The cast of Donnie Darko has had about as much trauma as the main character himself – what with near-escapes from fires, cancer and a tragic death.
Donnie Darko has become one of Hollywood’s cult classic films since its release in 2001, with many theories about the storyline and what actually happened.
The film followed Donnie, played by Marvel star Jake Gyllenhaal, a high school student who escapes an accident after a plane engine falls on his house.
He then sees visions of a man dressed in a rabbit suit, called Frank, who only he can see and who encourages Donnie to commit a series of crimes.
We look at where the cast of the psychological film are now – from co-star siblings, to Hollywood movies and tragic deaths.
Jake Gyllenhaal
(Image: Getty Images)
Donnie Darko made Jake Gyllenhaal a Hollywood name at the age of 21, with leading roles in films including Jarhead, The Day after Tomorrow and Brokeback Mountain to follow.
He most recently played Mysterio in Spiderman: Far from Home in 2019, and is listed as starring in a number of films currently in pre-production.
To celebrate the film’s 20th anniversary, Jake recently shared photos of his script on Instagram, saying: “It’s a film that changed my life and my career and it’s been unreal to watch this story find afterlives with new audiences and new generations.”
He continued: “Thank you to all the fans who’ve come up to me over the years with that confused look on their faces and asked me ‘what the f**k is Donnie Darko about?’ Happy 20th Donnie! Let’s keep confusing people. Here’s to 20 more.”
In 2006, Jake and his co-star sister Maggie were caught up in a fire tragedy at a restaurant in Inverness, California.
The siblings managed to escape along with a handful of other guests after a fire broke out at 3am.
The venue’s owner, Daniel DeLong, later praised Jake for helping him pull things out of the fire.
Jake has plenty of other Hollywood connections, as well as his sister.
His godfather was actor and director Paul Newman, while his godmother is actress Jamie Lee Curtis.
Meanwhile, Jake is the godfather of the late Heath Ledger’s daughter Matilda.
As Jake’s star power rose, he dated a number of Hollywood starlets including Kirsten Dunst, Reese Witherspoon and Taylor Swift.
He is currently in a relationship with French model Jeanne Cadieu.
Maggie Gyllenhaal
(Image: Getty Images for National Board of Review)
Jake Gyllenhaal’s real life sister Maggie also played his onscreen sister Elizabeth in Donnie Darko.
Like her brother, Maggie is an academy award nominated performer and since then, has starred in Hollywood movies including Secretary, 40 days and 40 nights and The Dark Knight.
She most recently played Eileen Merrell in TV series The Deuce, and is also a producer and director, working on award-winning 2021 film The Lost Daughter starring Olivia Coleman.
Maggie is married to actor Peter Sarsgaard, who is set to star in the 2022 release The Batman.
The couple has two daughters – Ramona and Gloria Ray.
Noah Wyle
(Image: WireImage)
Noah Wyle rose to fame as one of ER’s heartthrobs, Dr Carter, in 1994 alongside other Hollywood names including George Clooney.
He played Donnie’s teacher Dr Kenneth Monnitoff, who Donnie talks time travel with, and who is also in a relationship with fellow teacher Karen Pomeroy.
Noah hasn’t left our screens, appearing in a number of huge television programmes including sci-fi epic Falling Skies, The Librarians and reprising his role as Dr Carter in ER’s final episodes in 2009.
Most recently he starred as Daniel Calder in TV series The Red Line in 2019 and Harry Wilson in Leverage: Redemption in 2021.
Noah has been married twice – first to makeup artist Tracy Warbin from 2000 to 2010, and then to Sara Wells, in 2014.
He has two children with Tracy – son Owen Strausser Speer Wyle and daughter Auden Wyle.
And with Sara, he has daughter Frances Harper Wyle.
Drew Barrymore
(Image: Getty Images)
Drew Barrymore made her name as a child star in films like E.T, before starring in Hollywood movies including The Wedding Singer, Never Been Kissed, Scream and Charlie’s Angels.
