Let This Be Your Easy Guide to What the Easy A Cast Is Up to Now

Jul 16, 2026 - 16:13

0 0

Let This Be Your Easy Guide to What the Easy A Cast Is Up to Now

Emma Stone Wants To Go By Her Real Name in Hollywood

Loosely inspired by The Scarlet Letter, the Emma Stone-led film debuted in theaters Sept. 17, 2010. And as it turns out, the actress was drawn to her character Olive—a high school student who lies about having sex and sees how her life and reputation change once the rumors spread—right from the get-go.

"I read the script before Screen Gems, which is the studio that made it, optioned it," she explained to E! News back in 2010. “So it was floating out there and no one was making it. I was just like, ‘Oh my god, I love this so much.'"

Once Screen Gems got the rights to the script, Emma continued, she met with director Will Gluck and other leaders behind the film and "kind of pushed them to let me be the first person to audition for it."

"Needless to say, they auditioned a lot of people for it," the then-21-year-old added. "So I was very lucky that they gave me a chance to do it ‘cause I’ve never, obviously, done anything in that capacity before.”

The film marked Emma’s breakout lead role—with her receiving her very first Golden Globe nomination (of course, eight more would follow, including her two wins and two Oscars for 2016’s La La Land and 2023’s Poor Things).

FOX Image Collection via Getty Images

So, some might be surprised that she’s said she’s never watched Easy A in its entirety.

"I haven’t seen it. No." the now-37-year-old, who recalled putting an immense amount of pressure on herself, told Timothée Chalamet during a 2018 conversation for Variety’s Actors on Actors series. "I’ve seen some scenes. But I went to a friends and family screening to see it, and I had to get up and walk out. Who wants to watch themselves for that long?"

In honor of Easy A streaming for free on Fandango, keep reading to see what Emma, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Stanley Tucci, Lisa Kudrow and more stars from the film are up to now.

Adam Taylor/Olive Bridge/Kobal/Shutterstock; Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Emma Stone

When Emma Stone starred in Easy A as Olive Penderghast, we had only seen her in a few films like Zombieland and Superbad.

However, the actress totally took off after playing the good-girl-gone-bad (but actually only pretending) and continued to star in films like Crazy, Stupid Love, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Favourite, Cruella and Bugonia. She also won her first Oscar for her performance in La La Land in 2017 followed by her second for her lead role in Poor Things seven years later.

Emma quietly married Dave McCary in 2020, and the pair welcomed daughter Louise Jean the following year.

Adam Taylor/Olive Bridge/Kobal/Shutterstock; Netflix

Penn Badgley

Penn Badgley played Woodchuck Todd in the film, capturing fans' hearts when he recreated John Hughes' greatest romcoms for Olive (such as holding up speakers outside her window). The Gossip Girl alum went on to star as the terrifying stalker Joe Goldberg on You for five seasons.

Off screen, Penn wed Domino Kirke in 2017 and became stepdad to her son Cassius from her previous relationship with Morgan O'Kane. Together, the actor and the singer navigated challenges (he's shared they almost separated after two pregnancy losses). However, they welcomed a son in 2020 followed by twin boys in 2025.

Screen Gems; Instagram

Amanda Bynes

When Amanda Bynes joined the cast of Easy A, she was already pop culture royalty from projects like The Amanda Show and She's the Man. The role ended up being the Nickelodeon alum's last to date, with her retiring from acting in 2010.

Three years later, Amanda was placed under a conservatorship, which was terminated in 2022.

"Words can't even describe how I feel," the Hairspray star told E! News after her conservatorship ended. "Wonderful news."

Over the years, Amanda has explored other passions beyond acting, including fashion, nail art and music. And while she mostly lives a life out of the spotlight, her personal life—including her former engagement Paul Michael and sharing of her weight-loss journey—have continued to make headlines.

Screen Gems; Michael Desmond/Abc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock

Dan Byrd

Dan Byrd played Brandon, a high student who is gay but lies about having sex with Olive to make others believe he's straight. The Cougar Town star also appeared in A Cinderella Story, Norman, Utopia and Young Sheldon.

