What The Cast Of Remember The Titans Looks Like Today
Sports dramas are nothing new in Hollywood, but "Remember the Titans" has always been more than that. When screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard moved to Alexandria, Virginia, to get away from Hollywood, he had no idea he would be stumbling into a story that seemed to be made for the movies. In the late 1960s, the situation was as bad as it could be in Alexandria. There was violence everywhere, and multiple cultural groups clashing. There was also a lot of racial tension as segregation continued. But when Howard moved to the city in 1996, there was none of that. Instead, the screenwriter found a community more socially integrated than most. And when he asked locals about this, the answer left him intrigued. "They said, 'You won't believe this, but a football team integrated our town 25 years ago: The Singing Titans,'" Howard recalled during an interview for the New York Post.
Howard would soon write a spec script on the Titans, the football team that conquered racial divides and remained undefeated throughout 1971. Eventually, he caught the attention of Jerry Bruckheimer's film producing partner Chad Oman, who thought it would make for a good Disney movie. Following its release in September 2000, "Remember the Titans" would go on to gross over $130 million at the worldwide box office. As for the cast, they may not look like the characters they played years ago, but they continue to celebrate their movie's legacy decades later.
Denzel Washington (Coach Herman Boone)
Denzel Washington was the only choice to portray Herman Boone, the black coach who was chosen to lead T.C. Williams High School's Titans following the integration. The problem was that he was hesitant to do it (at that time, he had just finished the sports drama "The Hurricane"), and when his wife finally convinced him to sign on, it turned out that the real-life Coach Boone didn't want Washington to portray him onscreen.
"The first thing he tells me is that I'm all wrong for the part mostly because I'm not handsome enough," the actor recalled of his meeting with Coach Boone in an interview with Tampa Bay Times. "I think he's kidding me, then I realize he's dead serious." Nonetheless, Washington remained undeterred, signing on for the film even after taking a pay cut for the role. He would later recall how emotional he got watching the movie onscreen.
Since "Remember the Titans," Washington still looks a lot like he did when making the movie, thanks to the actor's ability to remain ageless. Meanwhile, after the film, he went on to star in various critical hits, including "The Book of Eli," "Antwone Fisher," "Training Day," "Flight," "Fences," "Roman J. Israel, Esq.," and "The Tragedy of Macbeth." Washington also picked up his second Oscar win for "Training Day." The award-winning star has become more involved with work behind the scenes too, producing one of Chadwick Boseman's final films, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."
Will Patton (Coach Bill Yoast)
Just like Denzel Washington, Will Patton was an established Hollywood star by the time "Remember the Titans" came along, having starred in Joel Schumacher's "The Client," Michael Bay's "Armageddon," and Dominic Sena's remake of "Gone in 60 Seconds." The actor also seemed to be the perfect person to portray Bill Yoast, the football coach who chooses to serve as an assistant coach to Herman Boone after he loses his head coaching job following the integration of the Alexandria school system.
Over the years, Patton has taken on a more mature appearance since starring in "Remember the Titans." Nonetheless, the actor continued to make a big impression on the big screen. Right after the Disney film, Patton starred in the 2002 horror-drama "The Mothman Prophecies," which also stars Richard Gere, Laura Linney, and Debra Messing. Years later, he also joined the cast of the 2018 crime horror "Halloween" — the sequel to John Carpenter's 1978 "Halloween" movie — as Officer Hawkins. Patton later reprised his role in the franchise films "Halloween Kills" and "Halloween Ends." In between his "Halloween" films, the actor also joined the cast of the highly successful "Purge" franchise, playing ranch owner Caleb Tucker in "The Forever Purge." At the same time, Patton took on TV roles from time to time. At one point, he appeared as a recurring character, Mike Tascioni, in the legal drama "The Good Wife." Later on, he joined the cast of "Yellowstone" and the Apple TV+ mystery drama "Silo."
Wood Harris (Julius Campbell)
On the big screen, Wood Harris portrayed Julius Campbell, the high school football star who helped rally other players to come together after their team became integrated. When the Chicago native first heard of "Remember the Titans," he had no problem playing a teenager at 30 years old, but still he had some reservations about doing the movie. "It had a TV vibe to it. It was very sensitive. The cast really did some work with it," Harris once told GQ. That said, the actor had a lot of admiration for the film's director, Boaz Yakin, who was known for his 1994 film "Fresh." Ultimately, it convinced Harris to sign onto the film.
