Where Are They Now? Felicity Edition

Welcome back to another installment of Where Are They Now?  Previous WATN? posts have covered the cast of Roswell and the cast of My So-Called Life.  Fresh off my re-viewing of Felicity, today’s post is all about the talented cast of that quiet, contemplative WB show from the late nineties.  Without further ado, let’s get right to it!

Felicity was a show that aired on the WB from 1998-2002.  It was about a young, slightly-awkward and completely naive girl named Felicity (duh) who follows her high school crush Ben across the country to college in New York after he writes a personal message in her yearbook.  Over the course of her four years at the fictional University of New York, Felicity makes friends, falls in love, and experiences the pangs of growing up.  An extremely talented ensemble cast brought this sometimes earnest drama up above much of its teen-soap competition.  So where are they now?

Keri Russell (Felicity Porter)

Keri Russell was 22 when Felicity premiered.  She got her start on The All New Mickey Mouse Club before moving on and getting roles in several TV movies, including The Babysitter’s Seduction, When Innocence is Lost, and The Lottery, as well as several guest spots on TV shows such as 7th Heaven and a recurring role on Malibu Shores.  Felicity was a star-making role for Russell, who had roles in several movies during the course of the show, including Dead Man’s Curve (which  I’ve seen, and is terrible) and Mad About Mambo.  After the show went off the air in 2002, Russell took a few years off before appearing as a ballet-dancing (she’s a trained dancer) daughter in The Upside of Anger.  Following that project, Russell appeared in the TNT mini-series Into the West, starred in the late Adrienne Shelley’s Waitress (one of my favorite movies of all time), and Mission: Impossible III.  Most recently, Russell appeared in Extraordinary Measures and the short-lived FOX sitcom Running Wilde.  Her current project is a film called Goats, alongside Vera Farmiga and David Duchovny, which should be released later this year.

Fun Fact: After Russell (infamously) cut off all of her hair in the second season of Felicity, the show’s ratings took a nose dive.  This led to the WB’s execs creating a clause in female stars’ contracts forbidding them to cut their hair without authorization.  This is, of course, total and complete bullshit.

Scott Foley (Noel Crane)

Scott Foley was 26 when the show began airing on the WB.  Foley’s character Noel was Felicity’s freshman RA, and the two embarked on an awkward (and mostly sweet) romance.  Noel was slightly geeky and often self-righteous (even when he had no reason to be), but his friendship with Felicity was a driving force behind the plot.  Foley got his start with guest appearances on TV shows like Sweet Valley High (!!!), Step by Step, Dawson’s Creek (remember when he played Cliff and he and Dawson fought over Jen?  Yeah, it was really boring then, too.)  During his time on Felicity, Foley also appeared in Scream 3.  After the show ended, Foley made guest appearances on Jack & Bobby, House, and Scrubs.  He was a series regular on The Unit, and had a recurring role on both Couger Town and, most recently, Grey’s Anatomy.  His most recent project is a TV movie called The Doctor, also starring Kyle Maclachlan and Eva Amurri.

Fun Fact: Scott Foley met his (now ex-) wife Jennifer Garner on the set of Felicity.

Scott Speedman (Ben Covington)

Born in London and raised in Canada, Scott Speedman was 23 when Felicity premiered.  Before landing the role of Ben, the crush-t0-end-all-crushes that launched Felicity’s journey from California to New York, Speedman had roles on various shows and TV movies.  Notably, he played Ned Nickerson on a short-lived Nancy Drew series, was on an episode of Goosebumps (Say Cheese and Die!), and a TV movie called What Happened to Bobby Earl?  Since his work on Felicity ended, Speedman has worked fairly steadily in movies, landing roles in My Life Without Me (this one is actually really great, you should watch it), Underworld (and its sequel), and the very scary The Strangers.  Speedman has three projects in post-production: The Moth Diaries (about a boarding school and vampires), an independent crime drama called Edwin Boyd, and The Vow, with Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum.

Fun Fact: Speedman was an aspiring Olympic swimmer but an injury derailed his career.  He also dated Heather Graham, which disappoints me. (Those two facts are not related, by the way.)

