Whatever Happened To The Cast Of So Weird?
The following article mentions drug addiction, rape, and incest.
Chances are that if you're an old school Disney Channel fan, then you probably watched "So Weird," the mystery/adventure/sci-fi series that aired on the network between 1999 and 2001. The show centered around Fiona "Fi" Phillips, a preteen who investigated and blogged about paranormal activity as she and her family traveled the country with her mom's rock band. "So Weird" was without question darker than most Disney Channel shows; Fi tried to connect some spooky happenings to her own father's inexplicable death.
While "So Weird" was only on TV for three seasons, it left a lasting impact on fans. Many even regard it as "starter horror" for viewers who were too young for more grown-up sci-fi shows like "The X-Files." Years after it ended, there are still fan sites,Instagram pages, and at least one rewatch podcast. In 2022, Entertainment Weekly named it one of the 25 best Disney Channel original series of all time. As writer Isabella Biedenharn wrote, "'So Weird' didn't get the mainstream love of shows like 'Lizzie McGuire' or 'Even Stevens' — but it still holds a special place in our weird little hearts."
With that said, many of us know what former Disney Channel stars like Hilary Duff, Miley Cyrus, and Shia LaBeouf have been up to since their child star days. But whatever happened to the cast of "So Weird?" Let's break it down.
Cara DeLizia left Hollywood in the 2010s
Cara DeLizia may have been the star of "So Weird," as Fiona "Fi" Phillips for its first two seasons, but she's the hardest to track down. She all but disappeared from Hollywood a handful of years after she was on the Disney Channel series. As of this writing, DeLizia hasn't acted in anything since she voiced a character in the drama "Homecoming" in 2012. Her other post-"So Weird" credits include a stint on the Fox drama "Boston Public" and a guest spot on CBS' "Close to Home."
"So Weird" executive producers Jon Cooksey and Ali Marie Matheson felt that DeLizia was perfect for Fi though, according to fan site SoWeird33. They dished, "She had such a raw quality; she was so willing to bring up all her emotion and let it show." Fans sure seemed to agree, which is why many weren't happy when her character was replaced by Alexz Johnson in the third season. The tone of the show shifted as well, becoming noticeably less dark and more "kid-friendly." When asked about the tone shakeup, DeLizia told LoveinLevis, "I'm not really sure how it was too risky for kids, but I've seen some season 3 and Alexz attracts older kids now too."
DeLizia hasn't given many interviews since then, and it's unclear what she does for work these days. On the personal life side of things, details are pretty scarce, too.
Mackenzie Phillips' struggles made headlines
Mackenzie Phillips was definitely one of the biggest stars on "So Weird," having starred in "One Day at a Time" from 1975 to 1984. On "So Weird," she played Fi's rockstar mom, Molly Phillips, but in real life, it was her late father, the Mamas & The Papas singer John Phillips, who was the rockstar. As a "nepo baby," Mackenzie seemingly had no trouble finding work after "So Weird" ended in 2001, appearing in shows like "Orange is the New Black" and Netflix's reboot of "One Day at a Time."
Mackenzie has also dealt with addiction throughout her life. In 2008, she was arrested at LAX for drug possession after airport security reportedly found cocaine and heroin on her person. She later was sent to rehab and went on to become a drug and alcohol recovery counselor.
Mackenzie's personal life made headlines again in 2009. While promoting her memoir on an episode of "Oprah," she stated that she had an incestuous relationship with her father for a decade after he raped her. "It became a consensual relationship over time," she said. Despite the backlash, Mackenzie told Radar that she doesn't regret writing her book because it opened up a dialogue. What's more, she doesn't regret forgiving her father when he died in 2001. As she said to People in 2023, "It's very complicated, and yet, I am at peace."
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).
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Patrick Levis became a pastor
Patrick Levis had starred in his fair share of Disney Channel hits. In addition to playing Fi's brother, Jack Phillips, on "So Weird," he popped up in movies "Brink!" and "Miracle in Lane 2." Yet Patrick has since traded in acting for preaching, and began working as a worship pastor at Faith Bible Church since 2016. Before that, Patrick led youth ministries and was part of the Christian band Least of These.
In 2013, Patrick put out his own solo Christian album called "Extravagant God" after wrapping up a stint on the musical Nick Jr. show "The Fresh Beat Band." "A lot of my life right now is about music and probably more specifically ministry in the church," he said in an interview with YouTube channel while they were napping.
