his emotional range. He also went on to play a version of his Varsity Blues character in the 2001 satire, Not Another Teen Movie and even experimented in the horror genre, appearing in The Greenskeeper. Sadly, Lester’s last role was in the 2015 movie Racing Legacy as he died in 2016 (via EW).

Richard Linebeck – Joe Harbor

Richard Linebeck played Joe Harbor, the father of Jules and Lance, in Varsity Blues, and after the movie was released, he played several TV and film characters who didn’t make much of an impression. Lineback played an innkeeper in the 2000s horror movie The Ring, Joe Benson in one episode of Touched By An Angel, Mr. Boggs in the 2000 comedy Ready To Rumble, and Chuck Winslow in one episode NCIS. His work since Varsity Blues has spanned various genres such as procedural, horror, and comedy. His most recent role was Delmer Coates in one episode of Justified which aired in 2012.

Thomas F. Duffy – Sam Moxon

Prior to playing Mox’s father, Sam, in Varsity Blues, Thomas F. Duffy played Dr. Robert Burke in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, which was released in 1997. This proved to be the actor’s most famous part. He then took on small roles on TV shows such as a police officer in Franklin and Bash, Jack Meenahan in The Middle and Jeffrey Cahn in The X-Files. He also played a character in Grey’s Anatomy named The Hammer. While most of Duffy’s career has been comprised of these brief appearances, he played Rooney in J.J. Abrams’ heartwarming 2011 thriller movie Super 8.

Tomie Perensky – Miss Davis

Tomie Perensky was also a small part of the cast of Varsity Blues and played Miss Davis, who teaches health at west Canaan High School. Miss Davis is memorable because she also works at a strip club. Similar to several actors who played supporting roles in the movie, Perensky didn’t have a very notable acting career after the movie’s release. She played Slim Shady’s mother in Eminem’s music video for “Eminem: My Name Is,” although she wasn’t credited, and played Lorna in the 1999 movie Fool’s Gold. Her most recent roles include Frances in the 2002 drama Fish Don’t Blink and a hostess in 2004’s The Vision.

Jill Parker Jones – Mo Moxon

After Varsity Blues, Jill Parker Jones appeared in the 1990s teen TV drama Felicity as a vet, which was similar to her brief role as the main character Mox’s mother, Mo Moxon. Her post-Varsity Blues acting career was brief as she played Regina Flood in one 2000 episode of Ally McBeal, and played a librarian in the TV movie A Season for Miracles. After playing Nasty Stewardess in the 2003 comedy, Just Married, starring Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy, the actor took a long break from acting and then appeared in the 2016 TV show The Young Hillary Diaries as a mother.

Joe Pichler – Kyle Moxon

Joe Pichler appeared in several films following his Varsity Blues role as Kyle Moxon, who is Mox’s sibling. Pichler appeared in several heartwarming family-friendly movies, playing David Howard in Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season, Danny Walker in the TV movie When Good Ghouls Go Bad, and Brennan Newton in Beethoven’s 3rd and Beethoven’s 4th. He also appeared in one 2002 episode of the children’s horror TV series The Nightmare Room. Pichler’s last role was in the 2002 film Children on Their Birthdays alongside his Varsity Blues co-star Jesse Plemons. The actor tragically disappeared in 2006 when he was 18 years old.

Brady Coleman – Sheriff Bigelow

Brady Coleman played Sheriff Bigelow as part of the cast of Varsity Blues, a brief role that isn’t memorable, at least not when compared to the other characters who are high school football players experiencing big milestone and changes. The actor portrayed a few different characters in the TV series Walker, Texas Ranger and Jerald McClary in the 2004 movie Friday Night Lights before playing small parts in movies and TV shows such as Bernie, Deep In The Heart, and The Leftovers. Most recently, Coleman played a doctor in a 2017 episode of The Son.