Like most of the film's younger cast, Harris has looked more mature since "Remember the Titans." Throughout his career, the actor has also gone to book roles in big studio films such as "Ant-Man," "9/11," "Space Jam: A New Legacy," the "Creed" franchise, and "Blade Runner 2049," where he reunited with Ryan Gosling. Similarly, he achieved a lot of success in television, landing regular roles in the critically acclaimed shows "The Wire" and "Empire." At the same time, Harris later ventured into theater, playing Mitch in Broadway's "A Streetcar Named Desire." When he performed onstage, Denzel Washington came out to see his former co-star. Years after "Remember the Titans," Harris has also remained in touch with Ryan Hurst, who portrayed Campbell's best bud, the late linebacker Gerry Bertier.
Donald Faison (Petey Jones)
When Donald Faison first went in to audition to portray Titan legend Petey Jones onscreen, he was quite confident about nailing it, having some football experience. "I wore the tank top because I had been a football player and I had been working out and stuff because it had been pretty much all I could do at the time," the actor told ESPN. But then, Faison ran into fellow actor Anthony Anderson, who tried out for the role of Titan star Julius Campbell but was told that he was too old. "He and I are about the same age. I remember thinking, 'Aw, man. I didn't get the part ... '" Faison continued, only to find out that he did. The "Clueless" star also admitted that the best part about doing the movie was definitely getting to work with Oscar winner Denzel Washington.
Decades later, Faison still looks a lot like he did when he shot "Remember the Titans," although he can also sometimes appear a bit more mature. Soon after the movie, the actor went on to star in the critically acclaimed drama "Felicity." Perhaps, more importantly, Faison also landed his iconic role of Dr. Christopher Turk in the hit comedy "Scrubs." Later on, the actor joined the cast of the Emmy-nominated Showtime drama "The L Word: Generation Q." Over the years, he also provided voice talent for shows like "Kim Possible," "American Dad!," "Tron: Uprising," "Robot Chicken," and "The Boss Baby: Back in the Crib."
Ryan Gosling (Alan Bosley)
At the time that they were casting for "Remember the Titans," Ryan Gosling was not yet Ryan Gosling. Back then, he was more known as Ryan, the Mouseketeer, and not the actor who would become a two-time Oscar nominee and the man no one can get 'Kenough' of. But even then, Gosling was already a standout, especially when it was time to shoot the "We Are the Titans" scene where the team dances their way to the field.
"Ryan got up in front of everybody and just did the moves, like, so smooth. I was like, 'What the ...?'" director Boaz Yakin recalled during an interview with The Washington Post. And while Gosling nailed that dancing part of the role, co-star Denzel Washington, who portrayed the Titan's Coach Herman Boone, kept him and the rest of the young cast on their toes. "There wasn't a whole lot of acting involved from us because, like, when Denzel is looking at you and he's yelling at you, you're scared ... " Gosling told Entertainment Tonight (via ESPN).
Since "Remember the Titans," Gosling has become one of Hollywood's hottest A-listers, rising to fame after starring opposite Rachel McAdams in "The Notebook." Years later, the actor also starred alongside George Clooney and Philip Seymour Hoffman in the Oscar-nominated thriller drama "The Ides of March," which Clooney also directed. Throughout his career, Gosling would earn praise for his performance in films such as "Drive," "The Big Short," "Blue Valentine," and of course, "Barbie."
Hayden Panettiere (Sheryl Yoast)
By the time that "Remember the Titans" came along, Hayden Panettiere already had some work going on with Disney, having been the voice of the young ant Dot in the animated film "A Bug's Life." Other than that, however, she was still an up-and-comer. In the movie, Panettiere's portrayal of Coach Bill Yoast's (Will Patton) daughter Sheryl Yoast is a little more intense, but the actress still had one of the best auditions of her life.
"I walked out feeling like I had gotten the job, and in all my years in the business, that was one of the only times I had ever felt that sure of myself," Panettiere recalled during an interview with ESPN. Even football coordinator Mike Fisher saw a star-in-the-making back then. "She's someone, obviously she didn't play football, but she was someone when we were filming the movie that I'm like, 'This girl is going to be a big star,'" he also told the publication.
In the years that followed after "Remember the Titans," fans watched Panettiere transform from a child to an adult onscreen. Along the way, the actress landed several major TV projects, including "Ally McBeal" and "Raising Helen." Years later, Panettiere played superhero Claire Bennet in "Heroes." Soon after, she landed one of the lead roles in "Nashville." At the same time, Panettiere also made an impression on the big screen once more, landing the part of Kirby Reed in the late Wes Craven's "Scream" franchise.
