What The Cast Of Ever After Is Doing Today
If you grew up in the '90s or naughties, there's a strong chance that the Cinderella adaptation "Ever After" had a very, very strong hold over you. Who among us didn't dream of wearing those iconic butterfly wings to a ball? Starring Drew Barrymore as Danielle and Angelica Huston as her wicked stepmother, the medieval period romance roughly followed the plot of the classic fairy tale — with a few clever twists.
The premise of the film is that Danielle's story inspired the Brothers Grimm to write "Cinderella." As Roger Ebert wrote in his review of the film, "Ever After" brings a "human dimension" to the classic tale — and feels more like a BBC period drama than a Disney adaptation.
Get ready for a shock — as of 2023, "Ever After" is officially 25 years old. And many of its stars have gone on to have some pretty remarkable careers. Let's take a look at where the cast of "Ever After" is today.
Drew Barrymore is now a beloved talk show host
Drew Barrymore was already a well-known star when she starred in "Ever After" as Danielle, having appeared in "E.T." and "Scream." She went on to have a hugely successful acting career. Her roles included playing Josie in "Never Been Kissed," Dylan in "Charlie's Angels," Lucy in "50 First Dates," and Lindsey in "Fever Pitch," to name just a few.
However, despite her success in Hollywood, Barrymore eventually pivoted to hosting her own talk show. "The Drew Barrymore Show" has become a huge hit since it started back in 2020. As Barrymore explained to The Los Angeles Times, she felt that hosting suited her personality better than acting. "I just need to be myself. I struggle to be someone else," she said, adding, "I just can't see acting right now."
Even though Barrymore is no longer acting, she still looks back on "Ever After" as one of her favorite projects as it helped launch her adult career. "'Ever After' taught me that we all are brought up as women and girls with the Cinderella myth ... 'Ever After' taught me to rescue yourself," she told E! Insider. "And it's not that she doesn't want the prince or love, she wants it, but it's when he comes to rescue her, and she's already rescued herself. That's such a great metaphor for women. That it's the love at the end of the day, not the rescuing that we're striving for."
Dougray Scott has starred in dozens of movies and shows since Ever After
Dougray Scott played the charming Prince Henry, Danielle's love interest. It was one of the Scottish actor's first big roles — he had previously appeared in a number of TV shows and in a few films including "Deep Impact." After "Ever After," he went on to star in "Mission: Impossible II" as Sean Ambrose, "Desperate Housewives," "Enigma," "My Week with Marilyn," "Snatch," and "Batwoman."
As Scott later told Square Mile, "Ever After" helped him get his feet on the ground in Hollywood. It was, he said, "an important moment in my career." In fact, the film actually led directly to his role in "Mission: Impossible" — apparently, Tom Cruise saw him in the Cinderella adaptation and knew he was the man for the job.
These days, Scott is focused on keeping his career full of variety. In fact, that's what he thinks he's best at. "I've always felt that I had the ability to play different characters from completely different backgrounds," he said. "It's always been what's kept it interesting for me."
Anjelica Huston is still going strong with a new series on the horizon
No Cinderella story is complete without a terrifying wicked stepmother, and in "Ever After," Anjelica Huston took on the role. Of course, she was already extremely well known thanks to her roles in "The Postman Always Rings Twice," "The Addams Family," "The Witches," and numerous other projects. In fact, she was so famous that it wasn't easy to convince her to join the cast.
Apparently, Barrymore had come up with the idea of offering the role to Huston. "Who could step in as the famous stepmother?" she said during a reunion on "The Drew Barrymore Show." "And I really wanted it to be Anjelica Huston." However, for a while, it seemed like Huston might not be interested or available. However, Barrymore was determined, so she tracked down her phone number and called her herself. "I got her on the phone somehow and I said, 'You know what? For your dad John Huston and my grandfather John Barrymore who you know partied here on earth ... we've got to do this!"
Since "Ever After," Huston has stayed very busy, starring in a number of Wes Anderson films like "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" as well as the "John Wick" franchise. And by the looks of things, we'll be seeing more of her. In 2022, it was announced that Huston would be starring in a "John Wick" spinoff reprising her character.
Megan Dodds recently appeared in For All Mankind and Wonderwell
Megan Dodds played Marguerite, the not-so-nice stepsister. Although she had previously appeared in a few TV episodes, it was her first big screen role, as she explained during a reunion on "The Drew Barrymore Show." "This was my first film," she told Barrymore. "I had only really done theater projects up to this point. So, I think Anjelica deserves a ton of credit for taking me under her wing and saying, 'Stick with me kid, we've got this,' kind of thing."
After "Ever After," she appeared in "Love in a Cold Climate," an episode of "Poirot," "Juliet, Naked," and "CSI: NY." More recently, you may have spotted her in "Wonderwell," a children's adventure film starring Carrie Fisher, and "For All Mankind," the AppleTV+ sci-fi series.
