Where Are the Cast of Donnie Darko Now?

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Donnie Darko, JustWatch take a look at where the cast are now, including Jake Gyllenhaal, Seth Rogen, and Drew Barrymore.

Donnie Darko launched the career of writer and director Richard Kelly. His ‘80s-set story of time-travel and a troubled teen spoke to audiences across the board, and 25 years on the film has become a modern classic.

Whilst the unusual story was one of Donnie Darko’s strongest suits, so too was the impressive cast that Kelly managed to rustle together. From known names to fresh new faces, a re-watch of Donnie Darko demonstrates that it has the most insane casts of any independent production. How many of these actors can you remember? 

Ashley Tisdale

Even the glorified extras in Donnie Darko went on to be somebody. During motivational guru Jim Cunningham’s assembly, Ashley Tisdale takes to the podium as Kim, a young girl concerned that her stepsister is eating too much. 

Five years later, Tisdale would ascend to Disney mega stardom as Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical movies. Nowadays, Tisdale is better known for her voice work on Phineas and Ferb for which she has voiced Candace Flynn since 2007. 

Seth Rogen

Seth Rogen has a reputation for playing lovable stoners. Before that, however, he was one half of the bully duo that tormented Donnie. Rogen’s character, Ricky, was more of the sidekick to Phantom Planet lead singer Alex Greenwald’s knife-wielder Seth, but still did his fair share of torment to both Donnie and Gretchen.  

Post Donnie Darko, Rogen went onto become one of the biggest names in comedy, starring in Knocked Up and This is the End, as well as turning his hand to producing, most notably working on superhero show The Boys. 

Jolene Purdy

During Donnie Darko, Donnie promised the heavily bullied Cherita Chen that one day everything will be better for her. While we don’t know what happened to Cherita, actress Jolene Purdy definitely went onto bigger things. 

Donnie Darko was Purdy’s first acting credit and she has since moved into the world of television where she has appeared on a range of high-profile shows. Purdy’s credits include playing Stephanie Hapakuka in Orange is the New Black, a three-episode stint on WandaVision, and, more recently, she played the secretly-pregnant employee Lani on The White Lotus.   

James Duval

Prior to playing Frank, AKA Donnie’s giant bunny guide, James Duval was a well known face of independent cinema. He was the face of Gregg Araki’s Teenage Apocalypse trilogy — Totally F***ed Up, The Doom Generation, and Nowhere — but also briefly starred in Independence Day as the eldest son of Randy Quaid’s character. 

Since Donnie Darko, Duval remains a solid fixture in independent cinema with IMDB currently listing a whopping 42 upcoming projects in various states of production. 

Mary McDonnell

Rose Darko is one of cinema’s best movie mothers. Throughout the film she is highly concerned about her son and handles the irritating Kitty in a respectful manner that most would not have he patience for. Rose needed a star of quality to play her and Mary McDonnell is perfect in the role. 

After playing Rose, McDonnell spent several years traversing space politics in Battlestar Galactica. One of her more recent projects, The Fall of the House of Usher enabled her to showcase her darker side, and she will also be seen in the 2027 Baywatch reboot. 

Noah Wyle

During a break from his role of Doctor John Carter on ER, Noah Wyle joined Donnie Darko as physics teacher Professor Monnitoff. He acts as sounding board and advisor to Donnie as he tries to figure out what he is experiencing. Wyle’s role on ER made him the best candidate to tackle all of the wordy physics jargon. 

After Donnie Darko, Wyle returned to ER for several more years before it ended in 2009. Noah Wyle is currently back in the world of television medicine as he heads up the phenomenal The Pitt as Doctor Robby. 

Drew Barrymore

Richard Kelly has gone on record time and time again to state that were it not for the investment and trust of Drew Barrymore’s production company, Flower Films, the movie would have never seen the light of day. Not only did Barrymore love the idea of the film, she played the young, idealistic teacher Karen Pomeroy, who finds herself unceremoniously fired after becoming the scapegoat for a spate of school vandalism. 

Already a star pre-Donnie Darko, Barrymore has continued to thrive and she currently hosts her own hit talk show. 

Patrick Swayze

Patrick Swayze was an icon of the ‘80s and ‘90s. His roles in Dirty Dancing, Ghost, Road House, and Point Break made him a star that appealed to both male and female audiences. Beloved by all, his role of Jim Cunningham in Donnie Darko surprised a lot of people as Cunningham was masking a horrific secret. 

Sadly, just eight years later, he passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer. HIs last on-screen appearance was in 2009’s Power Blue where he starred alongside Jessica Biel, Eddie Redmayne, and Forest Whitaker.

Maggie Gyllenhaal 

Maggie Gyllenhaal has become one of the greatest talents of her generation both in front of, and behind the camera. As an actress she wowed critics with her turns in Secretary, Crazy Heart, and Sherrybaby, and her work as a writer and director earned her a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination at the Academy Awards for The Lost Daughter. Her most recent directorial project, The Bride! proved more divisive, but it is still very much worth your time. 

Gyllenhaal won the part of Donnie’s older sister, Elizabeth Darko, after her brother Jake suggested her. That two of the Darko siblings are real-life brother and sister adds a nice layer of authenticity to the on-screen family unit. 

Jena Malone

Donnie Darko’s Gretchen Ross might have been born with tragedy in her blood, but Jena Malone was born with showbiz running through her veins. Malone got her first big break in 1997 playing the younger version of Jodie Foster’s character in Contact. She then appeared alongside Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts in Stepmom before landing the part of Gretchen. The new girl in town, Gretchen, is immediately drawn to Donnie and the pair embark on a sweet romance until the end of the world goes and spoils it all. 

Since Donnie Darko, Malone has continued to err on the side of cult cinema with her most memorable credits including Sucker Punch, The Neon Demon, and Love Lies Bleeding, but she isn’t against more high-profile films, as she played Johanna Mason in three The Hunger Games films. 

Jake Gyllenhaal

Although he had already been acting for a number of years, it was the eponymous role in Donnie Darko that made Jake Gyllenhaal a star. His portrayal of the troubled teen burdened with the knowledge of the end of the world was equal parts mesmeric and charming. Donnie is simultaneously dark and brooding as well as funny and charismatic. He’s a character that everyone either wants to be, or be friends with, which worked as an excellent calling card for the actor. 

Jake Gyllenhaal’s career has gone from strength to strength since starring in Richard Kelly’s debut, with his vast array of credits including Brokeback Mountain, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Nightcrawler. Gyllenhaal also took on the mantle of his Donnie Darko co-star Patrick Swayze to play Dalton in the Road House remake. Never short of work, Gyllenhaal can next be seen in the new M. Night Shyamalan film, Remain.