Freaks And Geeks Cast: Where Are They Now?
The following references allegations of sexual misconduct.
The 1999 series "Freaks and Geeks" is still one of NBC's most memorable cult classics. Created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow, the show follows a group of misfits in the 1980s as they navigate high school, bullies, and teenage rebellion. Through the eyes of Lindsay and Sam Weir, the audience gains an awkward and comedically unique perspective on adolescence that includes freaks, geeks, and everyone in between. The show was canceled after one season, airing only 12 out of its 18 filmed episodes due to low ratings.
In spite of its short run time, "Freaks and Geeks" proved to be a big break for quite a few Hollywood A-listers. With the help of Apatow, Linda Cardellini, Seth Rogen, James Franco, Busy Philipps, Jason Segal, John Francis Daley, Martin Starr, Samm Levine, and many other ensemble members went on to have incredibly successful careers in television, music, comedy and film. So, what are the actors of "Freaks and Geeks" up to these days? Let's dive into where they are now.
Linda Cardellini has had a one-of-a-kind career
In the pilot of "Freaks and Geeks," we are introduced to Lindsay Weir, a brainy teen looking for a fresh start. It's a new school year, and Lindsay (Linda Cardellini) is tired of being a mathlete. She decides to trade her jersey for a beat up army jacket to become one of the "burnouts" — or "freaks" — and must balance her "geek" lifestyle with her new outcast friends.
To say Cardellini's career has flourished since "Freaks And Geeks" is an understatement. You might recognize her as Velma from the "Scooby Doo" live action movies, or even as Chutney Windham, the murderous witness who lied about her perm in "Legally Blonde." This only touches the surface of this actor's expansive career. Cardellini has had starring roles in "ER," "Bloodline," And Netflix's "Dead To Me," which aired its final season in November 2022. She has also done voice work for "Robot Chicken," "Sanjay and Craig," and "Gravity Falls."
When asked if she would ever reprise her iconic role as Velma, Cardellini told Entertainment Weekly, "Oh God, yeah! But I'm probably too old." And as for whether she sees a "Freaks And Geeks" reunion happening, she was open to it, but admittedly skeptical. "I mean, if everybody was in it, sure. But it depends." As she said to Collider, it might be hard to capture the magic of the original series, but she's not totally opposed to the idea.
Jason Segel pivoted to more dramatic fare
Jason Segel played the Lindsay's lovable but clueless love interest, Nick Andopolis. This was Segel's first major role where he was got a chance to showcase both his acting and musical talents (never forget that he wrote "Lady L," Nick's song about Lindsay). After his time on "Freaks and Geeks," Segel was booked in one comedic project after another. On the film side of things, he scored roles in hits like "Knocked Up," "I Love You, Man," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," and "This Is 40,"; on the small screen, he nabbed "How I Met Your Mother" and "Two And A Half Men." Segel even lent his voice to "Despicable Me" as Gru's nemesis, Vector.
While Segel certainly made a name for himself in the world of comedy, he reached a point in his career where he needed something new. As he told the Independent, he was more than ready for "How I Met Your Mother" to end so he could explore other avenues. "I was really, really in need of doing an artistic check-in, and it was no one's responsibility but my own," he said.
The actor tried his hand at drama and it worked out: Segel's performance in 2015's "The End of the Tour" earned him a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. He would also star in "The Discovery," "Dispatches From Everywhere" and "Our Friend." In 2023, Segel co-produced and starred in "Shrinking" alongside Harrison Ford.
Busy Philipps wears a lot of hats
Busy Philipps portrayed Kim Kelly, the troubled and perpetually moody burnout of "Freaks and Geeks." Initially somewhat of a bully to Lindsay, Kelly turns out to be hiding a sad home life. The episode "Kim Kelly Is My Friend," which was banned by NBC, dives into her backstory with raw detail, showing some pretty graphic scenes between Kim, her family, and her boyfriend, Daniel. Her strained relationships cause her to act out in cruel ways, but Kim eventually mellows out and builds a deeper connection with Lindsay.
Since the show's cancellation, Philipps nabbed roles in "Dawson's Creek," "Cougar Town," "White Chicks," and Peacock's musical dramedy "Girls5eva." She also wrote a memoir called "This Will Only Hurt A Little." What's more, she's also gotten into the world of sponcon and making money off of her social media presence. As she told The Guardian, "People fundamentally have a really misguided idea about your wealth because you were on a huge TV show. I've been on three big TV shows and I was broke by age 28."
