Snakkle Looks Back at the Cult Hit My So-Called Life

Claire Danes (Angela Chase)

Then: Danes imbued Angela Chase with relatable complexity, and her acts of rebellion—including dyeing her hair red—were attempts at finding herself. In the show's 19 episodes, we watched Angela go through the growing pains of disappointing and being disappointed by her parents; drifting away from childhood friends and embracing new ones; falling in love and being betrayed. In other words, the stuff that 15-year-olds go through.

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Claire Danes (Angela Chase)

Now: MSCL was one of Danes's first roles, but she soon became a bona fide movie star, with roles in Romeo + Juliet, Steve Martin's Shopgirl, The Family Stone, and Stardust, among others. Danes enrolled at Yale University in 1998 but hasn't finished her degree. In 2010, she won an Emmy for her performance in the HBO movie Temple Grandin. Next up is the fall Showtime series Homeland.

Jared Leto (Jordan Catalano)

Then: Dreamy yet distant, mysterious yet popular, Jordan was the enigmatic object of Angela's attraction. His schoolwork was pitiful to nonexistent, but his music was deep. Jordan had a hard time expressing himself, and his inner life was murky at best. Plus, he betrayed Angela with her best friend. But he felt really, really bad about it and wanted her to forgive him.

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Jared Leto (Jordan Catalano)

Now: Leto has appeared in many movies, including Prefontaine; The Thin Red Line; Girl, Interrupted; Fight Club; American Psycho; and Requiem for a Dream. In addition to his acting, he is the lead singer and primary songwriter for his band, 30 Seconds to Mars.

Bess Armstrong (Patty Chase)

Then: The strained-yet-loving mother-daughter relationship between Angela and Patty was one of the many highlights of MSCL. Patty was actually a pretty cool mom; she was the primary earner in the family, and she did her best to support—and connect with—her husband and her daughters.

Bess Armstrong (Patty Chase)

Now: Armstrong has appeared in several TV movies and guested on series including Frasier, One Tree Hill, Criminal Minds, Boston Legal, and, most recently, Castle.

Wilson Cruz (Rickie Vasquez)

Then: Rickie was a revelation for the time: an eyeliner-wearing gay teenager who was neither a caricature nor a tragic figure. He survived the trauma of coming out and being kicked out (a story line that directly paralleled Cruz's own) in a way that spoke to a generation of gay teens who'd never had a role model like him on TV, paving the way for the likes of Glee's Kurt and Blaine.

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Wilson Cruz (Rickie Vasquez)

Now: Cruz has appeared on TV series—The West Wing, Party of Five, ER, Monk, Pushing Daisies—as well as movies, including He's Just Not That into You. He's also starred in Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World and other series for the Logo network. Cruz continues to speak to and support gay youth.

A.J. Langer (Rayanne Graff)

Then: Rayanne was Angela's one-way ticket to teen rebellion, a troublemaker with a big heart and a lot of issues. She was fiercely loyal to her closest friends, Rickie and Angela, but she also loved to drink, which got her into big trouble when she hooked up with Jordan. Raised by a single mom, she was eager to bond with male authority figures like Angela's dad.

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A.J. Langer (Rayanne Graff)

Now: Langer had made many TV appearances (Blossom, Baywatch, The Wonder Years) before MSCL and continued to do so after the series was canceled (Seinfeld, Coach, Touched by an Angel). She had a starring role on the Jennifer Grey series It's Like, You Know…, but her acting career has taken a back seat in recent years since she married Lord Charles Peregrine Courtenay, the future Earl of Devon. She's now a mother of two and an activist for fibromyalgia awareness (she suffers from the disease).

Devon Odessa (Sharon Cherski)

Then: Sharon was the good girl whom Angela outgrew when she started hanging out with Rayanne and Rickie. Though they remained friendly, the relationship wasn't quite the same, and Sharon was jealous of the place Rayanne held in Angela's life.

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Devon Odessa (Sharon Cherski)

Now: Before her role on MSCL, Odessa had made guest appearances on Highway to Heaven and The Facts of Life. She has since guested on TV shows including Private Practice, Touched by an Angel, and That's So Raven.

Devon Gummersall (Brian Krakow)

Then: Brian was Angela's neighbor and longtime friend who had a crush on her but never found a way to tell her. He was an excellent student and a classic overachiever, but utterly awkward with girls. In the show's final scene, Angela and Brian share a moment—until Jordan shows up and whisks her away in his red car, leaving Brian standing there alone on his bike (to the heartbreak of many MSCL fans).

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Devon Gummersall (Brian Krakow)

Now: Gummersall has worked consistently since MSCL, appearing on TV shows including Roswell, Felicity, 24, and The L-Word, where he played Lisa the lesbian-identified man (it's hard to explain; watch it). He's also recently done guest spots on Drop Dead Diva, Castle, and CSI: NY and focused more on writing (Quarterlife) and directing.

Lisa Wilhoit (Danielle Chase)

Then: Angela's little sister was always playing second fiddle; on the one hand she resented Angela, and on the other she totally wanted to be her. She also had a secret crush on Brian.

Lisa Wilhoit (Danielle Chase)

Now: Wilhoit has appeared on TV shows including 7th Heaven, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Greek. She's also done voice work as Connie D'Amico on Family Guy and in films including Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Lizzie McGuire Movie.

Tom Irwin (Graham Chase)

Then: Graham was the kind of dad who knew when to be hands-off and knew when to be there. He offered Angela fatherly advice in a totally nonthreatening way. In the course of the series, he went through a midlife crisis, left his job (he was working for his wife), and pursued his passion for cooking.

Tom Irwin (Graham Chase)

Now: Irwin has performed in more than 30 productions with Chicago's Steppenwolf Company. He has appeared on TV in The Chicago Code, Frasier, Grey's Anatomy, ER, and Lost, among others. His movie credits include Marley & Me and 21 Grams.