A house party packed with 500 teenagers, the scent of cheap beer, and the frantic energy of graduation night defines the setting of Huntington Hills. A lovelorn boy grips a four-year-old letter while a "wannabe" in a tracksuit hunts for a "special lady". In the bathroom, a cynical girl is trapped with an estranged friend, forced to confront a decade of shared history.
It is the final night of high school, captured in the fuzzy guitar riffs of The Replacements. By sunrise, everything will change—not just for the characters on screen, but for the young actors portraying them.
Released on 12th June 1998, Can’t Hardly Wait was initially dismissed by critics like Roger Ebert as a slow-moving retread, yet it has spent 28 years becoming a definitive time capsule. As we look at the cast in 2026, their real-life trajectories have proven far more varied than the roles they played.
Act I: The Making of a Cult Classic
The project began when filmmaking duo Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont penned a script that aimed to capture the messy, non-linear reality of a single night. Produced on a modest $10 million budget, the film was a "before they were famous" goldmine, though at the time, many of the leads were already established teen royalty. Interestingly, the film was originally slapped with an R-rating for its depictions of teen drinking—a move that would have been death at the box office. To secure a PG-13, it was recut, ironically sanitising the very party culture it sought to document.
Act II: The Breaking of the Lead Trio
Jennifer Love Hewitt (Amanda Beckett) — The Prom Queen's Reckoning
At 19, Jennifer Love Hewitt was already a titan of the genre, fresh off Party of Five and I Know What You Did Last Summer. As Amanda Beckett, the "perfect" girl recently dumped by the school jock, she was the film's emotional North Star.
Today, at 46, Hewitt’s relationship with Hollywood is more nuanced. While she boasts a net worth of $22 million and has found long-term TV success in 9-1-1, she has been vocal about the "body-shaming" and "ageism" she faced during her peak fame.
Hewitt famously stepped back from the spotlight to prioritise her three children with husband Brian Hallisay, proving that the "popular girl" often finds her greatest joy far from the cheering crowd. In a full-circle moment, she announced in 2019 that she is developing Can’t Hardly Wait 2, with plans to step behind the camera as director.
Ethan Embry (Preston Meyers) — The Romantic's Long Road
Ethan Embry played Preston, the hopeless romantic obsessed with a girl he barely knew. In 1998, Embry was the quintessential "boy next door" from Empire Records and That Thing You Do!. However, his path post-1998 was fraught with the darker side of young stardom. Embry has spoken candidly about his battle with addiction, eventually achieving sobriety around 2015.
His career saw a massive resurgence with a seven-season run on Grace and Frankie, and in 2026, he has returned to the horror-inflected roots of the '90s, having been cast in Scream 7 (Feb 27 apparently).
Now 47, Embry represents the resilient character actor—someone who survived the "teen idol" meat grinder to find a more authentic, grounded version of success.
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Seth Green (Kenny Fisher) — The Nerd Who Built an Empire
If anyone "won" the post-film lottery, it was Seth Green. As the goggle-wearing, slang-slinging Kenny Fisher, Green provided the film’s loudest comedic beats. Already a veteran of Austin Powers and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Green didn't just stay in front of the camera; he built the room where the cameras are kept.
Now 51, Green is an animation mogul with a net worth estimated between $35 million and $45 million. As the co-creator of Robot Chicken and the voice of Chris Griffin on Family Guy for over 25 years, he has turned "nerd culture" into a multi-decade industry.
In 2026, he continues to oversee Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, proving that the most underestimated person at the party is often the one who ends up owning the house.
Act III: The Reckoning and the Radical Pivots
Charlie Korsmo (William Lichter) — From Child Star to Law Professor
The most fascinating trajectory in the entire cast belongs to Charlie Korsmo. As the vengeful nerd William Lichter, Korsmo returned to acting after a long hiatus following child-star turns in Dick Tracy and Hook. But instead of chasing another role, Korsmo walked away almost entirely. He famously quipped,
"I think I managed the trick of leaving voluntarily just about the time I would have been thrown out anyway."
Korsmo's "Now" section reads like a different person’s biography: a physics degree from MIT, a law degree from Yale, and a career as a Professor of Corporate Law at Case Western Reserve University. In 2011, he was even appointed to the Barry Goldwater Scholarship Board by President Barack Obama. While he made brief returns to the screen in 2019 and 2024, Korsmo remains the ultimate proof that there is life—intellectual, prestigious life—after the teen movie era.
Lauren Ambrose (Denise Fleming) — The Artist’s Choice
Lauren Ambrose played the cynical Denise, providing the film's dry, intellectual wit. While many of her co-stars stayed in the blockbuster lane, Ambrose pivoted toward prestige drama and the stage. Her breakthrough as Claire Fisher in Six Feet Under earned her two Emmy nominations and cemented her as one of the finest actors of her generation.
Ambrose has consistently prioritised "the work" over "the fame," earning a Tony nomination for My Fair Lady in 2018 and starring in the psychological thriller Servant.
In 2026, she remains a powerhouse on television, starring in the hit series Yellowjackets. She is a reminder that being a "teen star" is often just a stepping stone to becoming a serious artist.
Peter Facinelli (Mike Dexter) — The Jock Who Found a Franchise
Peter Facinelli played the quintessential jerk, Mike Dexter. For a decade after the film, Facinelli’s career was steady but lacked a major hook—until a role he almost didn't audition for changed everything.
By landing the part of Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the Twilight saga (2008–2012), Facinelli found the kind of franchise stardom that usually eludes character actors.
Now 52, he balances acting in shows like Nurse Jackie with his own production company, Facinelli Films.
Act IV: The Supporting Players Who Became Superstars
The true legacy of Can’t Hardly Wait lies in its background actors. Look closely at the "Watermelon Guy" and you’ll see a young Jason Segel, years before How I Met Your Mother. The girl in the bit part? That’s Selma Blair, shortly before Cruel Intentions. From Donald Faison (Scrubs) to Jaime Pressly (My Name Is Earl), the film’s supporting cast went on to dominate the 2000s and 2010s.
From Top Left: Jason Segel, Selma Blair / From Bottom Left: Donald Faison, Jaime Pressly
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Why the Party Never Ends
The diversity of these outcomes reveals a profound truth about the "graduation" theme of the film. Success isn't a single destination; it’s the ability to choose your own path when the party is over. Whether it's building an animation empire like Seth Green, choosing the quiet dignity of academia like Charlie Korsmo, or possibly returning to direct the sequel like Jennifer Love Hewitt, the cast of 1998 has proven that the crossroads are where life actually begins.
With a musical adaptation announced in 2024 and a 4K UHD release keeping the film’s neon-blue aesthetic crisp for a new generation, the Huntington Hills party is officially eternal. We keep coming back because, in those 100 minutes, we all remember what it felt like to be 18, terrified, and waiting for the rest of our lives to start.