In 2012, Patrick and his wife, Natalie Levis, welcomed their first child, a daughter called Evan. The couple went on to have three more daughters: Brennan, Finley, and Remington. While Levis hasn't posted on Instagram since 2015, his feed is filled with photos of his family. His IMDb was updated in 2021 though, after Levis appeared in "The Man from Nowhere." Nevertheless, he's probably still best known from his Disney days — and he's cool with that. As he said in the aforementioned interview, "It's always fun. It's been many years but I love talking about that stuff."
When his acting career cooled, Erik von Detten pivoted to sales
In the '90s and early 2000s, Erik von Detten was a staple of the small and silver screens. Whether he was lending his voice to "Toy Story," playing a love interest in "The Princess Diaries," hitting the skate park in "Brink!," and, of course, playing Clu Bell in "So Weird," Erik was keeping busy. But before he knew it, the gigs weren't rolling in like they once were. As he told E! News in 2021, it wasn't for lack of trying. "We didn't have Netflix and all these expanded options with thousands and thousands of roles. I would literally go for a length of time without any roles that I fit the bill for," he explained.
Erik Von Detten eventually left show business in his mid-20s when he secured a more steady job in sales with a finance company. He still did some acting here and there though, treading the boards in community theater productions.
In terms of his personal life, Erik met his wife, real estate agent Angela von Detten, through mutual friends and they got married in 2018. The two now share three children, whom Angela frequently posts about on her Instagram.While Erik is open to acting again, having a family means more to him than becoming super famous. He told Romper, "I think that if you become too famous I guess, you can't really even have much of a private life."
Eric Lively stays out of the spotlight, despite being Blake Lively's brother
Erik von Detten might be the more recognizable Erik/Eric from "So Weird," but Eric Lively is part of a well-known Hollywood family. Not only was Eric's father an actor and his mother a talent agent, but his sisters are "Teen Witch" star Robyn Lively and A-lister Blake Lively. Eric launched his acting career long before Blake though; he was on an episode of "Full House" and in 1999's "American Pie." He went on to join "So Weird" as Clu Bell's brother, Carey Bell, when von Detten left the show. After the series ended, Eric eventually moved on with the TV series "The L Word" in 2005. That next year, he starred in the film "The Butterfly Effect 2," and later appeared in "A Madea Christmas" in 2013.
Eric apparently stopped acting in 2014 and around that time may have worked for Blake's now defunct lifestyle website, Preserve. That's also when he took his sister's first pregnancy photos, which she used on her site to reveal that she was expecting.
These days, Eric stays under the radar; he's not really active on social media. He used to, however, post more photos, including some of him and his famous family. They presumably are close, and Blake even credits Eric with getting her into acting. She told Interview, "He talked me into going to this audition ... he was always so great to me ... then I ended up going to a few more."
Dave 'Squatch' Ward stays busy with voice acting gigs and music
Dave "Squatch" Ward has been working in Hollywood for decades, but Disney Channel devotees would argue that playing roadie/tour bus driver Ned Bell on "So Weird" is his most memorable role. Although Ward told "The So Weird Podcast" in 2018 that he was semi-retired, he did appear in the 2020 film "All Joking Aside," as well as voice a character in "The Dragon Prince" series in 2023.
Nowadays, Ward is also into playing music, and even released a song called "Santa Wears a Raincoat." He learned to play guitar on the set of "So Weird," partly thanks to the guitar consultant on the show. As he said on the aforementioned podcast episode, "I never played the guitar before ... but he helped me lots on the show and even after the show." Ward has since posted photos of his recent performances on his Facebook.
According to a "So Weird" fan site, in 2017 he had a recurring gig at a bar and grill where he lives in Vancouver. A fan who met up with him at that restaurant shared that he was "so appreciative" of all of the support. Ward later reiterated on the podcast how touched he is that "So Weird" continues to have fans over 20 years after it ended. "It makes me feel good that people still care about the show," he said.
Belinda Metz was in a Hallmark Christmas movie
On all three seasons of "So Weird," Belinda Metz played Ned Ward's wife and Molly Phillip's manager, Irene Bell. Her connection to the music industry began long before she played a musician's manager on a Disney Channel show: Metz launched her singer/songwriter career in the 1980s. "Belinda was and is a Canadian TV star in her own right, before she came to 'So Weird,'" executive producers Jon Cooksey and Ali Marie Matheson explained, via SoWeird33. "She's also a great singer ... and has several albums out."
