By Kevin Crossman and Rick Duran, Senior Editors
Stiller
is the acknowledged leader of the group, having started the cameo trend with
his appearance in The Suburbans and by directing Owen's and his own
cameo in The Cable Guy. He has also hired most of the other Frat Pack
stars for various projects that he produced or directed. Stiller wrote, directed,
produced, and starred in the first true Frat Pack classic, Zoolander.
Stiller's comedian parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, both appeared in Zoolander
along with wife Christine Taylor. He has also appeared in Starsky &
Hutch, Dodgeball, and had another memorable cameo in Anchorman:
The Legend of Ron Burgundy. He's currently keeping the cameo trend going
by appearing with Jack Black in Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny,
and having Owen Wilson included in his holiday film Night at the Museum.
He's currently preparing for his next directing assignment, an ensemble action-comedy
for which he will costar and cowrite, Tropic Thunder.
Breakout Role: Probably TV's The Ben Stiller Show,
cemented by his tortured turn in Something About Mary.
Career Highlights: Reality Bites (also directed),
Flirting with Disaster, Your Friends and Neighbors, Keeping the Faith, Mystery
Men, Mission: Improbable (playing Tom Crooze), The Duplex, Along Came
Polly, Envy, Madagascar.
Since
leaving SNL, Ferrell has appeared in numerous roles. Fans often point
to his fearless performances as Frank the Tank in Old School, uber-anchor
Ron Burgundy in Anchorman, or twisted ladies-man Chazz in Wedding
Crashers, but we greatly appreciate his frenzied role as Mugatu in Zoolander.
Will received a second Golden Globe nomination for the dramedy Stranger
than Fiction and is currently filming the 1970's basketball comedy, Semi-Pro.
Hailing from Southern California and a student at USC, Ferrell was also a member
of the improv troupe The Groundlings.
Breakout Role: Created numerous characters on Saturday
Night Live, including George W. Bush, Steve Butabi, Neil Diamond, Craig
the Cheerleader, Janet Reno, and James Lipton.
Career Highlights: A Night at the Roxbury, Superstar, Austin Powers:
International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Jay and
Silent Bob Strike Back, Elf, Kicking & Screaming, Bewitched, The Producers,
Curious George, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Blades of Glory.
Vaughn
burst onto the pop culture landscape with his outstanding presence in Swingers.
For several years he did mostly dramatic roles (often as the villain) until
Old School reminded audiences of his comedic genius. Vaughn seems to
be the catalyst for Frat Pack movies, having appeared in nearly all the classic
films: Dodgeball, Starsky & Hutch, Anchorman, Wedding Crashers, Zoolander,
and of course Old School.
Breakout Role: Fast-talking Trent in Swingers.
Career Highlights: Made, Psycho, Clay Pigeons, The Lost World:
Jurassic Park, The Cell, Return to Paradise, Domestic Disturbance, Be Cool,
Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Thumbsucker, The Break-Up, Into the Wild, Joe Claus
He
hasn't appeared in as many Frat Pack classics, however we feel Luke was the
glue that held Old School together. Often cast in nice guy roles or
as romantic leads, Wilson had a memorable appearance in another Frat Pack movie,
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy ("I did not see that coming!")
that cemented his status in the Frat Pack. Luke has often appeared with brothers
Owen and Andrew, including the upcoming The Wendell Baker Story (co-directed
with Andrew). The oft-delayed Idiocracy directed by Mike Judge recently
opened to critical acclaim. Next up for Luke is a cameo in Blades of Glory,
starring Will Ferrell and produced by Ben Stiller.
Breakout Role: Conflicted friend Anthony in Bottle Rocket
Career Highlights: Home Fries, Legally Blonde,
Legally Blonde 2, Charlie's Angels, Blue Streak, Alex and Emma, The Family Stone,
My Super-Ex Girlfriend, Mini's First Time, Idiocracy.
Best
known to audiences as one half of the Stiller and Wilson comedy duo, Owen has
appeared in numerous films in both comedic and dramatic roles. Owen is also
an accomplished screenwriter, having co-written the critical favorites Rushmore
and The Royal Tenenbaums, for which he was nominated for a Best Screenplay
Academy Award. His key Frat Pack roles include male model Hansel in Zoolander,
Ken Hutchinson in Starsky & Hutch, John Beckwith from Wedding
Crashers, and Jedidiah in Night at the Museum.
Breakout Role: "Criminal Mastermind" Dignan in Bottle
Rocket
Career Highlights: Anaconda, Armageddon, Shanghai
Noon, Behind Enemy Lines, I Spy, Shanghai Knights, The Life Aquatic,
Cars, You, Me, and Dupree.
Black's
manic energy has won him many hardcore fans. Black's first Frat Pack connection
was with a small role in the Ben Stiller-directed The Cable Guy. Black
also collaborated with Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Christine Taylor on the failed
TV pilot Heat Vision and Jack.
He costarred with Ben Stiller in the critical and financial failure Envy,
but Stiller appeared in Black's Orange County and Black appeared briefly
in Anchorman. Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny cements his
status in the Frat Pack. Costarring Black's Tenacious D partner Kyle Gass and
produced by Ben Stiller who is featured in a pivotal cameo, Pick contains
many of the male-bonding themes seen in other Frat Pack films, and the plot
mixes farce and fantasy to hilarious effect. He's currently slated to costar
in Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder.
Breakout Role: Manic record store employee Barry in High
Fidelity.
Career Highlights: Tenacious D HBO Special, Saving Silverman,
Shallow Hal, Orange County, Ice Age, School of Rock, Shark Tale, King Kong,
Nacho Libre, The Holiday, Be Kind, Rewind.