What's more, Philipps hosted the sadly short-lived talk show "Busy Tonight" and has even stepped behind the camera to direct. And she's only keeping the ball rolling. As she told Entrepreneur in 2019, "Even when I find bits of success and times in my life like this one right now ... there's still no slowing down ... I'm still pushing and asking myself, 'What's the next thing? How do I move towards that goal?'"
John Francis Daley is an accomplished screenwriter
Arguably the most adorable "geek," Sam Weir (John Francis Daley) is Lindsay's kind-hearted little brother. Most of "Freaks and Geeks" is shown through Sam's perspective as he navigates bullies, crushes, and all the typical drama of high school. Of the three geeks, Sam put up with the most bullying — whether it was coming from Alan (Chauncey Leopardi), Karen (Rashida Jones), or his own sister accidentally egging him on Halloween. Daley was cast at just 14 years old, making Sam his breakout role. Right after "Freaks and Geeks," Daley would have a guest appearance on "Boston Public" alongside his father. A few years later, Daley would play Dr. Lance Sweets on the Fox drama "Bones." Oh, and he also had a role on the series "The Geena Davis Show," where he met his writing partner, Jonathan Goldstein.
Daley and Goldstein share a number of writing credits, including "Spider-Man: Homecoming," "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2," and both "Horrible Bosses" films. The two also co-directed the comedies "Vacation" and "Game Night." And as for what's next? The duo joined forces to write and direct the 2023 comedy-adventure "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves."
While he clearly is a talented actor, working behind-the-scenes was what really called to Daley. "I had always been interested in screenwriting, ever since I could write things down as a child. ... Screenwriting was always something that I had great interest in," he told Collider in 2011.
James Franco was accused of sexual misconduct
James Franco is yet another huge star born from the "Freaks and Geeks" cast. After dropping out of UCLA, Franco started acting in small commercials . Eventually, he was cast as the rebellious Daniel Desario in "Freaks and Geeks." When the show ended, Franco immediately focused on building his impressive resume and didn't keep in touch with the cast. "There was a point where most people on the show didn't like me, because I took myself too seriously," Franco told The New York Times in 2014. "So everybody didn't like me, I think, except for Seth [Rogen]." For the next few years, Franco would be at the peak of his success with films such as "Milk," "Pineapple Express," "This Is The End," "127 Hours," "Eat Pray Love," "Spring Breakers," "The Interview," and the "Spider-Man" trilogy.
With his long list of accomplishments comes a long list of allegations. In 2018, Franco was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women. He denied the allegations. Since these accusations came to light, several of Franco's "Freaks and Geeks" castmates have cut ties with him, including Busy Philipps and his longtime pal Seth Rogen. Franco and Rogen worked on a handful of films together throughout their many years of friendship, but Rogen told The Sunday Times of London (via The Daily Beast) that the door is basically shut. However, it seems like Franco is in the midst of reviving his career. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he's been cast in "Me, You" and "Mace."
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Martin Starr's film credits keep stacking up
Played by Martin Starr, Bill Haverchuck is remembered for his nerdy glasses, deadpan demeanor, and of course, his Bionic Woman Halloween costume. After "Freaks and Geeks" got the ax, Starr kept on acting. He's had small roles in "Game of Thrones," "I'll See You In My Dreams," and "Spider-Man," and more notable parts in "Party Down," "Burning Love," and "Silicon Valley." Most recently, Starr had significant roles in "Tulsa King," "Beavis and Butt-Head," "Drunk History," and "Tacoma FD.
Although he enjoyed his time on "Freaks and Geeks," the actor doesn't have any plans on joining a reboot. "Definitely no way in hell," Starr told TheWrap in 2018. "You wouldn't enjoy it if it happened. Just imagine, we're a bunch of ugly old people now. We're not the kids you look back and are like, 'That's just like me! I was awkward and weird in high school.' Now we're like s*** pigs, grown a** s*** pigs," the actor joked.
