'Sweet Home Alabama' Cast: Where Are They Now?
You can’t take the honky-tonk out of the girl! Sweet Home Alabama became a classic rom-com almost as soon as it hit theaters in 2002, thanks to the charm — and chemistry — of leads Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas.
“Small-town girl moves to the big city and forgets her roots” is a plot so clichéd at this point that it shows up in about 90 percent of made-for-TV Christmas movies, but in Sweet Home Alabama, it just works. Witherspoon stars as Melanie Smooter, a New York City fashion designer who hides her Pigeon Creek, Alabama, origins by using the last name “Carmichael.”
That plan seems to be working out for her until she gets engaged to Andrew Hennings (Patrick Dempsey), the wealthy son of NYC’s mayor (Candice Bergen). The problem is that she’s already married — to Jake Perry (Lucas), the childhood sweetheart who was supposed to have divorced her years ago but never signed the papers. The only solution is to return to Pigeon Creek and get the divorce finalized, but because this is a romantic comedy, that’s not how things between Melanie and Jake play out.
The movie is a fantasy, of course, but Witherspoon has said that Melanie’s struggles actually mirror some of her own experiences as a Louisiana-born, Tennessee-raised actress trying to make it in Hollywood.
“When I read the script I was like, ‘Do these people know my life story?’” she said during a Town Hall event in 2018. “Because no matter how much you love where you’re from, when you get a little bit older, you get nostalgic for it. When I was 18, I was like, ‘I am out of here! I am never coming back!’”
The Oscar winner obviously had a change of heart, as she now shares a home in Nashville with her husband, Jim Toth. “When I was going through Sweet Home Alabama, I was like, ‘This is exactly how so many young people feel. You want to leave home and then you realize that there’s so many important things about the closeness of family or people who knew you before,'” she recalled in 2018. “And I feel really like that movie really encapsulated those ideas. And it was a lot of fun. It was so much fun. I had a great time doing it.”
Keep scrolling to see what the cast of Sweet Home Alabama has been up to since the movie premiered in 2002:
After winning over Jake (and moviegoers) in Sweet Home Alabama, the Little Fires Everywhere star added more serious dramas to her repertoire, playing Becky Sharp in an adaptation of the classic novel Vanity Fair and Cheryl Strayed in the film version of the memoir, Wild. She won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her 2005 portrayal of June Carter Cash in Walk the Line, and in 2017 took home an Emmy for executive producing HBO's Big Little Lies. In 2018, she authored the book Whiskey in a Teacup, and the following year, she launched her new TV series The Morning Show on Apple TV+ with Jennifer Aniston. She has been married to Toth since 2011. They share one son, Tennessee. She also shares daughter Ava and son Deacon with her ex-husband, Ryan Philippe, whom she divorced in 2007. Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock; Matt Petit/A.M.P.A.S./Shutterstock
Lucas didn't stick to rom-coms after Sweet Home Alabama, instead appearing in dramas including Wonderland, Glory Road, The Lincoln Lawyer and Ford v. Ferrari. His TV credits include Will & Grace, The Mysteries of Laura and Yellowstone. He was married to writer Jessica Ciencin Henriquez from 2012 to 2014. They share one son, Noah. Since early 2021, the Arkansas native has been dating model Rachel Mortenson. Moviestore/Shutterstock; Broadimage/Shutterstock
The '80s teen movie heartthrob landed arguably his most famous role in 2005, playing Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd on Grey's Anatomy until 2015. He also appeared in the films Made of Honor, Valentine's Day and Bridget Jones's Baby, and is set to reprise his role as Robert Philip in the upcoming Enchanted sequel titled Disenchanted. He has been married to makeup artist Jillian Dempsey since 1999. They share daughter Talula and twin sons Sullivan and Darby. Moviestore/Shutterstock; BabiradPicture/Shutterstock
Then just eight years old, the child star played young Melanie in the movie's memorable opening scene. Her many film credits include Uptown Girls, Man on Fire, War of the Worlds, The Runaways, The Twilight Saga and Ocean's 8. She is also set to portray Susan Ford, daughter of former president Gerald Ford, in a Showtime anthology series called The First Lady. Picture Perfect/Shutterstock; Matt Baron/Shutterstock
The Murphy Brown alum starred as Mayor Hennings, who deeply disapproved of Melanie as a choice for her beloved son. After Sweet Home Alabama, she appeared in Sex and the City, Boston Legal and House, as well as in movies including Bride Wars, The Meyerowitz Stories, Home Again and Book Club. She was married to filmmaker Louis Malle from 1980 until his death in 1995. They share one daughter, writer Chloe Malle. Since 2000, Bergen has been married to real estate developer Marshall Rose. Peter Iovino/Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock; ALBA VIGARAY/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The Empire Records star played Bobby Ray, a Pigeon Creek resident who gets caught in the crossfire between Melanie and Jake. His later film credits include Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Eagle Eye and First Man. On TV, he has appeared in Grey's Anatomy, Drop Dead Diva, Once Upon a Time, Grace and Frankie, Sneaky Pete and The Walking Dead. He shares one child with his ex-wife Amelinda Smith, whom he divorced in 2002. In 2005, he married actress Sunny Mabrey. They divorced in 2012 but later reconciled and remarried in 2015. Darren Michaels/Columbia Tristar/Kobal/Shutterstock; NINA PROMMER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The veteran actress starred as Pearl Smooter, Melanie's mother. She has since appeared in It's Complicated, The Intern, Grey's Anatomy, The Prom, Grace and Frankie, Shameless and 9-1-1: Lone Star. Peter Iovino/Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock; CraSH/imageSPACE/Shutterstock
The California-born actor played Melanie's dad, Earl Smooter. Like many of his Sweet Home Alabama castmates, he later popped up in Grey's Anatomy, in addition to United States of Tara, 30 Minutes or Less and True Detective. News broke of the Tremors star's death in May 2022, though a cause was not identified at the time. He was 79. Ward is survived by his wife, Marie-France Ward, and son Django. Peter Iovino/Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock; Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock
The Designing Women alum played Jake's mom, Stella Kay. Her film credits include Garden State, I Heart Huckabees, A Simple Favor and Hope Springs. In 2019, she began a run of acclaimed performances on HBO as Laurie Blake in Watchmen, and in 2021, returned to the network for Mare of Easttown and Hacks. She was married to actor Richard Gilliland from 1987 until his death in 2021. Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock; Stewart Cook/Shutterstock
The comedian played Barry Lowenstein, who works for the mayor and heads down to Alabama to spy on Melanie. Sussman has since appeared in The Big Bang Theory, Weeds, My Name Is Earl and Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. YouTube; Ryan Miller/Shutterstock
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