Disney Channel Original Movie Stars: What Are They Doing Today?
Hilary Duff (Then)
Photo: Disney ChannelHilary Duff was one of the biggest Disney stars of the early 2000s; she was the plucky title character in Lizzy McGuire. During that time, she also starred in the DCOM Cadet Kelly, a comedy a girl who moves to a new town and is forced to enroll in a military school.
The film also stars Disney Channel regular Christy Carlson Romano as a cadet captain.
Hilary Duff spent a quiet few years after leaving Disney. She continued making music, though with less success than before. She guest starred on a number of series before landing the role of ambitious editor Kelsey Peters on TV Land's Younger.
On the personal side of things, Duff has one son, Luca, whom she had with ex-husband Mike Comrie.
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Erik Von Detten (Then)
Photo: Disney ChannelErik von Detten was the star of the 1998 DCOM Brink!. The actor played Andy "Brink" Brinker, an in-line skater who competes for fun rather than money, but then must make a decision when his family falls into financial trouble.
- Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY
Erik von Detten appeared in many kid-friendly vehicles after Brink!, including So Weird, The Wild Thornberrys, As Told by Ginger, Recess, and The Legend of Tarzan. Having originally voiced Sid in Toy Story, he also returned to voice Sid all grown up in Toy Story 3.
Today, von Detten seems to have abandoned Hollywood, at least for the time being. He resurfaced in 2016 for the red carpet premiere of Adventures in Babysitting, the 100th DCOM. Von Detten brought his niece and nephew to the screening.
Kirsten Storms (Then)
Photo: Disney ChannelKirsten Storms starred in the smash hits Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century and its sequels, Zenon: The Zequel and Zenon: Z3. The actress portrayed the titular character, a girl living on an orbiting space station who gets "grounded" to Earth.
The sequels center on Zenon saving a group of homeless aliens and competing to win a teen contest.
- Photo: uploaded by Dave_7672
Despite the success of Zenon as a Disney Channel franchise, Kirsten Storms did not go on to star in any feature films. She instead focused on television, voicing Bonnie Rockwaller in Kim Possible for five years. She joined the soap opera General Hospital in 2005 as Maxie Jones, a role that netted her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 2009.
She had to leave the series for a time in 2011 after being diagnosed with endometriosis, but returned a year later. Storms has one child, a daughter named Harper.
Brandon Baker (Then)
Photo: Disney ChannelBrandon Baker played Johnny Kapahala in the Disney Channel movie Johnny Tsunami, released in 1999. It follows the Hawaiian-born, surfing-loving Johnny as he moves to Vermont, where he must adapt to his new surroundings. The film also stars DCOM favorite Kirsten Storms.
Baker reprised his role in the film's 2007 sequel, Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board.
- Photo: brandonbegood / via Instagram
Brandon Baker also starred in the NBC comedy One World when Johnny Tsunami was first released, and he appeared in other Disney properties like Even Stevens and The Proud Family. But Baker kept pretty quiet after that.
He explained his reasons for stepping back to Paste in 2012:
"I worked a lot behind the camera on short films and was still working on sets, among other things, but just taking a break from acting to see just whether or not I missed it and also just to give myself a chance to mature and grow up and approach it as an adult."
Ashley Tisdale (Then)
Photo: Disney ChannelHigh School Musical is the biggest DCOM of them all. Starring Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, and many more, the original 2006 film is loosely based on Romeo & Juliet, Troy (Efron) and Gabriella (Hudgens) try out for the high school musical, and fall for each other despite their different social circles. Tisdale is Sharpay, the Drama Club president hellbent on tearing them apart.
High School Musical became a phenomenon, spawning two sequels, winning Emmys, and launching tours and book series.
- Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY
Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens found success in major movies, but what happened to Ashley Tisdale? She continued her work on family-friendly projects for a time, lending her voice to Phineas and Ferb for many years. Tisdale stayed in the television world, appearing on shows like Hellcats, Sons of Anarchy, Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch, and Ginger Snaps.
Outside of acting, Tisdale became a creative director with the clothing brand Signorelli in 2016 and launched her own line. She wed Christopher French in 2014.
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Ryan Merriman (Then)
Photo: Disney ChannelThe Luck of the Irish, a St. Patrick's Day favorite, debuted in 2001 on the Disney Channel. The film stars Ryan Merriman as a popular basketball player who realizes he is a leprechaun after his hair turns red, his ears become pointed, and he starts shrinking.
To reverse the effects, Kyle must track down the lucky coin that allows he and his family to pose as humans.
- Photo: Metaweb / GNU Free Documentation License
Ryan Merriman starred in two other DCOMs, Smart House and A Ring of Endless Light. He has since appeared in many movies, including The Ring Two, Final Destination 3 and 42. Merriman is also a TV regular; from 2010-14 he played Ian Thomas on Pretty Little Liars.
Outside of the professional world, Merriman was married to Micol Duncan from 2004 until their divorce in 2011. He married Kristen McMullen in 2014. And if you're curious, Merriman still talks about The Luck of the Irish from time to time.
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Kimberly J. Brown (Then)
Photo: Disney ChannelKimberly J. Brown starred alongside the incomparable Debbie Reynolds in three Halloweentown movies. Brown stars as Marnie, whose witch grandmother Aggie (Reynolds) helps train Marnie in the ways of magic. Aggie enlists Marnie's help in protecting the citizens of Halloweentown, where Marnie meets all sorts of creepy yet peaceful creatures.
The sequels, Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge and Halloweentown High, feature Marnie and Aggie helping maintain peace between both worlds.
- Photo: Metaweb / CC-BY
Kimberly J. Brown acted intermittently on Guiding Light from the '90s to the mid-2000s and earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for her performance as Marah Lewis. Brown also appeared in the one-season AMC drama Low Winter Sun.