Screen Gems; HBO

Thomas Haden Church

After playing our favorite English teacher Mr. Griffith on Easy A, Thomas Haden Church went on to appear in TV shows like Divorce and Twisted Metal as well as movies, such as Spider-Man: No Way Home (reprising his role as Sandman) and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

Adam Taylor/Olive Bridge/Kobal/Shutterstock; HBO

Patricia Clarkson

Fans loved Patricia Clarkson as Olive's sassy, honest mom.

Which maybe makes it all the more fun that her role as a mother was a total 180 when she played the creepy and demented Adora Crellin in Sharp Objects.

The actress also appeared in films like Lilly, Friends with Benefits, One Day and the Maze Runner as well as TV shoes like Gray, House of Cards and State of the Union, the latter of which won her a third Emmy.

Adam Taylor/Olive Bridge/Kobal/Shutterstock; Nathan Congleton/NBC

Stanley Tucci

Stanley Tucci was already a household name when he portrayed Dill Penderghast, Olive's open-minded and witty dad.

Prior to this role, he had nabbed an Oscar nomination for his work in The Lovely Bones. But he's probably best known for starring opposite Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada and Julie & Julia. Other popular performances include his work in The Hunger Games movies, Spotlight and Inside Man.

When not teaching the world how to make the perfect Negroni cocktail, Stanley is likely traveling to sample the best cuisine, as he did for his series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.

After losing his first wife Kate Tucci to breast cancer in 2009, he married Emily Blunt's sister, Felicity Blunt, in 2012. He is a father to five children, three he welcomed with Kate and two he shares with Felicity.

Screen Gems; JC Olivera/WireImage

Lisa Kudrow

Everyone knows this friend! Lisa Kudrow came into fame thanks to her role as Phoebe Buffay on the long-running sitcom, Friends. In Easy A, she played guidance counselor Mrs. Griffith, who shockingly had an affair with (a legal age) student.

Lisa went on to star in several projects since the Easy A, including Booksmart, The Boss Baby, The Girl on the Train, HouseBroken and The Comeback.

She is married to Michel Stern and mother to son Julian.

Screen Gems; Amazon Studios

Malcolm McDowell

Veteran actor Malcolm McDowell, known for his work in A Clockwork Orange and Time After Time, joined the Easy A cast as stern Principal Gibbons.

Since filming Easy A, he has appeared in Bombshell, Mozart in the Jungle, Son of a Critch and more.

Malcolm is married to Kelley Kuhr and father to five kids: Finnian, Beckett and Seamus, whom he shares with Kelley, as well as Lilly and Charlie, whom he raised with ex-wife Mary Steenburgen. In fact, Charlie is married to Lily Collins.

Adam Taylor/Olive Bridge/Kobal/Shutterstock; Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic

Cam Gigandet

After playing Easy A's God-loving repeat senior Micah, Cam Gigandet went on to star in Burlesque, Priest, The Magnificent Seven, Outlaw Posse and more.

Screen Gems; Getty Images

Aly Michalka

From Disney Channel darling to Emma's BFF in the Easy A, Aly Michalka is definitely a recognizable name.

After wrapping up Easy A, Michalka went on to land a leading role in iZombie while also performing alongside sister AJ Michalka in their pop duo, Aly & AJ.

Aly is also mom to son Jack, whom she welcomed with husband Stephen Ringer in June 2024.

Screen Gems; HBO

Fred Armisen

Saturday Night Live's Fred Armisen had a small, but impactful role, in the Easy A—portraying a Christian pastor who is the father of Amanda's character.

In addition to SNL, which he departed in 2013, he's starred in Portlandia, The Smurfs, Big Mouth, Los Espookys and more.

In July 2024, Fred's Wednesday costar Riki Lindhome revealed to People the two had actually tied the knot two years prior. Together, they raise son Keaton, whom Riki welcomed via surrogate in the early days of her romance with Fred.

(E! and Fandango are both part of Versant).

This story was originally published September 17, 2024.

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App