'Wet Hot American Summer' Cast Then & Now Photos Will Remind You Of The Crazy Talent Filling This Cult Classic

Banks got in on the superhero craze early, playing black-haired Daily Bugle employee Betty Brant in 2002’s Spider-Man (and both its sequels). She cultivated her comedic image in films such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Fred Claus, and Role Models, as well as recurring roles in shows like Scrubs, 30 Rock, and Modern Family. She’s currently most famous for playing Effie Trinket in the Hunger Games franchise and Gail in both Pitch Perfect movies.

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Prior to WHAS, Black was a member of the comedy troupe The State (along with fellow cast members Joe Lo Truglio, Ken Marino, and Michael Showalter); the troupe had its own MTV show in the mid-’90s, on which Black also served as creator and writer.

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Post-WHAS, Black was a series regular on all four seasons of the NBC sitcom Ed (which also featured future Modern Family star Julie Bowen). He briefly guest-hosted CBS’s The Late Late Show in 2004, and was actually a finalist for the permanent position before it went to Craig Ferguson. Black has also appeared in comedies like Reno 911!, Burning Love, and Inside Amy Schumer.

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WHAS was only Cooper’s fourth onscreen appearance, following an episode of Sex And The City (no, not the same one as Banks) and a recurring role on the FOX drama The $treet.

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You probably know that Cooper is currently one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. After his consecutive nominations for Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, and American Sniper, Cooper became only the 10th actor in history to receive three Oscar nods in a row (after the likes of Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, and Jack Nicholson). But that success didn’t come to Cooper overnight. After WHAS, he starred on Alias as Sydney’s crush Will Tippin, on the short-lived FOX sitcom Kitchen Confidential, and in films like Wedding Crashers, The A-Team, and Limitless, leading him to his breakout role in the Hangover franchise and his current stardom… all of which was merely in service of eventually landing him the role of a talking raccoon in last summer’s Marvel blockbuster Guardians Of The Galaxy.

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As one of the few adult characters in the original film, Garofalo was also one of the older members of the cast. She already had over a decade of experience under her belt before WHAS, transitioning from stand-up comedy to roles in The Ben Stiller Show, Saturday Night Live, Seinfeld, Home Improvement, and The Larry Sanders Show (a role which earned her two Emmy nominations).

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In the years since WHAS, Garofalo has continued popping up on all of your favorite shows like The West Wing, 24, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, Inside Amy Schumer, Girlfriends’ Guide To Divorce, and The Jim Gaffigan Show. She also voiced French chef Colette in Pixar’s Ratatouille.

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Lo Truglio met his future WHAS cast mates Michael Ian Black, Ken Marino, and Michael Showalter as a member of MTV’s The State.

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He joined the cast of Reno 911! as a series regular in the show’s final season, while also playing tons of supporting roles in films like Superbad, Pineapple Express, Role Models, Paul, Wanderlust, Wreck-It Ralph, and Pitch Perfect. He currently plays hapless Detective Boyle on FOX’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

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Oh, look! Another member of The State! In the years leading up to WHAS, Marino also made one-episode appearances in the likes of Spin City, The Practice, Veronica’s Closet, and Will & Grace.

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Abby Bernstein may have gotten away from Victor, but comedy fame couldn’t elude Marino. Recurring roles on the likes of Dawson’s Creek, Veronica Mars, and Reaper eventually led to starring roles in such cult TV comedies as Party Down, Burning Love, and Children’s Hospital. (He also starred in NBC’s one-and-done sitcom Marry Me last season.)

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When Meloni portrayed WHAS’ shell-shocked veteran/chef Gene, he was two years into his 12-season stint as Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: SVU. He was also somehow simultaneously starring in HBO’s prison drama Oz as alluring-but-dangerous inmate Chris Keller. Two years prior, he had also appeared in Runaway Bride as one of Julia Roberts’ spurned fiancés.

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Meloni completed his jail time in 2003, when Oz wrapped after six seasons. His impressive stint on SVU came to an end in 2011. Since then, he has recurred in shows like True Blood and Veep, and played supporting roles in films like Man Of Steel and They Came Together (the recent rom com starring WHAS alums Poehler and Rudd and written by WHAS writers Michael Showalter and David Wain).

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Miles was barely into his acting career at the time of the original WHAS, having appeared in some shorts and a few obscure features, his most illustrious credit being a role in Spike Lee’s 2000 film Bamboozled.

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You may not have seen Miles in front of the camera much since 2001, but you’re likely familiar with his work behind the scenes. He is the head writer for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, which he also developed — and acts in occasionally as stepfather Gary in Fallon’s recurring “Ew!” sketch.

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Moreau may have been one of the youngest WHAS cast members back in 2001 (and I suppose she still is, technically speaking), she already had quite the resumé. When she wasn’t guest starring in such classic sitcoms as The Wonder Years, Boy Meets World, and 3rd Rock From The Sun, she was playing Connie Moreau in all three Mighty Ducks movies.