Seth Rogen has a comedy empire
Seth Rogen has had an incredibly expansive career since "Freaks and Geeks." His role as Ken Miller was small in retrospect, but it helped him evolve from small teenage comedian to bonafide megastar. According to NYFA, he started doing stand-up when he was still a teenager and immediately found success. From there, he appeared on "Freaks and Geeks," where he earned his first writing credit and met Judd Apatow, a producer who would take the promising young comedian under his wing. "Obviously, I can't stress how important Judd's been to my career," Rogen gushed to The Telegraph. After "Freaks," Rogen starred in a number instant classics, such as "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Knocked Up," and "Superbad." He also has writing and production credits on quite a few of his projects, including "Superbad." In 2022, he played Bennie in Steven Spielberg's critically acclaimed drama "The Fabelmans."
Rogen has done everything from acting to writing to producing to directing, but he also owns a cannabis company called Houseplant that he runs out of bungalow that was built in 1918. According to IndieWire, Rogen plans on expanding his production company with "Sausage Party: Foodtopia" and a couple series for AppleTV+. The outlet also noted that later in 2023, we should expect to see him in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" — and this is just one of many projects Rogen's rumored to be a part of.
Samm Levine stays busy with acting and podcasting
According to Page Six, Samm Levine was 17 when he auditioned for the role of Sam Weir, but was immediately cast as the smart-aleck Neil Schweiber upon giving a questionable impression of William Shatner. Levine told the outlet he had a blast working on "Freaks and Geeks," and made sure to capture every moment through a journal he kept during filming. When the show was canceled, Levine found himself at a crossroads: either he keep acting or he go home. As reported by the aforementioned publication, the actor gave himself 6 months from his 18th birthday to land another gig — and he hasn't gone more than six months without a job since. "Not Another Teen Movie" was his first big hit post "Freaks and Geeks," and Levine's career continued to soar from there.
Levine has gotten into production, podcasting, trivia competitions, and comedy, but always finds himself back in front of the camera. In 2019, he starred in "Immortal," a thriller that tells four separate terrifying stories, and in 2022, he had a guest role on three episodes of "Raven's Home." A few of Levine's minor appearances include "Minx," "Rob Riggle's Ski Master Academy," "Crunch Time" and "K.C. Undercover." He was also a co-host on "DC Daily," a program covering news related to DC Comics, alongside Tiffany Smith.
Shia LaBeouf's behind-the-scenes trouble
Shia LaBeouf went from being one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood to being a pariah. He first on started on "The X Files" and as Herbert the Mascot in "Freaks and Geeks." Though he doesn't have much screentime, Herbert moves the story along, and we got to see LaBeouf's acting skills from a young age. In the early '00s, LaBeouf played Louis on Disney's "Even Stevens" — his breakout role. Soon, his career would gain momentum and he would play the lead roles in "Holes," "Transformers," "Disturbia," and "Indiana Jones," gaining him praise and notoriety in the mainstream.
LaBeouf has also faced his fair share of controversy. In 2021, he was accused of sexual assault and abuse by singer and ex-girlfriend, FKA Twigs. Then, Sia, who had worked with him on her "Elastic Hearts" video, came to Twigs' defense and spoke out against LaBeouf. And, of course, there's his involvement in the "Don't Worry Darling" drama. However, despite a small collective pause from Hollywood, it seems like LaBeouf is trying to move forward. He is reportedly sober, and on an episode of "Bishop Barron Presents," he stated, "[Twigs] saved my life." LaBeouf and Twigs are set to go to trial in April 2023.
On the work side of things, LaBeouf's more recent credits include "Honey Boy" and "Padre Pio." He is also set to appear in Frances Ford Coppola's upcoming project, "Megalopolis."
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
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If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Sarah Hagan scored more TV roles
While some students at William McKinley High were eager for a change, Millie Kentner was more than happy staying the same. Played by Sarah Hagan, Millie is Lindsay Weir's brainy and ultra-religious friend who she ditches for the "freaks." Hilarious and painfully awkward, Millie is fondly remembered for the line "She fornicates it!" from the fourth episode of "Freaks and Geeks" – a real-life flub. As Hagan explained to Page Six, she had no idea what "fornicate" meant. Despite their occasional on-screen tension, Linda Cardellini, who played Lindsay, and Hagan were close in real life and remained friends after the show's wrap. In fact, Hagan tells Page Six that the whole cast was family. "It was so special for a lot of us because. .. it was our first things and a lot of us were kids. So we spent a lot of time together," she recalled affectionately. "We were like their little family outside of their family."
