Entertainment
What Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, & 9 More Stars From 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' Are Up to Today
When, earlier this week, I heard the news that Ezra Miller had been cast as the Flash in two upcoming DC movies, I was thrilled for a few reasons. #1: Ezra Miller is awesome, and deserves major, never-ending success. #2: As another Bustle writer noted, Miller's casting in 2018's The Flash will make him the first openly LGBT actor to star as a superhero in a big-budget film, a huge step in the right direction for Hollywood. And, #3: It's further proof that if you starred in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, your career is going to be awesome.
Although Stephen Chbosky's adaptation of his bestselling book was released just two years ago, it's already had a huge impact on pop culture; not only has there been a recent wave of realistic teen movies, but nearly all of the film's stars have gone on to enormous success. Maybe it was the great reviews, or maybe it's just some really good luck, but for whatever reason, the stars of Perks have done huge things since the film's release in 2012. From Ezra Miller to Emma Watson, here's a look at the ensemble cast's crazy-good last two years.
Image: Summit Entertainment
Logan Lerman (Charlie)
2012: Thanks to leading roles in Percy Jackson & The Olympians and The WB’s Jack & Bobby, Lerman was already getting notice when he was cast as Charlie in Perks.
2014: With a Percy Jackson sequel, the blockbuster Noah, and a starring role in this month’s Fury , the actor’s career has never been better.
Image: Getty Images
Emma Watson (Sam)
2012: She was world-famous for Harry Potter, but hadn’t yet proven that she could hold her own in a movie not involving house-elves and horcruxes.
2014: A couple hugely successful, critically acclaimed roles later, Watson has left Hogwarts far, far behind. Next on her plate is an indie thriller, a period piece drama, and a musical dramedy, not to mention a live-action Beauty and the Beast remake from her Perks director, Chbosky.
Image: Getty Images
Ezra Miller (Patrick)
2012: A breakthrough role in We Need to Talk About Kevin the year before earned him notice, but Miller was still relatively unknown to most audiences when he signed on to play Patrick.
2014: He’s the Flash, having been cast as the iconic superhero in both a Justice League sequel and a stand-alone movie. He’ll also have supporting roles in Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck and a psychological thriller currently in the works.
Image: Getty Images
Mae Whitman (Mary Elizabeth)
2012: Whitman was already a familiar face, due to child acting roles in movies like Independence Day, a leading part on Parenthood, and, most memorably, appearing as Ann (her?) in Arrested Development.
2014: Six seasons in, she’s still winning raves on Parenthood (not to mention the title of TV’s best crier), and will star in a 2015 teen movie called The Duff .
Image: Getty Images
Nina Dobrev (Candace)
2012: A former star of Degrassi, Dobrev shot to fame with a lead role on The Vampire Diaries, but hadn’t yet had the same success in film.
2014: She’s still starring on the high-rated CW series, but is also branching out to the big screen; Dobrev was in this summer’s Let’s Be Cops, and next year, will co-star in a horror comedy called The Final Girls.
Image: Getty Images
Paul Rudd (Mr. Anderson)
2012: Beloved by fans of Judd Apatow movies and Friends re-runs everywhere.
2014: Now, Rudd can add comic book lovers to the list; in November, he was cast as Ant-Man in Marvel’s upcoming adaptation, a role guaranteed to make him even more of a household name than he already is.
Image: Getty Images
Johnny Simmons (Brad)
2012: The actor appeared in 21 Jump Street early that year, but was otherwise still mostly unknown.
2014: He still hasn’t made it huge, but parts in The To-Do List, Whiplash (the short), and a miniseries called Klondike have earned him attention.
Image: Getty Images
Kate Walsh (Mrs. Kelmeckis)
2012: Then the leading character on Private Practice, Walsh was a Shonda Rhimes-made TV star.
2014: Private Practice ended in 2013, and since then, Walsh has been busy; she appeared on Fargo, filmed a new movie, and is now starring on a new NBC show, Bad Judge .
Image: Getty Images
Dylan McDermott (Mr. Kelmeckis)
2012: Still best known for ABC’s acclaimed The Practice, McDermott had just begun appearing in season one of American Horror Story.
2014: He stayed on AHS for two seasons, starred in Hostages, a short-lived CBS show, and is currently leading another new series, Stalker .
Image: Getty Images
Melanie Lynskey (Aunt Helen)
2012: Lynskey’s fame was growing fast, thanks to a recurring role in Two and a Half Men and an acclaimed part in the Oscar-nominated Up in the Air.
2014: She’s one of the indie movie world’s biggest stars, and soon, she’ll be a TV regular, too; Lynskey is set to star in a new HBO comedy called Togetherness , to premiere sometime this year or next.
Image: Getty Images
Stephen Chbosky
2012: The Perks author had left books behind for film and TV, but the outcome wasn’t bright; his CBS series Jericho was quickly cancelled, and his adaptation of Rent garnered mixed reviews.
2014: Oh, how things have changed. Perks, which he wrote and directed, was a critical and financial success, and in September, it was announced that Chbosky will write a Beauty and the Beast remake starring his Perks cast member Emma Watson.
Image: Getty Images
