Dazed and Confused is Richard Linklater’s coming-of-age film about hanging out. It’s a comedy that doesn’t necessarily have a plot besides a group of teens looking for parties and avoiding responsibility on the last day of high school in 1976.
However, the film has become a cult classic wrapped in the nostalgia for a time and feeling of high school. It also launched the careers of Matthew McConaughey, Milla Jovovich, Ben Affleck, and many others. Dazed and Confused featured an ensemble of promising young actors who went on to have successful careers starring in the Resident Evil franchise, multiple Kevin Smith films and some have even gone on to win an Oscar or two.
Willy Wiggins: Mitch Kramer
Dazed and Confused had a truly talented cast but there are bound to be a few actors who sort of drifted off. Out of all the cast members, Willy Wiggins is probably the least famous actor. He was 16 when he got the part of Mitch Kramer, the lanky freshman with the long locks who was tormented by Ben Affleck’s O’Bannion.
After his role as Mitch, Wiggins didn’t stay in Hollywood for very long. Although he found small roles in The Faculty and as the main character in Linklater’s Waking Life, Wiggins has since steered away from the spotlight altogether. He now designs games and writes about cyberculture. His last film was in Social Animals back in 2018.
Jason London: Randal "Pink" Floyd
As Randal “Pink” Floyd, the quarterback with a moral code who is unsure about his football career, Jason London seemed like the obvious choice to have a successful career. Just like his twin brother, Jeremy, the London boys had a lot of potential. While Jeremy went on to star in Mallrats and multiple '90s shows, Jason appeared in Man On The Moon, Rage: Carrie 2, and Out Cold.
Despite this his career has been largely confined to performances in small films that didn’t grab a bigger audience. His 2022 year is packed with post-production films including The Martini Shot, Campton Manor, and Afterwards, all written or directed by Matthew Wallis.
Joey Lauren Adams: Simone Kerr
After getting her television debut in Top of the Heap and Married With Children, Joey Lauren Adams’s film debut as Simone Kerr in Linklater’s film made her a household name in the '90s. Although her role was small, Adams was just as memorable as her co-stars. She went on to join Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse in Mallrats and as Alyssa in Chasing Amy. She would later reprise her role of Alyssa in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Jay And Silent Bob Reboot.
Adams continued to act outside of Smith’s films including Big Daddy, Beautiful, and Harvard Man. She also had recurring roles in Party Down, The United States of Tara, and Switched At Birth. Her newest comedy film, Tankhouse is currently in post-production
Rory Cochrane: Ron Slater
As Slater, the stoner with the best quotes in Dazed and Confused, Rory Cochrane stole every scene. Not only did Cochrane star in this cult classic, he was one of the record store employees of another cult classic, Empire Records, as everyone's favorite philosophical closer.
After appearing in a few films here and there throughout the 90s, Cochrane didn’t start getting bigger roles until the 2000s when he starred in A Scanner Darkly, Public Enemies, and Argo alongside Dazed and Confused co-star Ben Affleck. Cochrane can be seen in the Amazon original film Encounter and in the Guillermo del Toro produced horror film Antlers starring alongside Keri Russel and Jesse Plemons.
Anthony Raap: Tony Olsen
Before playing sweet Tony in Dazed and Confused, Anthony Raap had his acting debut in the '80s classic, Adventures in Babysitting as Daryl Cooper. Since then, he has continued his movie career with performances in Twister and A Beautiful Mind.
But it is his musical talents that gets him the most recognition. Broadway fans would know Raap as the aspiring filmmaker Mark in Jonathan Larson’s Broadway hit Rent and as Lucas in If/Then. He went on to reprise his role of Mark in the movie adaptation. Lately, Raap can be seen on the CBS original Star Trek Discovery as Lt Commander Paul Stamets.
Adam Goldberg: Mike Newhouse
Mike was just the honest teen who just wanted to dance. Adam Goldberg has found success in both film and television since starring in the coming of age film. Not only did Goldberg appear in an episode of ER and as Chandler Bing’s weird roommate Eddie in Friends, he has been featured in multiple films including Saving Private Ryan, A Beautiful Mind, and Zodiac.
His recent Television appearances include starring as one of the villains in the TV remake of the cult '90s film Fargo as well as Taken and Equalizer. Fans may not know that Goldberg has some musical talents and is a well-known musician performing with The Flaming Lips drummer Steven Drozd. Goldberg has several albums under his belt, including a few as part of his musical project The Goldberg Sisters.
Parker Posey: Darla Marks
As Darla Marks, the senior who had fun terrorizing freshmen, Parker Posey made being a mean girl look cool. Her performance in the teen comedy is considered one of Posey's best films and yet it is just a notch in a long career in show business.
Posey is best known for her collaborations with director Christopher Guest and is considered a queen of independent films. She has over 100 credits to her name including House of Yes, Best In Show, Kicking and Screaming, and Scream 3. She is currently starring as June Harris/Dr. Smith in the Netflix revival of Lost In Space and will be playing in the new HBO limited series based on the 'The Staircase' murder with Colin Firth and Toni Collette.
Milla Jovovich: Michelle Burroughs
Before getting the role of Michelle Burroughs, 16-year-old Milla Jovovich had already appeared in a couple of films including Kuffs and Chaplin, starring the future Iron Man. Despite having top billing in Dazed and Confused, Jovovich’s scenes were cut, leading the actress to take a break and focus on a music career. However, she would return to acting in 1998 as LeeLoo in Luc Besson’s sci-fi The Fifth Element.
It would be a few years later when she got the lead in the video game adaptation of Resident Evil. She reprised her role as Alice in multiple sequels and cemented herself as an action star appearing in UltraViolet, Monster Hunter, and the upcoming action flick Hummingbird which she will play an assassin who begins to question her skills.
Ben Affleck: Fred O'Bannion
Five years before he won the Oscar writing the acclaimed Good Will Hunting alongside his friend Matt Damon, Ben Affleck got his start playing the creep Fred O’Bannion in Linklater’s Dazed and Confused. He was everyone’s ultimate bully as he spent yet another year celebrating the last day of high school tormenting Mitch Kramer and his friends.
Affleck has continued his roles as the creep in Kevin Smith’s comedy Mallrats but moved on as he started getting roles as the romantic lead in Chasing Amy, Forces of Nature, and Bounce. He got his second Oscar in 2012, this time directing Argo, and became the 9th actor to play the comic superhero Batman. Affleck can be seen in Ridley Scott's The Last Duel and the upcoming drama The Tender Bar directed by another Oscar winner, George Clooney.
Matthew McConaughey: David Wooderson
Without Wooderson, would Hollywood have gotten the magnetic Matthew McConaughey? It’s hard to imagine but thank goodness Linklater gave the young actor a shot. His role as the cool guy with the laid-back attitude launched McConaughey's career and made him a household name.
After his debut in Dazed and Confused, McConaughey would star in a bunch of rom-com movies including How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days and Failure To Launch. After taking a hiatus, he jumped back in with Mud and Magic Mike and later in Dallas Buyers Club where he won an Academy Award for Best Actor. Later he would star in the acclaimed HBO series, True Detective, Wolf Of Wall Street, Serenity, and White Boy Rick. Soon, kids will hear McConaughey’s voice again in the upcoming sequel to the family film Sing 2 out this Christmas.