When "Freaks And Geeks" ended, Hagan landed a recurring role on "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" as Amanda. In the coming years, she would also appear on "90210," "Breaking Fat," and "My Gym Partner's a Monkey." In 2022, Hagan voiced a kid bully in "Arlo The Alligator Boy" and was brought on to produce a film called "Old Man In France." While Hagan still loves acting, her focus has shifted to her family life. In 2021, she welcomed her second child with "Chef's Table" director and husband Clay Jeter.
Chauncey Leopardi is forever Squints
Before he was Alan White, Chauncey Leopardi was the mischievous Michael "Squints" Palledorous in 1993's "The Sandlot." This cute and comedic role was his breakout and first cult classic, but definitely not his first acting credit. Leopardi, who started acting when he was six, spent a good chunk of the '90s in minor roles from "Boy Meets World," to "The X Files," "Casper" and "Father Of The Bride." On "Freaks and Geeks," Leopardi plays a ruthless but sensitive bully named Alan who is really just struggling with loneliness. When the show ended, the actor appeared on "Gilmore Girls" as Kyle Gibson, an episode of "CSI" even reprised his role as Squints in "The Sandlot: Heading Home" before taking a break from acting. As he explained to OhMars in 2008, he wanted to produce his own projects.
These days, Leopardi spends most of his time with his three children. And yes, he still gets recognized as "Squints"; as he told The Reel Place, if he's out and about with his glasses on, there's a solid chance someone will call it out. And by all accounts, he's proud to be a part of the movie's legacy. "Everyone thought it was a cool film, good piece, but nobody really saw it," he told the Green Bay Press. "Then 10, 15 years later, you see it as, like, it's traveling and skipping a generation and then another generation. You are like, 'Wow, this is a thing.'"
Dave Allen's a staple of the small screen
Mr. Jeff Rosso is probably William McKinley's chillest guidance counselor ever. Played by comedian/actor Dave "Gruber" Allen, Mr. Rosso was most certainly a hippie, but he cared deeply for his students without being overbearing, and always looked out for them. Before "Freaks and Geeks," Allen starred in the 1990 series "The Higgins Boys and Gruber". You might also remember him as the quirky woodshop teacher, Mr. Kwest, on "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide," or for his minor roles in "Gilmore Girls" and 2016's "Ghostbusters." Gruber has a long filmography that includes voice work for shows like "King of the Hill," and "Mighty Magiswords," but also writing and production for smaller projects such as "The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show." What's more, Allen showcased his musical talent on an episode of "Freaks and Geeks" by playing Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen," and was in a cover band called ZZ Scott on the sitcom "Ben & Kate." Some of Allen's more recent acting credits include "Love," "Mike & Molly," "Ghostbusters," and "Preacher."
All these years later, "Freaks and Geeks" still holds a special place in Allen's heart. As he told the Daily Herald in 2016, "It was a great show. ... I still get recognized a lot from it. It was the culmination of a lot of connections and experiences."
Lizzy Caplan's career isn't in trouble
Last but certainly not least, we have Lizzy Caplan. On "Freaks And Geeks," Caplan had a recurring role as Sara, a student at William McKinley High who worked in the front office. Sara has a crush on Nick Andopolis and in the final episode of the series, she's finally dating him — but also teaching him how to disco. Caplan didn't anticipate that "Freaks and Geeks" would become such a cult classic, nor did she click with her costars right away. "A lot of them I consider my really close friends, but it took us a while," she said on an episode of "Made Man." "A lot of people came onto that show just for little parts and it was just like a total fluke that my first job happened to be the coolest possible first job you could ever have... It had nothing to do with me."
Caplan's career skyrocketed after "Freaks And Geeks." After its cancellation, Caplan starred in "From Where I Sit," and "Undeclared." She then landed one of her most iconic roles as Janis Ian in "Mean Girls," but the actor has also appeared in "Masters Of Sex," "True Blood," and "127 Hours" alongside James Franco. More recently, Caplan played Libby Epstein in the miniseries "Fleishman Is In Trouble," and she's involved in the "Fatal Attraction" reboot. And when she's not busy working, she makes all of the time for her son. "I have no hobbies; my hobby is him," she told Grazia. "Motherhood's good stuff."