Tangi Miller (Elena Tyler)

Tangi Miller was already 28 when the show premiered.  Miller played the strong-willed, academically-focused Elena, whose goal in life was to become a doctor.  Before landing the role of Elena, Miller didn’t have a lot of television or film credits to her name.  A guest appearance on Arli$$ is about it.  During her time on the show, Miller made guest appearances on The Amanda Show and The Shield, as well as getting roles in several TV movies, including Playing with Fire and Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story.  After Felicity wrapped, Miller continued to work in TV and movies, with guest appearances on Kim Possible and The District, and starring in the straight-to-DVD movie Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood.  More recently, Miller has been working in movies, including an appearance in Medea’s Family Reunion and Drones (directed by Buffy alum Amber Benson).  Miller currently has two projects in production: Fanaddict, which also stars Sticky Fingaz; and Guardian of Eden.  There’s not a lot of information about either of these projects.

Fun Fact: Miller has a master of fine arts from the University of California, Irvine.

Greg Grunberg (Sean Blumberg)

Grunbert was 31 when Felicity began airing.  He played Sean Blumberg, the older roommate of Ben and constant inventor of almost-great products.  Before landing the role of Sean, Blumberg worked mostly in TV, landing guest appearances on Melrose Place, Baywatch, and Murphy Brown.  After Felicity ended, Grunberg went on to have roles in some movies such as The Ladykillers, Star Trek, and Mission Impossible III.  He was a series regular on Alias and Heroes, and most recently appeared on a TV show called Love Bites.  His current project is a TV movie called Big Mike.

Fun Fact: Greg has known J.J. Abrams since they were in kindergarten and has appeared in almost all of Abrams’s projects.

Amanda Foreman (Meghan Rotundi)

Amanda Foreman was also 31 when the show began airing.  Originally just a roommate whose purpose was to be an acerbic foil to Felicity’s naivete, the goth-turned-60s-throwback Meghan slowly evolved into one of the funniest, most compelling characters on the show (she’s also one of my favorite characters of all time, but that is a topic for another day).  Before landing the role of Meghan on the show, Foreman had small roles in some movies, including Future Shock (directed by Felicity exec producer Matt Reeves), Forever Young, and Sliver.  While filming the show, Foreman also had a role in On the Line (does anyone else remember this movie?  Did anyone see it?).  After the show wrapped, Foreman continued working in TV and movies, landing guest appearances on Six Feet Under, Miss Match, and Alias (love!).  She was a regular on the short-lived What About Brian?  More recently, she’s had recurring roles on Private Practice and Parenthood.  Like Grunberg, Foreman appears in many of J.J. Abrams’s work.

Fun Fact: Her father is kind of a big deal–he’s a producer in Hollywood, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was one of his projects.

Ian Gomez (Javier Quintata)

Gomez was 34 when Felicity premiered.  Originally just a guest star, Gomez’s Javier became a beloved and eccentric character.  Javier was Ben and Felicity’s boss at Dean & Deluca, but he soon warmed his way into the hearts and lives of all their friends and became a staple at their gatherings.  Before becoming a regular on Felicity, Gomez had guest appearances on shows such as Missing Persons, Married with Children, Murphy Brown, and Melrose Place.  During his time on Felicity, he was also a series regular on the sitcom Norm.  After Felicity ended, Gomez continued to work in TV and film, getting roles in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, My Life in Ruins, and I Hate Valentine’s Day (he and Nia Vardalos are married), as well as recurring roles on  The Drew Carey Show, Jake in Progress, and Rita Rocks. Gomez has also had guest appearances on Lost, Heroes, According to Jim, and My Boys.  Most recently, Gomez appears on Cougar Town as a regular.

Fun Fact: Gomez is an alumnus of Chicago’s ImprovOlympic comedy troupe.

Amy Jo Johnson (Julie Emrick)

Amy Jo Johnson was 28 when the show premiered, and she was in many ways a veteran TV actress already.  As Julie Emrick, Felicity’s first female friend at UNY, Johnson played a sort of tragic character (tragically annoying): Julie was in search of her biological parents, and in the process she struggles with date-rape, douchebags in the music industry, and a bunch of other stuff.  Before landing the role on Felicity, Johnson was best known for her work as Kimberly, the Pink Power Ranger on Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.  She was also in two power rangers movies.  After leaving Felicity early, Johnson was a regular on The Division.  She had a recurring role on What About Brian? and ABC Family’s Wildfire.  Her current projects include being a series regular on Flashpoint.  She’s also in the upcoming Tiger Eyes, an adaptation of Judy Blume’s great YA book.

Fun Fact: Johnson is a musician who plays both the piano and guitar.  She was also a gymnast (and my FAVORITE POWER RANGER WHAT UP)

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