Mallrats, 20 Years Later: Where Are They Now?

Our first peek into the Kevin Smith cinematic universe may have been Clerks, but 1995’s Mallrats, which takes place one day previous to Clerks, made a (slightly) bigger splash with audiences.

Mallrats first hit theaters 20 years ago this week, and it’s the first movie to expand upon the home world of Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith himself) with a collection of characters that would figure into his later films. The cast included Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani and more, many of whom are returning for the sequel, MallBrats, which is schedule to begin production in January 2016.

In honor of Mallrats‘ 20th anniversary, we’re looking at what these actors have done in the two decades since the film’s debut.

1. Jason Lee

A mainstay of Kevin Smith’s films, Jason Lee had only a few minor roles before playing Mallrats‘s lead, Brodie Bruce, a slacker in great company with many of Smith’s other characters. Subsequent to Mallrats, Lee would appear in many of Smith’s later movies, including Chasing Amy (playing a different character), Dogma (playing another character), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (playing both his Mallrats and Chasing Amy characters), as well as Jersey Girl, Clerks II and the upcoming Mallrats sequel.

Outside the View Askewinverse, Lee played supporting roles in Vanilla Sky, Almost Famous and the Alvin and the Chipmunks movies. He also played the title role on the TV series My Name Is Earl from 2005 to 2009. In 2005, Lee famously

named his first son Pilot Inspektor, and in 2008 he married his third wife, Turkish actress Ceren Alkac. The couple has two children: daughter Casper (born in 2008) and son Sonny (born in 2012).

2. Jeremy London

London’s appearance in Mallrats coincided with his rise to mainstream fame as a result of his role on Party of Five as Griffin Holbrook. He’s since also appeared in a recurring role on 7th Heaven, in addition to many movie roles.

In 2010, London survived a kidnapping attempt in Palm Springs, California. The same year, London appeared on Celebrity Rehab, where he discussed his addiction issues. In 2011, London divorced Melissa Cunningham, mother of his son, Lyrik, and in 2014 he married Juliet Reeves. The couple’s son, Wyatt, was born in June 2014.

3. Shannen Doherty

Mallrats

marked one of Doherty’s first post- Beverly Hills, 90210 outings. She played Brodie’s longs-suffering girlfriend, Rene. Doherty later appeared in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (as herself) and is set to appear in MallBrats as well. Doherty has since played a lead role on the first three seasons of Charmed and in 2008 reprised the role of Brenda Walsh on several episodes of the sequel series 90210.

Doherty was married to Rick Salmon for nine months in 2002, and in 2011 she married Kurt Iswarienko. In August, Doherty revealed that she was battling breast cancer.

4. Claire Forlani

Forlani played Brani, the love interest for London’s character, and subsequently went on to star in Basquiat in 1996, Meet Joe Black in 1998, and Mystery Men in 1999. Among her notable TV roles are recurring ones on CSI: NY and NCIS: Los Angeles. In 2007, Forlani married Dougray Scott.

5. Ben Affleck

In his first major role following Dazed and Confused, Affleck played Shannon, the villain of Mallrats. Affleck appeared in subsequent Smith films including Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl, and Clerks II.

Outside the View Askewinverse, Affleck has since become a major leading actor, appearing in Good Will Hunting (for which he won an Oscar for writing the screenplay with longtime friend Matt Damon), Shakespeare in Love, Hollywoodland, Argo (which he also directed), Gone Girl and will next don the cape and cowl as Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In 2005, Affleck married Jennifer Garner, with whom he had three children – Violet Anne (born 2005), Seraphina Rose Elizabeth (born 2009) and Samuel Garner (born 2012). Affleck and Garner split in June 2015.

Ben Affleck’s Changing Looks!

6. Joey Lauren Adams

Adams played Gwen Turner in Mallrats but would go on to play the title role in Chasing Amy, in which she played a lesbian romanced by Affleck’s character. She reprised that role in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, but is set to play Gwen again in MallBrats. Adams has also appeared in Big Daddy and The Break-Up, as well as on TV shows such as Veronica Mars, Party Down, United States of Tara and most recently Grey’s Anatomy.

7. Jason Mewes

A View Askewinverse all-star, Mewes has played Jay (no last name given) in Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Clerks II, as well as in Clerks: The Animated Series, Scream 3 and Degrassi: The Next Generation. Mewes has also played characters who aren’t Jay in Zack and Miri Make a Porno and on Hawaii Five-0.

Mewes battled various addictions following Mallrats, at one point moving in with Kevin Smith in an effort to get clean. He has been sober since 2010, and he does a podcast with Smith, Jay and Silent Bob Get Old, to discuss his addiction problems. He married Jordan Monsanto in 2009, and the couple welcomed their first child, daughter Logan Lee, in 2015.

8. Kevin Smith

The director of Clerks, Mallrats and more, Smith also portrayed the non-speaking character Silent Bob opposite Mewes in many of them. He’s also directed films in which he doesn’t play Silent Bob, including Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Cop Out, Red State and most recently Tusk.

In 1999, Smith married Jennifer Schwalbach, whom he met when she interviewed him for USA Today. Schwalbach would later appear in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back as a diamond thief opposte Shannon Elizabeth, Eliza Dushku and Ali Larter. In 1999, Schwalbach gave birth to Harley Quinn Smith, who, yes, is named after the Batman villain.

9. Ethan Suplee

Suplee later appeared in Chasing Amy, Dogma and Clerks II, and is set to appear in MallBrats. However, he might be most familiar for playing opposite Mallrats star Jason Lee on My Name Is Earl. Suplee has otherwise appeared in everything from Boy Meets World to Road Trip, Cold Mountain to The Wolf of Wall Street. He has four children with Brandy Lewis, whom he was been married to since 2006, and in 2011 gained attention for losing more than 200 lbs.