Here's What Zenon, Girl Of The 21st Century Looks Like Today
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In the late '90s, a young Kirsten Storms got her first leading role in the Disney Channel Original Movie "Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century." The film follows the futuristic life of 13-year-old Zenon Kar, an ultra-cool teen who lives on a space station with her scientist parents. Known for getting herself into sticky situations, Zenon quickly ends up getting grounded on Earth. Along with her friends, Zenon has to figure out how to save everyone on the space station after she discovers an evil plot to destroy her home. The movie turned out to be a hit and spawned two equally stellar sequels, "Zenon: The Zequel" and "Zenon: Z3," both of which saw Storms reprise her role as the unforgettable space-orbiting character.
Of course, since her days playing Zenon, the actor has gone on to become well known in the world of soap operas, giving some truly out-of-this-world performances and receiving plenty of kudos for her work. In her personal life, however, the actor has also weathered some storms. One thing is for sure: Storms has certainly undergone quite the transformation since starring on "Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century."
Kirsten Storms played the fabulous Zenon Kar three times
Initially, the character Zenon Kar made her debut appearance in the mid-'90s in the book series "Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century." However, in the late '90s, the talented young actor Kirsten Storms brought the stellar character to the small screen in the Disney Channel Original Movie "Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century." With plenty of unique space-themed catchphrases, a nefarious plot to destroy Zenon's beloved space station, and the unforgettable song "Supernova Girl," it's no wonder this Disney film now holds a special place in fans' hearts.
Thanks to the positive reception, the Disney Channel turned its popular original movie into a trilogy, offering up a sequel, "Zenon: The Zequel” in 2001 and a third film, "Zenon: Z3," in 2004. Both follow-ups saw Storms reprise her role as Zenon, with fans watching as the space teen became a young adult who tackles plenty of wild adventures. In 2019, Storms wrote a tribute and shared a throwback image of her beloved character (alongside her BFF, Nebula) on Instagram, saying, "20 years ago today I slapped on spandex and ventured into outer space! This stellar movie has a special place in my heart forever (maybe not the spandex tho)."
Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century, wasn't her only Disney Channel role
In addition to her unforgettable role as Zenon Kar, Kirsten Storms also made appearances on other Disney Channel fan favorites. Storms was in the live-action television series "Sing Me a Story with Belle," but she's better known to Disney fans for her later roles. In the 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie "Johnny Tsunami," Storms played Emily, one of the private school students (known as "Skies") who becomes good friends with the main character, Johnny. The film's popularity eventually led to a 2007 sequel called "Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board," though Storms was not featured in the follow-up film.
Later, in 2003, Storms reunited onscreen with Raven-Symoné (who played Zenon's best friend, Nebula) for an episode of "That's So Raven," where she played Nicki on an episode called "The Parties." Outside of live-action, Storms did voice work for the popular animated series "Kim Possible," playing the mean girl antagonist, Bonnie Rockwaller. Her character also appeared in the series' two films, "Kim Possible: A Stitch in Time" and "Kim Possible: So the Drama."
She went on to appear in many TV shows
Before her Disney days up in the space station, Kirsten Storms had a recurring role on the popular television series "7th Heaven." Storms played Laura Cumming on the episodes "It Takes a Village," "It Takes Two, Baby," and "One Hundred" (via IMDb). Outside of the popular drama series, the young star kept herself busy with various roles on the small screen. She was featured in shows such as "You Wish," "One World," "CSI: Miami," "Clubhouse," and "Skater Boys" (via IMDb).
Storms has also made appearances in television movies like "Love Letters" and "The Rockford Files: If It Bleeds... It Leads." Of course, this was all prior to her landing her breakthrough roles, which we'll get to next. In any case, there's no doubt that this former Disney Channel star has come a long way since playing the futuristic space teen Zenon Kar.
The star of Zenon enjoyed a long-running role on Days of Our Lives
Now prominently known for her impressive work on soap operas, former "Zenon" star Kirsten Storms put on quite the memorable performance when portraying the character Belle Black on the popular NBC soap opera "Days of Our Lives." Over the years, the character has had plenty of engaging storylines and has been portrayed by multiple actors (via IMDb). Storms herself appeared in over 700 episodes as Belle Black, starting in 1999 and ending in 2004.
In an interview with Soap Opera Digest in 2000, a young Storms talked about her experience booking the "Days of Our Lives" role, which came about after auditioning for another soap, "The Bold and the Beautiful." "Days found out about B&B and was like, 'Book her.' And that is the story of how my dream came true," she explained to the magazine. Storms also had good things to say about her experience. "I adore the cast," the then-teenager said, adding, "I know I'm very lucky to be where I am right now, although I did work very hard to get here. Right now my life is practically perfect!"
The former Days of Our Lives star plays Maxie Jones on General Hospital
In 2005, Kirsten Storms debuted on "General Hospital," playing the memorable Maxie Jones, daughter of the prominently known couple Frisco and Felicia Jones. Storms even brought the character over to the series' spinoff "General Hospital: Night Shift." Her portrayal was so noteworthy, she earned her first Daytime Emmy nomination in 2009.
During an interview with KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas, Storms reflected on her journey from Disney to the fabulous world of soaps, gushing about being "an uber fan" of "General Hospital." "The transition from Disney to the soap world is, obviously, there's a huge difference," she said, explaining how her love for "General Hospital" started long before she ever appeared on the series. She even called herself a "traitor" for loyally tuning in to the show while still starring on "Days of Our Lives." So, it's pretty much an understatement to say that Storms was clearly "very, very excited" when she got her chance to appear alongside her favorite soap stars on the show herself!