A
junior and part-time Frat Pack member, Carell won over audiences with his hilarious
and touching film, The 40 Year-Old Virgin. Directed and co-written
by Frat Pack veteran Judd Apatow, the movie had the perfect Frat Pack sensibility.
That, along with his scene-stealing role in Anchorman and Frat Pack-like
cameo in Will Ferrell's Bewitched has raised awareness of this Daily
Show veteran. Carell cemented his Frat Pack status with a hilarious
musical number on Saturday Night Live, crooning that he was "one
of those guys now."
Breakout Role: Daily Show Correspondent
Career Highlights: Gary from The Ambiguously Gay Duo (Saturday
Night Live), The Dana Carvey Show, Bruce Almighty, Melinda and Melinda,
The Office, Little Miss Sunshine, Evan Almighty, Dan in Real Life, Get Smart.
These actors could make a Carell-like leap into Frat Pack membership with the right starring role and continued work with the rest of the Frat Pack. All of these actors have been referred to as members, pledges, or important Frat Pack friends by various media outlets. We're not saying that all or even any of these guys definitely will ascend, but it anyone does it's likely one of these five.
As for what might "qualify" these guys for inclusion, being "just like Jack Black, but better" in terms of popularity might be a start.
Paul
Rudd is roughly the same age as the main Frat Pack members, so he's a natural
fit. He had large supporting roles in two Frat Pack classics, Anchorman
and The Forty Year-Old Virgin and cameoed with Ben Stiller in Night
at the Museum. He returns in 2007 in another supporting role in Judd Apatow's
Virgin follow-up, Knocked Up. Rudd has also starred with Jennifer Aniston
in The Object of My Affection and is well known to audiences from his
roles in Clueless and Friends. Rudd was seen in the indie
comedy The OH in Ohio and is coming to theatres opposite Michelle Pfeiffer
in I Could Never Be Your Woman.
Breakout Role: Twisted romantic lead in Clueless
Career Highlights: Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, The
Locusts, The Baxter, The OH in Ohio, I Could Never Be Your Woman, The Ten
After
a low-profile performances in Frat Pack related projects such as Anchorman,
Undeclared, and Freaks and Geeks, Seth Rogen blew into the
public consciousness with his scene-stealing supporting role as Cal in The
Forty Year-Old Virgin. He followed that up another scene-stealing role
in Owen Wilson's You, Me and Dupree. Next up is a starring role in
Judd Apatow's Virgin follow up, Knocked Up, where he also
serves as an Executive Producer. He's also written a semi-autobiographical film
called Super Bad that will star Jonah Hill and has also penned Drillbit
Taylor, Owen Wilson's next starring vehicle.
Breakout Role: Romantic Svengali Cal in The Forty
Year-Old Virgin
Career Highlights: Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, Fanboys,
Super Bad
An
Oscar-nominated actor for Chicago, John C. Reilly has been working
with the most respected names in Hollywood for almost 20 years. Yet Reilly is
an unexpected rising star amongst the Frat Pack. Reilly's first Pack connection
was playing Sasquatch on Jack Black's Tenacious D HBO series. After passing
on the Champ Kind role in Anchorman (to film The Aviator),
Will Ferrell and Adam McKay got Reilly to play Cal Naughton Jr. in Talladega
Nights. With lead roles in Ferrell/McKay's Step Brothers and the
Judd Apatow-written Walk Hard, and a cameo as Sasquatch for Tenacious
D in the Pick of Destiny, Reilly's Frat Pack future is bright. He solidified
his Pledge status with his crowd-pleasing Ferrell/Black/McKay/Apatow "Comedian
at the Oscars" collaboration.
Breakout Role: Debut role in Casualties of War (expanded
after his casting)
Career Highlights: State of Grace, Days of Thunder, What's
Eating Gilbert Grape, Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, The Perfect Storm,
The Good Girl, The Hours, Chicago, Gangs of New York, A Prairie Home Companion,
Year of the Dog, Quebec
Well-regarded
amongst the improvisational community, David Koechner appeared with Will Ferrell
on Saturday Night Live in 1995-1996. But he's best known for playing Champ Kind
in Anchorman. He's recently been seen in a variety of high-profile
comedy projects including Dukes of Hazzard, The Forty Year-Old Virgin, Talladega
Nights, and Snakes on a Plane. Koechner drew good notices for his role
in the satirical hit Thank You for Smoking and for his recurring role
as Todd Packer on The Office. In addition to his acting roles, Koechner
is building a musical career as "T-Bones" often appearing with The
Naked Trucker on stage and on the Comedy Central TV series.
Breakout Role: Sports Reporter Champ Kind in Anchorman
Career Highlights: Saturday Night Live, Wag the Dog, Still
Standing, Run Ronnie Run, Waiting, Thank You for Smoking, Barnyard, Let's Go
to Prison, Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, The Naked Trucker and T-Bones
Show, Semi-Pro, Get Smart
Leveraging
his boyish looks and earnest charm, Justin Long's profile has risen considerably
over the last several years. Initially known for his role on Ed, he's
now recognized for his signature Frat Pack role as "Justin" in Dodgeball
(a role written specifically for him). He's followed that up with large or starring
roles in Waiting, Herbie: Fully Loaded, and Accepted.
He's currently filming One Part Sugar with Accepted costar
Jonah Hill and was recently seen in acclaimed cameos in The Break-Up
and Idiocracy. Long is also familiar to viewers as "Mac"
in the Apple Macintosh commercials.
Breakout Role: High School student Warren in Ed
Career Highlights: Galaxy Quest, Jeepers Creepers, Crossroads,
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Wake Up Ron Burgundy, Waiting, The Break-Up,
Accepted, Herbie: Fully Loaded, Idiocracy, Strange Wilderness, Live Free or
Die Hard, One Part Sugar, Apple Macintosh commercials
This page last modified on
Thursday, September 06, 2007.
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