These days, Metz seems to still be making music, often posting about her art and creative process on her Instagram. She also continues to act, showing up in projects like the 2023 YouTube TV series "LEGO Dreamzzz." She raved about the role on Instagram, writing, "Every Script I receive is so exciting to read and then create in the recording studio." That same year, Metz also appeared in a Hallmark Christmas movie called "Friends & Family Christmas." Of the flick, she said in another post, "Astounding creative crew making movie magic! I loved creating this character!!"
In January 2024, Metz told "The So Weird Podcast" that she'd be interested in doing a reboot of "So Weird." While she remembers "So Weird" fondly, Metz would apparently love to expand her character of Irene and maybe even finally have her sing on the show too.
Alexz Johnson is a singer, songwriter, and organic farmer
In Season 3 of "So Weird," Alexz Johnson became the star of the series, replacing Cara DeLizia. Johnson played Annie Thelen, a friend of the Phillips family, who, unlike DeLizia, sang on the series. After "So Weird," Johnson continued to showcase her singing skills on the small screen thanks to the 2004 series "Instant Star." On an episode of "The So Weird Podcast," Johnson credited fellow "So Weird" alum Belinda Metz with helping her get that role.
Nevertheless, Johnson's acting career seemed to slow down as she got older. She did, however, continue to make music over the years and has released multiple albums, including 2023's "Seasons." Johnson has since toured that album all over the world and plans to continue to play live shows throughout 2024.
In terms of her personal life, Johnson married her husband, Matt, in 2017 and they live on a farm with their two young kids. Matt even has an Instagram dedicated to their lifestyle called Old Stock Gardens, which, per their bio, focuses on, "A Canadian family passionate about sustainability and organic gardening in zone 4!!" Overall, Johnson seems really happy with her life. When recapping 2023 in a post, she gushed, "Having the opportunity to release my album 'Seasons' and merge music with family and travel, while growing healing foods right beneath our feet was such an incredible experience, it feels like a dream."
Dino DiNicolo continued to be musician in real life
Throughout "So Weird," real-life musician Dino DiNicolo played Chuck, the bassist in Molly Phillips' band. On an episode of "The So Weird Podcast," DiNicolo shared how the supporting role came to be. "I was originally cast into the band ... we did the first season just as musicians doing background," he recalled. "Then the next season they said 'we need the band to start talking. You guys got to be actors.'"
DiNicolo went on to do more acting after "So Weird" ended too, but it was mainly just small appearances, like in the 2023 TV movie "Notes of Autumn." He's mainly a soul, R&B, funk musician, who performs mostly in Canada. According to his website, he's released six albums and will be touring his music once again in 2024.
DiNicolo is also active on Instagram, where he often promotes his shows by posting photos and videos of himself performing live alone, or with other bands. Although his focus seems to be his music, he did share on "The So Weird Podcast" in 2020 that he'd absolutely love to return to do a reboot of The Disney Channel series. He also noted that he was floored to learn that the series continued to bring in viewers so many years later. "I didn't know it was still floating around out there," he said. "To the fans, thank you for still watching. It's cool."
Henry Winkler won an Emmy and wrote a memoir
There's a strong possibility that even if you're a fan of "So Weird," you might not remember Henry Winkler appearing on the series. Yet the iconic actor, who famously played "The Fonz" in "Happy Days," was on The Disney Channel show for one episode back in 1999. On top of that, Winkler was an executive producer on the series, so he was more involved than just that guest appearance. He explained to "Inside The Cast," "I helped with notes on the scripts and watched dailies. I helped in the casting, and with other details that came up along the way."
Presently, Winkler is mainly an actor, who's appeared in over 150 TV series and movies. He even won his first Emmy in 2023 for his work in the acclaimed HBO series "Barry," which he starred in for five years beginning in 2018. He also released his memoir, "Being Henry: The Fonz...And Beyond" in 2023. Needless to say, he's done more than well for himself in Hollywood. As he told USA Today, "I am grateful. I am joyful. I'm so just happy I'm on this planet."
All in all, it appears that the former stars of "So Weird" have found success, whether they're still working in the industry or found happiness out of the spotlight. As for the series, it still remains one of the Disney Channel's edgiest shows all these years later.