She has received accolades for her work on soaps
Kirsten Storms has become well known for her memorable performances as Belle Black on "Days of Our Lives" and Maxie Jones on "General Hospital." Perhaps, unsurprisingly, her impressive work reflects her long-standing goal. According to a 2001 interview with Cobalt Daily Nugget, Storms had her sights set on soap opera work from a young age. "One of the first agents I got, I told, 'When I grow up, I'm going to be on a soap opera,'" said Storms, adding, "No one took me seriously. But I knew, even though I hadn't actually watched one, it was something I always wanted to do."
Since then, Storms has turned her dream into a reality, and her awards and nominations (via IMDb) only prove she has some serious talent. In 2001, Storms won a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Child Actor for her work on "Days of Our Lives." That same year, she was also nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Daytime TV Series – Young Actress. The following year, Storms won the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Drama Series – Leading Young Actress for "Days of Our Lives." And, in 2009, Storms was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series for "General Hospital."
Kirsten Storms met her former husband on General Hospital's spinoff
In 2013, Kirsten Storms married "General Hospital" star Brandon Barash. Previously, the actors were colleagues who worked together on the popular soap. The couple privately tied the knot in Las Vegas, as confirmed by Us Weekly via Storms' rep.
Unfortunately, in 2016, the couple announced their split. In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, the actors shared their difficult decision, with Barash making this statement: "We are splitting due to the cliché irreconcilable differences, but we're splitting amicably." Storms added that their decision wasn't made lightly, saying she and Barash had gone to therapy to try and make their relationship work. She also made it clear there were no hard feelings between the two. "There was nothing that went into this outside of what we've told you. We're doing what we feel is best," she said.
The former Zenon star has a daughter named Harper Rose
When Us Weekly first revealed the news of former Disney star Kirsten Storms' Vegas wedding to "General Hospital" co-star Brandon Barash, Storms' rep also revealed the couple was expecting their first child together. In 2014, Storms and Barash welcomed a daughter, Harper Rose Barash, into the world. Storms later confirmed the news of her pregnancy on her Instagram, sharing a photo of her baby bump, with the caption, "Bump alert." On Twitter, Barash announced his newborn's arrival, saying, "Our passenger has touched down and arrived. Welcome to our world. There has not been a more fulfilling day." Similarly, on Instagram, Storms shared a picture of her daughter, along with the caption, "Daddy's lil Princess."
Though Storms and Barash are no longer together, both actors have shared plenty of special images and moments of their daughter's life as she continues her journey toward adulthood. In 2019, Storms shared her daughter's first day of kindergarten with fans. More recently, Barash celebrated his daughter's birthday on Instagram with the caption, "This one's got more 'cool' in her pinky finger than I'll ever have in my whole body. Which I just proved by putting quotes around the word cool. Happy 7th Birthday, Boo."
Kirsten Storms took time off for various health concerns
The former "Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century" star is now better known for her fabulous portrayals on popular series like "Days of Our Lives" and "General Hospital," but there have been times when Kirsten Storms' health issues have forced her to take a break from acting. According to SheKnows, in 2011, Storms first took time off from "General Hospital" to recover from health issues caused by endometriosis.
Later, in 2016, Storms announced she would again be taking a leave of absence from the popular soap, during which she was temporarily replaced by actor Molly Burnett from "Days of Our Lives." On Twitter, Storms explained the temporary leave of absence to her fans, telling them that the break was due to "skin issues." According to Storms, her severe acne breakouts were caused and aggravated by stress. Storms emphasized that it shouldn't take her long to recover from the blemishes but added that the problem was "becoming too difficult for GH to cover up." Storms also reminded her fans that appearance holds weight in the entertainment industry, before saying she was "look[ing] forward to watching" her temporary replacement on the small screen. "Again—thanks for the love and you will see me again in no time!" she concluded, and, fortunately for fans, she was back like she had never left.
Kirsten Storms underwent brain surgery
In 2021, the talented Disney-turned-soap star took a leave of absence from her role on "General Hospital" to focus on recovering from an even more serious health issue: brain surgery. On her Instagram, Kirsten Storms thanked her well-wishers and explained her ordeal, revealing that her previous health issues were actually symptoms of something far worse. "I spent the last few years having random health issues that I disregarded as side affects to my medications or just something I was experiencing due to age," she said. Storms explained that after having "severe neck pain," her doctor ordered an MRI, which detected "a rather large, very full of fluid, cyst."
Storms thanked her family, friends, and colleagues for all their support and referred to her "General Hospital" co-stars as her "work family," saying they had "been supportive, kind and loving during a time when I've been feeling a lot of emotions." The actor said she couldn't wait to return to work and that she "found a lot of comfort being around the people I've worked beside for so many years." In July 2021, Soap Hub reported that Storms, fortunately, had returned to work after she posted a picture on her Instagram stories from the "General Hospital" set. We hope it stays that way for a long time to come!
Kirsten Storms reunited with the cast of Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century
Cetus-Lupeedus! In 2020, the stars of the Disney Channel favorite "Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century" reunited over Zoom to discuss the popular Disney Channel Original Movie in a video for People. The video features the film's lead actors Kirsten Storms, Gregory Smith (who played Zenon's love interest Greg), and Philip Rhys (who played rock star Proto Zoa). The cast talked about their audition process for the film and the possibility of a "Zenon" revival, with Storms saying, "I would be down for something like that. I think they're rebooting a lot of the OG Disney stories, so I think that would be fun."
Storms also talked about introducing her daughter, Harper, to "Zenon," saying she had wanted to show her the movie after it arrived on Disney Plus. However, Storms admitted that since her daughter was only 5 at the time, she had a bit of trouble understanding the film. "We did clear up some confusion about the fact that I wasn't really Zenon in real life," she said. Toward the end of their discussion, Storms spoke about her role as Zenon, saying, "It remains for me one of the best times of my life, so I look back on that with the fondest memories."