These days, Brown performs at the popular improv theater the Upright Citizens Brigade. She wrote a loving tribute to Debbie Reynolds after her former co-star's death in December 2016.
Shadia Simmons (Then)
Photo: Disney ChannelThe Color of Friendship was a groundbreaking Disney Channel original film for its examination of race relations and prejudice. Shadia Simmons starred as Piper Dellums, the African American daughter of a Congressman, whose family hosts Mahree Bok (Lindsey Haun), a white South African, for a semester.
The 2000 movie won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program.
- Photo: suggest.com / via Pinterest
After The Color of Friendship, Shadia Simmons appeared in numerous children's programs, including Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Quints, and Zenon: The Zequel. The Canadian actress also starred in some TV shows in her home country, including Strange Days at Blake Holsey High and Life with Derek.
She has a daughter, and works as a teacher and acting coach at Star Acting Studios.
Andrew Lawrence (Then)
Photo: Disney ChannelIn The Other Me, Andrew Lawrence plays Will Browning, a struggling student who accidentally creates a smarter clone of himself. He sends the clone to school in his place, and he quickly excels both academically and socially.
Meanwhile, a group of scientists attempts to kidnap the clone and bring him back to their lab.
- Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY
When the The Other Me premiered in 2000, Andrew Lawrence was the voice of T.J. Detweiler on the TV show Recess and its various movies. He has appeared in guest spots and TV movies sporadically since then, and the occasional independent movie. He has also lent his voice to a few video games, including Battlefield 4, Dead Rising 3, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. He currently has a recurring role on Hawaii Five-0.
Lawrence comes from an acting family; he's the younger brother of Matthew and Joey Lawrence. He's also a musician.
Camilla Belle (Then)
Photo: Disney ChannelRip Girls is a DCOM that delves into familial bonds and a sense of place. Camilla Belle stars as Sydney Miller, who visits her native Hawaii with her father and stepmom. Sydney inherits a plantation and decides to embrace the local culture by learning to surf and making new friends.
Camilla Belle appeared in one other TV project after Rip Girls, 2001's Back to the Secret Garden, before apparently abandoning the medium completely. She went on to star in many feature films, including The Ballad of Jack and Rose, When a Stranger Calls, 10,000 BC, and Push.
Belle dated Joe Jonas in 2008 after starring in the Jonas Brothers' video for "Lovebug," but the pair separated a year later. Taylor Swift, who Jonas supposedly left for Belle, wrote a song called "Better Than Revenge" that is rumored to be about Belle.
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Christy Carlson Romano (Then)
Photo: Disney ChannelEven Stevens was one of the most popular shows on the Disney Channel in the early 2000s, so naturally it spawned its own movie in 2003, appropriately titled The Even Stevens Movie. Shia LaBeouf and Christy Carlson Romano reprised their roles as Louis and Ren Stevens, siblings whose personalities couldn't be more different.
In the movie, the family travels to an island for a vacation, but winds up on a reality show.
- Photo: flickr / CC0
While Shia LaBeouf went on to sometimes controversial stardom, Christy Carlson Romano was much more under the radar with her career choices. She appeared in some smaller films and TV movies, though she was mostly known for voicing the lead character in Kim Possible from 2002-07. Romano also took her talents to Broadway, where she played Belle in Beauty and the Beast in 2004, and Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut in Avenue Q in 2008.
Romano has been married to Brendan Rooney since 2013 and gave birth to their first child, a daughter, in late 2016.
Chez Starbuck (Then)
Photo: Disney ChannelThe DCOM The Thirteenth Year centers on a teenage boy who discovers the truth about his heritage. Adopted teenager Cody (Chez Starbuck) discovers on his 13th birthday that he is actually a merman.
After he gains fins and scales, he ultimately sees who is true friends are.
- Photo: chez_starbuck / via Instagram
Chez Starbuck didn't stick in the acting world for long after his DCOM premiered. He voiced a character in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, and appeared in the TV movie Recipe for Disaster, among a handful of other credits.
These days, Starbuck is a painter living in Los Angeles. His work plays on pop culture iconography.
Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan, And Kiely Williams (Then)
Photo: Disney ChannelThe Cheetah Girls was Disney Channel's attempt at launching the next big girl group. The 2003 film stars Raven-Symoné, Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan, and Kiely Williams as four friends who dream of super-stardom and form their own group. The film tracks their conflicts, their rise to success, and their enduring friendship.
A sequel was released in 2006 with all four stars returning.
- Photo: Metaweb (FB) / Public domain
After their successful film premiered, Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan, and Kiely Williams went on tour as the Cheetah Girls. Meanwhile, Raven-Symoné recorded solo music, starred in other projects, and became a co-host on The View. The Cheetah Girls officially disbanded in 2008.
Bailon delved into the worlds of music and reality TV. She dated Rob Kardashian from 2007-09 and appeared on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Her reality TV career continued with Empire Girls: Julissa and Adrienne, which tracked the career of her and her friend Julissa Bermudez. She currently co-hosts the talk show The Real. She married Israel Houghton in 2016.
Bryan appeared on the fifth season of Dancing With the Stars in 2007, and returned for the show's All-Stars season in 2012. Bryan has appeared in a handful of shows and movies over the years, but has mostly kept a lower profile. In 2016 she participated in a Hollywood Bowl version of A Chorus Line with Ross Lynch.
Williams appeared in a few films and released her own solo music. The racy video for her song "Spectacular" received flak from critics who argued she was advocating for unprotected sex and promiscuity. She responded, "The fact is, that sometimes women get intoxicated and have unprotected sex. My video puts this issue front and center. It is absurd to infer or suggest that I am condoning this behavior."