Dodds is now married to photographer Oliver Pearce. The pair share a daughter and live in England.
Melanie Lynskey is more famous than ever thanks to Yellowjackets and The Last of Us
Melanie Lynskey played Jacqueline, the not-so-mean stepsister in "Ever After." At the time, Lynskey was still new to Hollywood, having had her big break a few years earlier alongside Kate Winslet in "Heavenly Creatures." Since "Ever After," Lynskey has been working steadily in film and TV, with roles in "Coyote Ugly," "Sweet Home Alabama," and "Up in the Air." However, despite her steady, successful career, in 2021, Lynskey shot to new levels of fame with the surprise success of Showtime's "Yellowjackets." As Lynskey told The Guardian, her newfound success was a bit of a shock to the system. "It's funny to be on something that people are watching," she said, explaining that she actually preferred to be an unknown, but successful actor. "It's a different experience." "Yellowjackets" was followed by another high-profile role in HBO's "The Last of Us."
In 2022, Lynskey spoke to Entertainment Tonight about her memories of "Ever After." "We had a lot of fun," she said. "Oh gosh, it was just such a supportive environment. It was a really wonderful time. Anjelica would have these dinner parties, and we would all go over there and drink so much French wine." Sounds almost as magical as the film itself if you ask us!
Lynskey now lives with her husband Jason Ritter, and the pair welcomed their first child in 2018.
Timothy West recently starred in Gentleman Jack, among other British shows
Timothy West played Prince Henry's domineering father, who was desperate for his son to go through with his arranged marriage to the Princess of Spain. West was already a beloved stage and screen actor when he took on the role, having starred in numerous productions, including "Richard II" and "Edward II" on TV opposite Ian McKellan. He took on a number of classic roles on TV in the '70s, many of them in adaptations of Shakespeare plays — so playing a king was nothing new for him!
As of 2023, West is celebrating his 88th birthday — but his acting career doesn't appear to be slowing down. Between 2019 and 2022, he starred in 16 episodes of "Gentleman Jack," the popular period drama. In 2022, he also appeared as Adolf Hitler in a short film called "Night of the Broken." With over 140 screen credits to his name, and many more on stage, West will certainly go down in history as one of Britain's most beloved classical actors.
West has long been married to fellow actor Prunella Scales, best known for "Fawlty Towers." As West wrote in a Daily Mail article in 2023, Scales is struggling with dementia. "What I miss most of all, I think, is us no longer being able to share our hopes and fears with one another," he wrote. "You can have a conversation or go to the theater with anybody, but you cannot bare your soul to just anyone."
Patrick Godfrey is still acting at 90 years old
One of the greatest parts about "Ever After" is that they wrote da Vinci (yes, Leonardo da Vinci) into the Cinderella story as a sort of stand-in for the Fairy Godmother — an inspired move, if you ask us. The role was played by Patrick Godfrey, a well-known British actor who, as of 2023, has over 160 screen credits to his name.
Throughout the '50s and '60s, Godfrey became known for his stage performances, some of which were presented on TV. In the '80s, he began appearing in more and more British TV shows, including classics like "Miss Marple," "Poirot," and "Inspector Morse."
You may have spotted him in the 1993 Emma Thompson film "The Remains of the Day" or the 2002 Reese Witherspoon film "The Importance of Being Earnest." In more recent years, the actor has been in "Les Misérables," "Casualty," and an episode of the BBC's "His Dark Materials." As of 2023, Godfrey is 90 years old and, apparently, still going strong!
Judy Parfitt has appeared in a number of TV shows since Ever After, but her focus has always been theater
Judy Parfitt played Queen Marie, Henry's understanding mother who tries to help him find a love match. Parfitt was known for her theater career since 1954, but she was also no stranger to the screen, having previously appeared in numerous TV shows and a few films like the 1969 "Hamlet" and the 1997 film "Wilde."
She continued staying busy after "Ever After," appearing in films like "Girl with a Pearl Earring," "The Moth Diaries," and "Hello Carter," along with numerous hit shows like "Marple," "Vera," and "Midsomer Murders."
Most recently, Parfitt starred in the BBC's hit period drama "Call the Midwife" as Sister Monica Joan, appearing in over 100 episodes since 2012. In fact, in 2021, Parfitt revealed that she had actually expected her time on the show to end much earlier. "I'm surprised they haven't killed Sister Monica Joan off," she told Express. "But as long as I can walk a straight line and remember my words, I'll be there."
Lee Ingleby went on to appear in Harry Potter and dozens of British TV shows
Lee Ingleby played Gustave, an amateur painter and Danielle's kind childhood friend. It was his first film role, but far from his last. After a number of guest roles on TV, Ingleby landed a role in the 2001 TV adaptation of "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby." Then, in 2003, he took on a role in the film "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World." Shortly after that, he joined the Potterverse with the small but memorable role of Stan Shunpike, the slightly creepy Knight Bus conductor in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." This was followed by appearances in "Inspector George Gently," "The A Word," "The Serpent Queen," and "Line of Duty." He also took over the voice role of "Bob the Builder."