In Donnie Darko, she played teacher Karen Pomeroy, who is also in a relationship with Noah Wyle’s character Dr Kenneth Monnitoff.
She continues to act and produce, most recently starring in the hit Netflix series Santa Clarita Diet.
Drew is not only an actor and producer, but also founded her own beauty line called Flower beauty.
The star has had a very colourful love life, first getting engaged at the age of 16 to the grandson of producer Leland Hayward, also called Leland Hayward.
A year later, she was engaged to musician and actor Jamie Walters.
In 1994, Drew married bar owner Jeremy Thomas, but filed for divorce just two months later.
She married MTV host Tom Green in 2000, and their divorce was finalised in 2002.
In 2012, Drew married art consultant Will Kopelman, and their divorce was finalised in 2016.
A few years after Donnie Darko was released, she confessed she had always considered herself bisexual, saying: “Being with a woman is like exploring your own body, but through someone else.”
The star is the godmother of Frances Bean Cobain – daughter of music icons Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love.
Patrick Swayze
(Image: WireImage)
Hollywood hearthrob Patrick Swayze won hearts in the classic film Dirty Dancing, after training as a professional dancer in New York City.
After his Golden Globe nominated role in Dirty Dancing, he starred in another blockbuster, 1990’s Ghost alongside Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg, as well as starring in 1991’s Point Break and as Jim Cunningham in Donnie Darko.
He continued to act, starring in comedy films including 2006’s Keeping Mum alongside Rowan Atkinson and Maggie Smith, and even made a cameo as a dance instructor in the film Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.
Patrick Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2008 and continued to work until he died one year later on September 14, 2009.
Jena Malone
(Image: Getty Images)
Jena Malone played Donnie’s girlfriend Gretchin, who has recently moved to the town.
She had already starred in a number of films as a child actress, before appearing in Donnie Darko and later films including Saved, Pride and Prejudice and Sucker Punch.
Jena is also a producer and continues to act, most recently starring in The Hunger Games films as Johanna Mason, the 2020 music biopic Stardust as Angie Bowie and the TV series Goliath in 2021.
She welcomed her first child, a son called Ode Mountain, in May 2016 with her then-boyfriend Ethan DeLorenzo, however they split in February 2019.
Mary McDonnell
(Image: Getty Images North America)
Award-winning actress Mary McDonnell earned her first Academy Award nomination for her role in Kevin Costner’s Dancing with Wolves in 1990, and since then has starred in numerous stage productions and films.
She starred as the First Lady in 1996’s Independence Day, before starring as Donnie’s mum Rosa in Donnie Darko, alongside Noah Wyle, who she had previously worked with on the TV drama ER.
Since then, Mary has continued to star in big budget films and television series including Battlestar Galactica, Grey’s Anatomy, Veronica Mars and most recently, the TV series Rebel in 2021 as Helen Peterson.
Mary is married to actor Randle Mell, and they share two children – Michael and Olivia.
Katharine Ross
(Image: Getty Images for Disney)
Hollywood icon Katharine Ross rose to fame in another cult classic, 1967’s The Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman.
The award-winning actress has starred in a number of roles since then, including as Etta Place in 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which also starred her future husband Sam Elliot, although they did not share any scenes together.
In 2001, she starred as Donnie’s psychiatrist Dr Lilian Thurman in Donnie Darko, and since then has voiced characters in series including American Dad and Family Guy.
She most recently starred in the romantic comedy film Attachments in 2019.
James Duval
(Image: WireImage)
Donnie’s imaginary friend Frank the Rabbit was played by James Duval.
A trained classical pianist, James also plays guitar in a band called Gene Wilder, in addition to acting in films including Independence Day as Miguel, which also starred his Donnie Darko co-star Mary McDonnell.
Since Donnie Darko, he has continued to act in films and TV series including Gone in Sixty Seconds, Hawaii Five-O and is listed as starring in a number of films currently in pre-production.
It is reported that when he isn’t acting, he is a Yoga teacher in Los Angeles.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
