Troop Beverly Hills cast then and now: where the stars are today
Shelley Long
Then: Long made Phyllis Nefler more than a punchline, turning a pampered Beverly Hills mom into one of the most lovable underdog heroines of late-’80s comedy. Now: She has kept a much lower public profile in recent years, with a rare public outing in Los Angeles in late 2024 serving as a reminder of how warmly she is still remembered by fans.
Craig T. Nelson
Then: As Freddy Nefler, Nelson played the perfect straight-faced counterweight to Phyllis’ high-energy chaos. Now: He is still working steadily, and one of his newer credits is the family drama Green and Gold, in which he plays a Wisconsin farmer named Buck. That dependable screen presence is a big reason his scenes in Troop Beverly Hills still land.
Betty Thomas
Then: Thomas made Velda Plendor deliciously over-the-top, giving the movie a rival worthy of Phyllis. Now: Her post-Troop Beverly Hills story may be the most surprising of all. After acting, she built a major second act behind the camera, becoming a successful film and television director and turning her brief on-screen menace into a launching pad for a long career in Hollywood.
Carla Gugino
Then: Gugino stood out early as Chica, the troop member whose poise hinted at bigger things ahead. Now: She remains one of the film’s clearest breakout stars. In a 2025 Library of Congress interview, Gugino reflected on a career that has stretched across family films, horror, television and the stage — proof that Troop Beverly Hills was only the beginning.
Kellie Martin
Then: Martin gave Emily a sweetness and vulnerability that helped ground the troop’s glossier world. Now: She went on to build one of the steadiest TV careers among the young cast, with memorable work in Life Goes On, ER, Army Wives and her later Hallmark mystery run. She remains one of the easiest cast members for television fans to recognize instantly.
Jenny Lewis
Then: As Hannah Nefler, Lewis played the daughter who gave the movie its emotional center. Now: She took perhaps the sharpest left turn of anyone in the cast, swapping acting for music and building an enduring indie-rock career. Jenny Lewis’ official site still promotes Joy’All and future announcements, underlining how fully she turned child stardom into a long-term life in music.
Tori Spelling
Then: Spelling had a smaller role in the film, but she was still unmistakably part of its Beverly Hills universe. Now: She has stayed in the public eye for decades, and her misSPELLING podcast shows how she continues to turn her personal life and pop-culture history into conversation starters for a new era.
What about the rest of the troop?
Ami Foster, Emily Schulman, Aquilina Soriano, Heather Hopper and the rest of the young ensemble helped make the movie feel specific instead of gimmicky. And the adult supporting players mattered, too: Mary Gross and Stephanie Beacham gave the film extra comic texture, helping turn what could have been a one-joke setup into a world fans still like revisiting.
Why the cast still clicks
What keeps Troop Beverly Hills alive is not just nostalgia for the fashion, the cookie scenes or the quotable one-liners. It is the way the cast fits together: Long’s comic confidence, Nelson’s dry grounding, Thomas’ competitive edge and a group of young performers who never felt like interchangeable kids in matching uniforms.
That is what makes a “then and now” look at this movie so satisfying. The cast did not stay frozen in 1989. They branched into directing, television, music, prestige projects and new-media storytelling, and that evolution somehow makes the film itself feel even richer. For longtime fans, that may be the real reason Troop Beverly Hills is still such a thrill.
