You Won’t Believe These 5 Actors Were in YA Films – Here’s What They Are Up to Now
Remember when movie theaters were packed to the brim by angsty teenagers eagerly falling in line to watch the next installment of a movie franchise about sparkly vampires? In the 2000s and early 2010s, young adult films were massively popular.
Who could forget about reluctant demigod heroes who went on epic quests to save the world or love triangles or dystopian futures that can only be saved by teenagers?
What about the actors who starred in these teen flicks? You might be surprised that some of the famous faces now have started their careers in YA films. Some have completely left the world of teen drama and have taken on much more mature, and even wildly unexpected roles.
Get ready to be slightly nostalgic and ask, “They were in that movie?” before checking IMDB for these former YA actors and what they’re up to now.
Jack Quaid: From The Hunger Games to The Boys
Jack Quaid debuted in The Hunger Games as Marvel, the District 1 tribute who killed Rue (tsk, tsk). Quaid has come a long way after his short-lived stint as a Panem resident because he’s gone from a tribute to a sometimes naked vigilante in Amazon’s The Boys. With season 5 premiering in 2026, Quaid’s The Boys received critical acclaim since its first season. He also voices Brad Boimler on the animated show Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Superman in the animated My Adventures With Superman. He also played Richard Feynman in the Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer.
Amandla Stenberg: From The Hunger Games to Everything, Everything
Amandla Stenberg played Rue in The Hunger Games (you know, the little girl that Quaid’s Marvel killed). Like their co-star Quaid, Stenberg also enjoyed a steady acting career. They starred in the 2017 movie Everything, Everything where critics praised their performance and the thought-provoking coming-of-age film The Hate U Give. They were also the lead in the (sadly canceled) Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte.
Robert Sheehan: From The Mortal Instruments to The Umbrella Academy
Remember Simon Lewis from The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones? He might have been a sidekick in the YA fantasy world, but he sure is a show stealer as Klaus Hargreeves in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy. Robert Sheehan, who starred in two YA films, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and Mortal Engines, is now known as the lovable yet chaotic Klaus/Number 4 who’s an immortal and has the power to talk to the dead. It’s a role that only Sheehan can play.
Alfred Enoch: From the Harry Potter YA Films to How to Get Away with Murder
Alfred Thomas might forever be remembered as Deam Thomas, Gryffindor’s underappreciated student, but after seeing his dimpled smile as Wes Gibbins in How to Get Away with Murder, everybody collectively acknowledged how he has transitioned from YA to court drama. Who knew that kid we saw snogging Ginny Weasley would grow into a standout on one of TV’s most suspenseful shows?
Zoey Deutch: From Vampire Academy to Zombieland: Double Tap
Zoey Deutch stole every scene in Zombieland: Double Tap. She might have had her breakthrough role as a vampire in the 2014 American fantasy comedy horror film Vampire Academy, but she’s become one of the established actresses of the present.
Jesse Eisenberg, Deutch’s co-star in Zombieland: Double Tap even had to say this about the actress per his interview in US Weekly, “I mainly worked with Zoey, who’s so unbelievable. It was one of the funniest things I’d ever seen from an actor. She’s brilliant as this character, who’s ditzy but has her own kind of logic and a really strong set of core convictions.”
YA Actors Can Grow Up!
Gone are the days of these actors being associated with their YA films’ roles. They have truly reinvented themselves with their various roles and colorful Hollywood career. So next time you catch a glimpse of one of these stars, remember they’ve come a long way from those dystopian dramas and fantasy worlds and acknowledge they’ve got range.
