It’s time to take a look back at one of our favorite ‘90s stars, one of the ultimate dream girls of the era, none other than… Rachael Leigh Cook! She was all that (and a bag of chips) in the ‘90s, and today we’re going to not only look at how she began her acting career, but also what she’s up to now. Oh, and of course, we’re going to dive into some of her best roles of the ‘90s (with maybe one movie from the 2000s sneaking in there too….shhh!).
Rachael grew up in Minneapolis and started her journey to becoming an actress in a way that many a young child star has — by modeling. Yep, Rachael started out her career as a model at the tender age of seven, appearing in print ads for Milk-Bone dog biscuits and Target, along with a PSA for foster care. The acting bug bit at 14 when her modeling agency encouraged her to try out for some acting roles. She promptly landed her first major role in The Baby-Sitters Club, and the rest, as they say, is history, with numerous follow-up film roles cementing her ‘90s dream girl status, most notably, of course, She’s All That.
But why didn’t she become a huge star after that role shot her into the spotlight? Turns out, she had the opportunity to play Rogue in the X-Men movies, but turned it down, and has since said that was a mistake. At the time, everyone was telling her she needed to be taken seriously as an actress, so she instead focused on more indie movies than those big production, green screen films. Still, while she might have missed out on some big Marvel movies, she has continued to work throughout the years, doing voiceover work for Robot Chicken, video games, and acting in various television shows and TV movies.
Before we look back at some of her most memorable roles from the ‘90s, do you remember the commercial she did for the “This is your brain on drugs” campaign? If you don’t, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Check it out below:
The Baby-Sitters Club (1995)
The big screen adaptation of the hugely popular book series The Baby-Sitters Club featured Rachael as the character Mary-Anne Spier. The movie featured another of our favorite ‘90s teen dream girls: Larisa Oleynik (click to read more about her). Though it was nice to see a big screen adaptation of the book series, it didn’t quite capture the same magic. It wasn’t bad or anything, just kind of… blah.
Tom and Huck (1995)
Chock full of some of our favorite ‘90s teen celebs, Rachael starred as Becky in Tom and Huck alongside Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Brad Renfro as Tom and Huck, respectively. Becky was Tom’s love interest in the film, and though her role wasn’t huge, every girl who had a crush on JTT was pretty jealous.
All I Wanna Do / Strike! (1998)
This movie set in the ‘60s stars Rachael alongside Kirsten Dunst, Gaby Hoffman, Monica Keena, and Heather Matarazzo as students at a preparatory school for girls. You may remember seeing it in theaters called All I Wanna Do, but now when you look for it, you better search for Strike!, as the name has since been changed. The movie is all about the proposed merger between an all-girls and an all-boys school, and the girls’ attempt to thwart said merger.
She’s All That (1999)
Rachael’s most famous role of course came with She’s All That, where she played Laney Boggs, an outcast that Freddie Prinze Jr.’s character must try to turn into the prom queen in order to win a bet. While the plot is a touch cliche, the movie still shines thanks to the cast and some of the random humor thrown in.
The Bumblebee Flies Anyway (1999)
Rachael stars with Elijah Wood in The Bumblebee Flies Anyway, a movie about an amnesiac teenager who is trying to piece together his past. Rachael plays his love interest and the sister of one of the other teens at the facility where Wood’s character is living — a facility where everyone else has a terminal illness, except for him. It’s a smaller movie you may not have seen at the time, but is definitely worth checking out.
Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
Based on the comic book series, Rachael starred as the titular Josie in Josie and the Pussycats alongside Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson. Beyonce, Aaliyah, and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes were all considered for Dawson’s role, but ultimately weren’t chosen. It was pretty much a huge box office bomb when it debuted in 2001, but since then has turned into something of a cult hit — it’s now praised for its satirical take on American pop culture, and for its prescience in satirizing product placement and the corporatization of the music industry.
What were your favorite roles of Rachael’s? Any we missed that you adored? Let us know in the comments!
- Rachael was married to actor Daniel Gillies (they have since divorced), who you may know from The Vampire Diaries. They have two children together.
- Stephenie Meyer wrote the Twilight character of Alice Cullen with her in mind.
- Rachael won multiple awards for She’s All That, including a Kids’ Choice Award, a YoungStar award, a Blockbuster Entertainment Award, and a Teen Choice Award.
- Rachael had a recurring role on the TV show Psych as a love interest for the lead character, Shawn Spencer. She was in six episodes from 2008-2010.
- Rachael is the voice of Tifa Lockhart, a character who first appeared in the video game Final Fantasy VII, and several of its sequels and spinoffs. The character also appeared in Kingdom Hearts II.
- Rachael was married to actor Daniel Gillies (they have since divorced), who you may know from The Vampire Diaries. They have two children together.
- Stephenie Meyer wrote the Twilight character of Alice Cullen with her in mind.
- Rachael won multiple awards for She’s All That, including a Kids’ Choice Award, a YoungStar award, a Blockbuster Entertainment Award, and a Teen Choice Award.
- Rachael had a recurring role on the TV show Psych as a love interest for the lead character, Shawn Spencer. She was in six episodes from 2008-2010.
- Rachael is the voice of Tifa Lockhart, a character who first appeared in the video game Final Fantasy VII, and several of its sequels and spinoffs. The character also appeared in Kingdom Hearts II.
