You’ll never believe what transpired in this film! The 1999 film But I’m A Cheerleader was a massive hit in the 90s with its coming-of-age genre. Now, let’s see how the cast has developed over the years.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

But I’m A Cheerleader is a 1999 satirical lesbian romantic-comedy film that followed the life of a high school cheerleader Megan Bloomfield. In an era where the LGBTQ+ was not widely supported, and lesbianism deemed as an illness, Megan’s parents sent her to a conversion therapy camp with the hopes to cure her liking for the same sex. The plot revolved around Megan’s process of self-understanding, realization, and acceptance of her sexual orientation. Despite the inpatient therapy, Megan fell in love with another girl, Graham Eaton, and ended up completely embracing her sexuality.

NUMBER 1: NATASHA LYONNE

Natasha Lyonne, who played Meg Bloomfield, had truly set off her acting career with But I’m A Cheerleader. The film had garnered a cult following and even received the Audience Award as Best Feature Film from the 2000 Créteil International Women’s Film Festival. Immediately after her role as Meg, she got cast as Jeanne in If Walls Could Talk 2. Over the years, she was nominated for four Primetime Emmys and had won five acting awards.

During her career, Lyonne had also faced hardships as she experienced drug addiction and several health problems. In 2005, NY Post reported that the actress had to be admitted to the intensive care unit because of a collapsed lung, hepatitis C, and heart infection. It had been the most challenging time for the actress, but luckily, she got rigorous treatment and proceeded to get well.

Aside from being an actress, Lyonne also directs, writes, and produces films. Currently, she has seven directorial roles, nine producer credits, three screenwriting experiences, and over a hundred acting projects. In 2021, she appeared in The United States vs. Billie Holiday and the audio comedy Hit Jon. She is also currently filming the DC League of Super Pets and was announced to appear in the Poker Face that will be released next year.

NUMBER 2: RUPAUL

Ultra-famous drag queen and multitalented personality RuPaul, who played Mike, earned his way to commercial success in just a few years. Aside from being an actor, he is also a singer, songwriter, author, and model. RuPaul got best known as a producer and host of the TV reality competition RuPaul’s Drag Race which started in 2009. The show presently has 13 seasons, and it earned them 10 Primetime Emmys for Outstanding Host and Outstanding Reality/Competition Program.

As listed by his IMDb page, RuPaul had produced 20 films and had created 38 soundtracks for series and movies. This year, aside from appearing in the Drag Race, he also briefly acted in the Drag Tots, Chicago Party Aunt, and Amphibia. He is also currently filming Hitpig and will be lending his voice in Ozi, which will be released soon.

NUMBER 3: CLEA DUVALL

Actress and filmmaker Clea Duvall, who portrayed Meg’s love interest Graham Eaton, had become a queer icon for her role in the film. It was rumored that she was a closeted lesbian while filming But I’m A Cheerleader. Still, it had only been confirmed by her 17 years later in an interview for her movie The Intervention, as posted by Advocate. After her stint in the film, she received another role for Girl, Uninterrupted in the same year.

At the start of the new millennium, DuVall got cast for the film Committed and in many projects after that. During her career, she had participated in big-time projects and received six awards as part of Best Cast Ensembles. In 2013, she made her directorial debut in a TV series short Tegan and Sara’s Heartthrob: The Interviews. She then got best known for her work in the 2020 film Happiest Season which won in the GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Film and in the ReFrame Awards for Top 100 Most Popular Narrative & Animated Feature.

In 2021, DuVall lent her voice in the TV series Q-Force, appeared in Housebroken, and is currently filming The First Lady. In addition, she is also in the process of producing, writing, and directing two TV series that will be released soon.

NUMBER 4: DANTE BASCO

Dante Basco, who played Dolph, followed his role in the film by acting as Lee in the TV series The Steve Harvey Show. Aside from But I’m A Cheerleader, he got best known for his work in Take The Lead and Hang Loose. Basco won his first Best Actor award in the 2012 VC FilmFest for his work in Paradise Broken and Hang Loose. He is also a very talented voice actor and has voiced many notable characters, including Prince Zukoin Avatar: The Last Airbender and Jake Long in American Dragon: Jake Long.

In 2021, he penned, produced, directed, and acted in The Fabulous Filipino Brothers, which featured some of his family members and other Asian media personalities. He had also just completed filming Chocolate and is already in talks to work in three movies for 2022.

NUMBER 5: EDDIE CIBRIAN

Eddie Cibrian, who portrayed Rock Brown, continued his role in the TV series Sunset Beach as Cole Deschanel until 1999. He then got cast for another series entitled Third Watch which had more than 100 episodes and ran from 1999 until 2005. Aside from these two series, Cibrian got best known for his work in The Cave and The Best Man Holiday.

In 2001, Cibrian married former model Brandi Glanville, and they had two sons. However, they called it quits in 2009. He later tied the knot with country singer LeAnn Rimes in 2011 and stayed married until now. This year, he appeared in the TV series short Country Comfort and is currently enjoying his time with family in California.

NUMBER 6: MELANIE LYNSKEY

Kiwi actress Melanie Lynskey, who portrayed Hilary Vandermueller, has only been starting in her career when she appeared in But I’m A Cheerleader. Luckily for her, she got a role in another movie, The Cherry Orchard, the same year the film was released. She then went on to appear in her first TV series in 2002 with Rose Red. She got best known for her roles in Togetherness and The Intervention, where she worked with former co-star Clea DuVall.

Currently, Lynskey has seven acting wins and 16 nominations under her name. She had also landed five acting projects in 2021 and is currently filming the Yellowjackets TV series.

NUMBER 7: MICHELLE WILLIAMS

Michelle Williams, who played Kimberly, only had a brief appearance in But I’m A Cheerleader. She started in the industry by starring in independent films with tragic or dark themes. However, she did not settle for small-scale projects, and with accepting more roles, she strived to be better in her craft and started reeling in big-time projects. She starred in My Week with Marilyn playing Marilyn Monroe, and got best known for her works in Blue Valentine, Take This Waltz, and Manchester by the Sea.

Williams received many accolades as an actress, including the 2020 Outstanding Lead Actress and Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Movie from the Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe for her work in Fosse/Verdon as Gwen Verdon. This was her second Golden Globe award as she also won Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in 2011.

Last year, Williams married theatre director Thomas Kail, and they gave birth to a son the same year. This 2021, she had just completed filming The Fabelmans and Venom: Let There Be Carnage. In addition, she is already announced to appear in the films Fever and Showing Up, which will be released soon.

BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER CAST REUNION

Hello! To celebrate its 20th anniversary, I'm excited to let you all know that But I’m a Cheerleader: Director’s Cut will be on Apple TV and anywhere you can buy movies December 8th! #ButImACheerleader @AppleTV @BabbitJamie @cleaduvall @RuPaul @melanielynskey 🌈✨ pic.twitter.com/ZcQCmH4iTU
— natasha lyonne (@nlyonne) October 12, 2020

It had been more than 20 years since But I’m A Cheerleader was released, and fans were continuously hoping for a reunion. Their wishes were granted when last year, Lyonne tweeted that the director’s cut and a cast get-together would be released on December 8, 2020. She also proceeded to tag the director, Jamie Babbit, and her fellow cast members. In addition, Apple TV hosted the major release, and it also became available to other streaming platforms. Indeed, the announcement brought back old fans and reeled in new viewers as it stayed a film classic.