THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Bring It On' over 21 years later

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  • "Bring It On" (2000) came out over 21 years ago and is still a beloved film of the early aughts.

  • The film follows competitive-cheerleading teams as they navigate the sport and high school.

  • After starring in the movie, Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union are now both household names.

Kirsten Dunst had been acting for 10 years before landing the role of Torrance.

Kirsten Dunst wearing a blue shirt in Bring it On
Kirsten Dunst in "Bring It On."Universal Pictures

Dunst stars in the film as Torrance, who's the captain of her high-school cheerleading team.

She started acting as a child. At just 7 years old, she had a small role in "New York Stories" (1989).

Before landing her part in "Bring It On," she appeared in a variety of minor roles, including a stint as Charlie on NBC's "ER" from 1996 to 1997.

After "Bring It On," Dunst became a household name.

kirsten dunst wearing beige dress
Kirsten Dunst is now a film star.Rich Fury/Getty Images

"Bring It On" helped launched Dunst's career.

She landed the role of Mary Jane Watson in "Spider-Man," appearing opposite Tobey Maguire in the franchise's three films from 2002 to 2007.

Dunst also appeared in films such as "Mona Lisa Smile" (2003), "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004), and "Marie Antoinette" (2006).

Additionally, the actress has been on TV shows like FX's "Fargo" and Showtime's "On Becoming a God in Central Florida."

Most recently, she played Rose Gordon in "Power of Dog" (2021), a performance that earned her an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.

Before playing Missy, Eliza Dushku was well-known for her role on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Eliza Dushku sitting in a car in Bring It On
Eliza Dushku in "Bring It On."Universal Pictures

Before she played new girl Missy in "Bring It On," Dushku was known for her role as Faith on The WB's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

According to MTV, producers knew they wanted Dushku to play Missy after watching her on "Buffy." They loved how different she was from Dunst.

Dushku has since worked on a variety of TV shows.

eliza dushku wearing pink shirt and jean jacket
Eliza Dushku has been on several different series, like Fox's "Dollhouse."Robin Marchant/Getty Images

After "Bring It On," Dushku landed many TV roles on shows like Fox's "Dollhouse," Showtime's "Leap Year," and Disney XD's "Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H."

She's also appeared in films like "Eloise" (2016) and "The Saint" (2017).

Jesse Bradford had a few minor roles before playing Cliff in "Bring It On."

jesse bradford wearing gray t-shirt in bring it on
Jesse Bradford in "Bring It On."Universal Pictures

Notably, Bradford played Balthasar in Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo and Juliet" (1996) before his turn as Cliff.

Bradford was 21 years old when he appeared in "Bring It On," securing his role over both James Franco and Jason Schwartzman.

Bradford has taken on a few roles since.

jesse bradford wearing jean jacket
Jesse Bradford was on the USA show "Shooter".Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images

Bradford has worked on a variety of TV shows and movies since his role in "Bring It On."

He played Ryan Pierce on NBC's "The West Wing" and starred on USA's "Shooter" from 2017 to 2018.

He's also acted in a few films over the years, including "Dead Awake" (2016) and "The Year of Spectacular Men" (2017).

Gabrielle Union was a familiar face before joining the cast of "Bring It On" as Isis.

Gabrielle Union wearing a green cheer top in Bring It On
Gabrielle Union in "Bring It On."Universal Pictures

In the late 1990s, Union was well-recognized by teen audiences.

She had roles in films like "She's All That" (1999), "10 Things I Hate About You" (1999), and "Love and Basketball" (2000), along with a part on The WB/The CW's "7th Heaven."

Union said the cheerleading film's dedication to diversity was a big reason she signed on as captain of the Clovers, Isis.

Union is still acting today.

gabrielle union wearing white blazer
Gabrielle Union was in the "Cheaper by the Dozen" remake.Ari Perilstein/Stringer/Getty Images

After leaving teen movies behind, Union garnered critical acclaim for her role on the BET series "Being Mary Jane."

She also appeared on the Spectrum Originals series "L.A.'s Finest" and in numerous movies, including "Think Like a Man" (2012) and "The Public" (2018).

In 2020, she partnered with stylist Larry Sims to relaunch her hair-care line, Flawless by Gabrielle Union.

Recently, Union played Zoey Baker in the 2022 "Cheaper by the Dozen" remake, and she has several projects in the works.

Before her turn as Whitney, Nicole Bilderback appeared in "Clueless."

nicole bilderback wearing red cheer outfit in bring it on
Nicole Bilderback in "Bring It On."Universal Studios

Before Bilderback played cheerleader Whitney in "Bring It On," she appeared alongside Alicia Silverstone in "Clueless" (1995) as Summer.

Bilderback also had recurring roles on The WB's "Dawson's Creek."

Over the years, Bilderback has mostly appeared on TV shows.

nicole bilderback wearing black spaghetti strap outfit
Nicole Bilderback has been on a few TV shows since "Bring It On."Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Bilderback has made appearances on TV shows like NBC's "Good Girls" and CBS' "NCIS: New Orleans."

More recently, she appeared on the Fox/NBC sitcom "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and the Freeform drama "Cruel Summer."

She has several projects in the works, including "Cloudy With a Chance of Christmas."

Before playing Courtney, Clare Kramer was also on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

clare kramer wearing red cheerleading outfit in bring it on
Clare Kramer in "Bring It On."Universal Pictures

Before Kramer played Courtney in "Bring It On," she played Glory on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" alongside Dushku.

Kramer cofounded the website GeekNation.

clare kramer wearing black-and-white striped shirt
GeekNation sells products.Jesse Grant/Getty Images

In 2012, Kramer cofounded GeekNation, an online destination for fans of comics, movies, and video games.

She once described the site as "an online platform for all things entertainment" that serves as a venue for artists to create outside of the traditional studio system.

She's also appeared in several films, like "The Griddle House" (2018) and "The Dead Ones" (2019).

Additionally, the actress has been a producer for a few projects, including the GeekNation talk-show web series "Film Pigs."

Lindsay Sloane had been acting for a decade before playing Big Red in "Bring It On."

lindsay sloane wearing gray shirt in bring it on
Lindsay Sloane in "Bring It On."Universal Studios

Though well-known for playing Valerie on ABC's "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," Sloane also appeared on NBC's "Mr. Rhodes" and ABC's "The Wonder Years" before her turn as Big Red in "Bring It On."

Sloane still acts, both on TV shows and in movies.

lindsay sloane wearing black and white dress
Lindsay Sloane was on CBS' "The Odd Couple."Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

After appearing in movies like "She's Out of My League" (2010) and "Horrible Bosses" (2011), Sloane had a recurring role on CBS' "The Odd Couple" before it was canceled in 2017.

She was also on USA's "Playing House" and appeared in the 2019 film "Endings, Beginnings."

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