Ingleby has had a long and varied career. As he told The Independent, many of his roles have been the "everyman."
"The characters I tend to have empathy with are the ones that are everyman," he said. "You can identify with them because you know them, they're just people in the street rather than the James Bonds, the unreachable people you aspire to be, the glossies, the Photoshopped. That's just me. And that's how I became a character actor. I'm the friend rather than the lead." No wonder he was such a convincing Gustave!
Toby Jones has become one of film and TV's most familiar faces
Toby Jones made a creepy appearance in "Ever After" as the slimy royal page who gives the wicked stepmother insider info from the palace. Although it was one of his first screen roles, it was certainly not his last. Jones went on to become one of British TV's very familiar faces — in fact, he seems to be in just about everything! His CV includes playing Truman Capote in "Infamous," the voice of Dobby in "Harry Potter," Smee in "Finding Neverland," Swifty in "Frost/Nixon," the Bursar in "St. Trinian's," Claudius in "The Hunger Games," Norman in "Empire of Light," Basil in "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," and the list goes on and on.
As Jones told The Guardian in 2021, he hadn't actually wanted to become an actor, as both of his parents were in the industry. "At home my parents were always talking about 'feelings' and 'people,' and when my friends came round they loved it, because my parents talked about 'who they were.' I was like: 'Why can't we just be a normal family and talk neutrally about facts?' I felt this wasn't a life, to be constantly thinking about ... consciousness," he said. Apparently, he was destined for the career anyway.
Jones now lives in London with his wife and two daughters.
Anna Maguire is all grown up and is acting and directing
Anna Maguire gave a brief but memorable performance in "Ever After" as the young Danielle, a tomboy who has to deal with the heartbreak of her father's untimely death. That same year, Maguire appeared in "Saving Private Ryan" as Jean's daughter. As a child actor, she landed numerous other roles in "Wives and Daughters," "David Copperfield," "Daniel Deronda," and "Midsomer Murders." As an adult, she continued acting, appearing in a number of short films and in the 2023 film "With Love and a Major Organ."
While Maguire is still busy acting, she's also been working as a director, often directing and writing her own short films. As Maguire told Eye for Film, her favorite projects involve working both in front of and behind the camera.
"I'm really grateful to find people to collaborate with where you aren't just an actor," she said. "I've been acting since I was 7. My first film was 'Saving Private Ryan.' I knew I loved to act when I was a child, much to my parents' dismay." As she became an adult, she explained, she learned to love collaboration. "Sometimes it's really lovely to just be an actor and serve someone else's vision, and then sometimes it's great when you all come together and build something," she said. We can't wait to see where her career takes her next.
Richard O'Brien is still best known for Rocky Horror Picture Show
Richard O'Brien gave a pretty terrifying turn in "Ever After" as the truly awful Pierre Le Pieu — you may remember him as the guy who literally buys Danielle at the end of the film before her happily ever after. O'Brien was already known best for his iconic role as Riff Raff in the 1975 cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." O'Brien continued acting throughout the 2000s. These days, most of his work is as a voice actor. Primarily, he voices Lawrence Fletcher on "Phineas and Ferb." O'Brien also became a presenter on "The Crystal Maze."
As O'Brien told The Guardian in 2020, he had a "little" stroke. He made some lifestyle changes after that. "I used to love sitting on the back porch all day with a bottle of very full-bodied red at my elbow and a couple of jazz cigarettes," he said. "I couldn't think of anything nicer, quite frankly." He went on to explain that he had always led a very "excessive" rock 'n' roll lifestyle when he was young. "I should be dead," he said.
As of 2020, he lives in New Zealand with his third wife Sabrina.
Peter Gunn's biggest role was in over 500 episodes of Coronation Street – but he also appeared in Hannah Montana
Peter Gunn played Captain Laurent, the kindly royal attendant who ends up falling for Danielle's stepsister Jacqueline. Together, the pair play a small part in helping Danielle and Henry find each other at the end of the film. Gunn has had a long career with two standout roles. In 2009, he played Oswald, a villain, in "Hannah Montana: The Movie." Then, from 2010 to 2023, he starred in British soap opera "Coronation Street" for over 500 episodes.
As Gunn told the Lancashire Telegraph, being in the "Hannah Montana" movie changed his life. "It was amazing and to get the job I needed to submit a showreel or something similar," he said. "I didn't have one at the time so my mum Barbara came to the rescue. She has got a cuttings book called 'Peter's Progress.' There's everything in there from my first theater performance to the movies I have done. So yes, that's how I landed my Disney film role."
To finally land a longtime role on "Coronation Street" a year later was a dream come true. "I watched 'Coronation Street' as a young teenager and to be a part of it is something else," he said. Sounds like Gunn had the career he had always hoped for. He now lives with his wife, Julie, and two sons.