There are a lot of movies that I have come to love with age, most of which I did not appreciate much as a child. These could be some of my favorite stop-motion films, like Coraline or my beloved The Nightmare Before Christmas, or maybe even family movies like Spy Kids, with their amazing parents that I’ve somehow come to love even more.
But, you want to know a movie that I genuinely love more now? Sky High.
The film, a teen superhero movie that had plenty of young and adult talent to enjoy, was one that I liked a lot as a kid. Upon rewatching it as an adult, however, I realized just how underrated it really is. You want to know what else is underrated? How freaking insane the Sky High cast is. From the lead star being Michael Angarano, to Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and all the way to Kurt Russell, there is so much about this cast that stands out.
Today, we’re going to take a look at the Sky High cast, and what they’re up to now.
Michael Angarano (Will Stronghold)
First up on the list is Michael Angarano, who played Will Stronghold in Sky High. The actor (who many likely saw first in his recurring role on the popular LGBTQ+ show, Will & Grace) has since had a big career in television, as well as some smaller roles in movies you might recognize. Some of his biggest include The Forbidden Kingdom, Haywire, Sun Dogs, Red State, The English Teacher, and Empire State.
Angarano has made more of a name for himself in television. He was a part of the main cast of The Knick, and I’m Dying Up Here. He was also a part of the recurring cast for the popular NBC show, This Is Us, as well as Minx and Angelyne.
Coming up, Angarano is going to be a part of the extremely lengthy cast of Oppenhiemer, as well as the new Horizon film.
Kurt Russell (Steve Stronghold)
Next up is Kurt Russell, someone who has been in the industry for years and has only continued to prove his staying power in Hollywood. He played Steve Stronghold, Will’s father. Russell has been in several movies since Sky High, many I’m sure you recognize.
If you love Kurt Russell, check out some of his best movies.
He played Santa Claus in The Christmas Chronicles movies, as well as Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. He was also in several other films such as Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Hateful Eight, Death Proof, Furious 7, The Fate of the Furious, and most recently, in 2021, F9.
Russell hasn’t been in any television since Sky High, but he is set to appear in an upcoming Godzilla and Titans series, so keep an eye out for that. It would be his return to live-action television for the first time in decades.
Kelly Preston (Josie DeMarco-Stronghold)
Playing Josie Stronghold was Kelly Preston, who was a formidable force in the film. After Sky High, the actress appeared in films such as Old Dogs, Death Sentence, Gotti, Off the Rails and more. She also had a recurring role on both Fat Actress and Medium.
Sadly, Kelly Preston passed away in 2020.
Danielle Panabaker (Layla Williams)
Danielle Panabaker played Layla Williams, Will’s friend and later a romantic interest. I was well aware of Panabaker for some time, as she was in so many of the kids shows I used to watch, but since Sky High, she continued to appear in both movies and films.
Her films include the rebooted version of Friday the 13th in 2009, as part of the popular horror series, Mr. Brooks, Home of the Giant, Girls Against Boys and This Isn’t Funny. Panabaker continued her career on television, appearing in shows such as Shark, where she had a main role, and Necessary Roughness, where she held a recurring part.
The talent appeared in the Arrowverse as Caitlin/Killer Frost, showing up on The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Gwen Grayson)
Moving on, we take a look at Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who has had quite the career since she played senior Gwen Grayson. Winstead would go on to be in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World in 2010, as well as several other films including the third film in the Final Destination series, Death Proof, Black Christmas, The Spectacular Now, A Good Day to Die Hard, Swiss Army Man, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Birds of Prey and more.
Winstead has also had a pretty big career in television, with a main role on Wolf Lake, as well as The Returned, Brain Dead, and Mercy Street. She also had a main role on Fargo during the third season.
Coming up, she will be in the new Ashoka television show, and be reprising her role as Ramona Flowers in the Scott Pilgrim The Anime series on Netflix.
Steven Strait (Warren Peace)
Steven Strait played Warren Peace (Get it? “War and peace.”), and he’s also done plenty since his time in the film. Strait appeared in a variety of smaller films, including Undiscovered, City Island, After, 10,000 BC, Stop-Loss, Life Like and The Covenant, but he’s mainly stuck to television.
He had a main role as part of the popular Amazon original show, The Expanse, and had a lead part on Magic City. Coming up, he is also going to be back in the movies with a new film called Body Language.
Kelly Vitz (Magenta Lewis)
Moving on, we take a look at Kelly Vitz, who played Magenta Lewis, a teenager who had the power to turn into a guinea pig (which is honestly kind of cool). Lewis guest starred on Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, but also appeared in a variety of movies.
Vitz had roles in Nancy Drew, Teenius, Simon Says, Eye of the Dolphin, The Temerity of Zim and Leonie. Vitz hasn’t acted for some time – but she did enjoy some higher education, and now works as an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCLA!
Nicholas Braun (Zachary Braun)
Next up is Nicholas Braun, who played Zachary Braun (yes, they shared the same last name). Braun has done a lot in movies since, appearing in Red State, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Date and Switch Poltergeist, The Stanford Prison Experiment, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, How to Be Single, Good Kids, The Big Ugly and more.
However, many more people now may know him as Greg from the Succession cast, which really brought him a lot of attention as an actor. He was also a part of the main cast of 10 Things I Hate About You.
This list focused on the main characters of the movie, but I did leave out one - Dee Jay Daniels, but that's mainly because he hasn't acted in quite some time, and has experienced serious legal issues.
There are also several other characters that I’ll give a quick shout out too such as Penny, who was played by Malika and Khadijah Haqq, as well as Principle Powers, portrayed by Lynda Carter, and Coach Boomer, played by Bruce Campbell – but trust me when I say all of them have been doing just fine in the entertainment industry since.
Sky High is really one of those films that you don’t see that often, and it’s such a fun one, too. If you have the time, be sure to check it out – and even if you have, go watch it again just to see this cast.