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Immediately following the release of WHAS, Moreau appeared alongside Aaliyah in the vampire flick Queen Of The Damned and took over for Drew Barrymore in the lead role of Firestarter 2. Throughout the years, she has recurred on shows like Life As We Know It, The O.C., What About Brian, Parenthood, and Shameless. Most recently she played Owen’s girlfriend Dr. Emma Marling in Grey’s Anatomy’s tenth season.

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Orth’s very first screen credit was the 1994 comedy Spanking The Monkey — which was directed by future three-time Oscar nominee David O. Russell, interestingly enough. He also played Leonardo DiCaprio’s cousin Gregory in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, a student in the Kevin Kline comedy In & Out, and a deputy in the Ethan Hawke drama Snow Falling On Cedars.

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Since WHAS, Orth has guest starred on a few comedies like 30 Rock, Nurse Jackie, and Veep. But perhaps out of anyone in the cast, his career has been the least focused on making people laugh. His credits have ranged from historical (John Adams) to sci-fi (Fringe), from procedural (Elementary, The Good Wife) to Woody Allen (Vicky Cristina Barcelona). His longest-running role was as schlubby Aaron in NBC’s post-apocalyptic drama Revolution.

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Pierce was the biggest catch for this little indie comedy, as he was inarguably the most famous person in the cast at the time. Frasier had already been running for eight of its eventual 11 seasons, and Pierce himself had already won three out of the four Emmys he would earn for his role as Doctor Niles Crane.

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Pierce has certainly slowed down his pace since Frasier ended its run in 2004 — at least onscreen. In fact, the actor has been more prolific on the stage in the years since WHAS, earning a Drama Desk nomination for Monty Python’s Spamalot, a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for Curtains, and a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Play for Vanya And Sonia And Masha And Spike. He recently wrapped a recurring guest stint on The Good Wife as Alicia’s opponent for States Attorney, Frank Prady.

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When WHAS premiered, Poehler was fresh off of a four-year run with acclaimed NYC improv troupe Upright Citizens Brigade, including three years as an actor/writer on the group’s self-titled Comedy Central series.

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Poehler is heading to First Day Of Camp hot off of six consecutive Emmy nominations for her role as Leslie Knope on NBC’s Parks And Recreation (she has 16 total Emmy nods when you count in her writing, producing, and other acting work), as well as an acclaimed turn as the voice of Joy in Pixar’s Inside Out. She’s also appeared in just about everything, including Mean Girls, Arrested Development, Broad City, 30 Rock, Louie, and Anchorman 2. Oh, and did I mention that she was a Saturday Night Live cast member for eight seasons? Yeah, that too.

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With a few minor roles in obscure titles under his belt, Rudd made his first big splash as every ’90s kid’s first crush, Cher’s ex-stepbrother-slash-love-interest Josh in in 1995’s Clueless. Later that same year, he played the starring role in the sixth Halloween sequel, The Curse Of Michael Myers. In the year’s between his breakout role and WHAS, he also appeared in Romeo + Juliet (alongside Zak Orth) as Juliet’s fiancé Paris, in the Oscar-winning The Cider House Rules as Charlize Theron’s boyfriend Wally, and in A&E’s TV movie of The Great Gatsby as narrator Nick Carraway.

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Here’s just a small sampling of what Rudd’s been up to in the past 14 years: The Shape Of Things, Friends, Anchorman, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Night At The Museum, Knocked Up, Reno 911!, Veronica Mars, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Role Models, Wanderlust, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, Louis, This Is 40, Burning Love, This Is The End, Anchorman 2, They Came Together, Parks And Recreation. Oh, and he’s Marvel’s newest superhero to boot. (Heard of a little summer blockbuster called Ant-Man?)

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Right around the time that WHAS debuted, Shannon was finishing her six seasons as a cast member of Saturday Night Live. During that same time, she was also guest starring on various sitcoms like Ellen, Seinfeld, and Will & Grace.

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Post-WHAS, Shannon continued putting in appearances in beloved comedies like Sex And The City, 30 Rock, and Pushing Daisies. She briefly starred in her own sitcom alongside Selma Blair, NBC’s 2008 one-season-wonder Kath & Kim. Now, she continues making the rounds on all your favorite funny shows — Web Therapy, Glee, Enlightened, Getting On, Raising Hope — and even some not-so-funny ones — Hannibal, Mulaney. (Although those two are unfunny for two very different reasons.)

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The co-writer of WHAS (alongside its director, David Wain), got his start in The State, like so many of his fellow cast members.

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In the years since WHAS, Showalter has focused more on writing than acting. He had a couple of his own short-lived series, The Michael Showalter Showalter on Collegehumor.com and Michael And Michael Have Issues (with fellow WHAS alum Michael Ian Black) on Comedy Central. He also wrote the Amy Poehler/Paul Rudd rom com They Came Together, as well as episodes of both Super Fun Night and Children’s Hospital.

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