My So-Called Life may have only lasted for one season, but its impact was huge for its cast and for teen pop culture as a whole. The teen drama proved to be a major launching board for the careers of several of its stars, including a future Emmy winner and a future Oscar winner! While some of the show's cast members have retreated to more private lives in recent years — or, in one case, to a literal aristocratic title — others have continued on to have A-list careers. Curious about what your faves are up to these days? We've rounded up the important info about all of My So-Called Life's most notable cast members. Keep reading to see where your favorite stars have landed!
Danes snagged her first leading role as Angela Chase, the identity-seeking protagonist and narrator of the show. An impressive actor right out the gate, she won her very first Golden Globe in 1995 for her portrayal of Angela.
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Claire Danes Now
Image Source: Getty / Michael Loccisano
Danes's career hasn't slowed down at all in the decades since My So-Called Life first aired. Her best known role in recent years is as CIA officer Carrie Mathison on the drama Homeland, which won her two Emmys and two Golden Globes. She has two sons with her husband, actor Hugh Dancy.
Armstrong (pictured above, far right) has continued to work very consistently in television, with guest and recurring roles on shows including House of Lies, NCIS, Switched at Birth, Scandal, and S.W.A.T. She's also stayed close with some of her former costars: she's pictured here at TV daughter Danes's side when Danes got her Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2015.
Like his TV love interest Danes, Leto has gone on to a fairly acclaimed career. He won an Oscar in 2013 for Dallas Buyers Club and recently played the iconic supervillain the Joker in Suicide Squad. He's also the lead singer for Thirty Seconds to Mars, a rock group that also features his brother Shannon.
Cruz continues to play groundbreaking gay characters: as Dr. Hugh Culber, he's half of a major gay couple on Star Trek: Discovery (opposite fellow Rent alum Anthony Rapp). Over the years, he's had roles on other major shows as well, including Grey's Anatomy and 13 Reasons Why.
Langer played Rayanne Graff, Angela's rebellious best friend. Her life has definitely taken the most unexpected turn: she married into the British aristocracy and is now known as Allison Joy Courtenay, Countess of Devon! There are no recent photos of her, as she's busy leading a life far, far from Hollywood.
Although Wilhoit continued to act until 2017, she kept a much lower profile and leaned heavily into voice work rather than being on screen. Since 2017, she's retired from acting and has stepped away from the public eye completely.
Gummersall has continued acting over the last couple of decades, most recently with roles in Mad Men, Criminal Minds, and The Last Ship. He's also turned to directing, including some episodes of the ABC/CMT drama Nashville.
Irwin has racked up the guest appearances in the years since My So-Called Life. He spent 2013 to 2016 playing Adrian Powell on the Lifetime drama Devious Maids, and he recurred on the ABC Family drama Chasing Life as well. You can catch him on Apple TV+'s new series, The Morning Show.
Unlike many of her costars, Odessa isn't doing as much acting these days. Her last major credit was a guest spot on Private Practice in 2011. However, she did stay close to her My So-Called Life family.