Ryan Hurst (Gerry Bertier)
It was Ryan Hurst's dream to star in "Remember the Titans," literally. He may not have dreamt about the role his whole life, but he dreamt about it around six months before he auditioned for the part of Titan legend-turned Paralympian Gerry Bertier. "I had this reoccurring dream that I was on a football field, running with a football, and then I ran up to the stands and I pointed at this Black man standing in the stands, and he pointed back to me," Hurst revealed during an interview with GQ. Since then, Hurst believed he was meant to portray Bertier, and he even wrote director Boaz Yakin a letter about it. Later on, when the film premiered at the Rose Bowl, Hurst spots co-star Wood Harris and points at him.
Meanwhile, Hurst has undergone a huge transformation onscreen since starring in "Remember the Titans." After the movie, the actor booked several film and television roles before eventually landing the breakout role of Harry 'Opie' Winston in the FX crime drama "Sons of Anarchy." Hurst also later starred as Chick Hogan in the A&E horror drama "Bates Motel" before starring as Beta in the Emmy-winning series "The Walking Dead." He also made his way back to Disney, joining the cast of the Disney+ action-adventure show "The Mysterious Benedict Society."
Kate Bosworth (Emma Hoyt)
In "Remember the Titans," Kate Bosworth doesn't get much screen time as Gerry Bertier's (Ryan Hurst) girlfriend Emma Hoyt. Nonetheless, she had the best time making the film. Back in 2009, the actress even took to Instagram to celebrate the movie's anniversary, writing, "The cast and crew were like family." Bosworth also gushed about working with a much younger Ryan Gosling.
Since starring in "Remember the Titans," Bosworth looks like she's barely aged. Soon after doing the sports drama, the actress also went on to land her breakout role as surfer Anne Marie Chadwick in the drama "Blue Crush." The film had been looking for an experienced surfer for the part, but Bosworth, with the help of her surfing instructor, convinced the film's casting director that she was the right actress for the part. Bosworth devoted herself to nailing the surfing too. "I committed myself for the three to four weeks," she recalled while speaking with InStyle. "I really thought that I was going to have this quintessential heroic moment that I've learned, I've mastered it, and the role is mine."
Later on, Bosworth also went on to star in "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!" before landing the role of Lois Lane in the 2006 film "Superman Returns." Years later, the actress took a break from acting to produce. She has since returned for the drama "Bring on the Dancing Horses," where she also serves as executive producer.
Nicole Ari Parker (Carol Boone)
In "Remember the Titans," Nicole Ari Parker portrayed Carol Boone, Coach Boone's (Denzel Washington) wife. Back then, the actress already had several Hollywood credits to her name, having made her onscreen debut back in the early 90s. Parker seemed to know right away that the Disney movie would be something special, especially because it was starring Oscar winner Washington. "It's like you jump up and down, you call your parents," the actress told ESPN.
And while Parker didn't get much screentime in the movie, she soon landed her breakout role, taking over for Vanessa Williams to play Teri Joseph in the Emmy-nominated drama "Soul Food." She also went on to star in films such as "Repentance," and "Almost Christmas." Soon after, she also returned to doing regular TV gigs as she played Giselle in the Emmy-nominated music drama "Empire." Parker then joined the cast of the "Sex and the City" reboot series "And Just Like That ... " where she got cast as Lisa Todd Wexley.
The show had taken steps to include women of color in its regular cast, something that "Sex and the City" failed to do in the past. And the significance of this moment was not lost on Parker when she was considering the project. "What I was waiting for was the script so I could see how that would really translate," she told Allure. Meanwhile, just like her "Remember the Titans" co-star Kate Bosworth, Parker has barely aged since the movie.
Brett Rice (Coach Herb Tyrell)
By the time Brett Rice got cast in "Remember the Titans" as Coach Bill Yoast's assistant and friend, Coach Herb Tyrell, he already had several Hollywood credits to his name. After making his onscreen debut in the 1982 series "The Caitlins," Rice went on to land roles in films such as "Edward Scissorhands," "Forrest Gump," "Fled," "The Waterboy," and "All Shook Up." Not to mention, he's also worked for Disney previously, starring in the series "The Wonderful World of Disney."
Meanwhile, since working on "Remember the Titans," Rice has matured over the years. The actor has also gone on to star in several other hit movies. These include the sports drama "The Blind Side," the Kevin Spacey dramedy "Father of Invention," the Kate Hudson starrer "A Little Bit of Heaven," J.J. Abrams' sci-fi mystery "Super 8," and Clint Eastwood's biopic, "Sully." Years later, Rice also joined the cast of the inspirational Prime Video drama "On a Wing and Prayer." At the same time, Rice has also been quite a television regular, landing various guest roles in hit shows such as "Transparent," "Ballers," "Angie Tribeca," "True Blood," "Suburgatory," "NCIS: Los Angeles," "The Good Doctor," "Insatiable," and "9-1-1: Lone Star."