# Films with Post Facto ensemble casts **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2010, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606 "2010-08-18T07:07:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/1 "2010-08-18T07:07:45Z")
I just saw the [Faculty](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133751/). Released in 1998 it has many actors and actresses who would achive fame in the years following its release, or who would do to a greater extent later. It has amongst others Josh Hartnett Jordana Brewster Elijah Wood Famke Janssen Jon Stewart Usher Can you think of other movies where the members of the cast would go on to great fame and success later on, that in retrosecpt it would seem an ensemble cast, but not at the time of shooting and its initial theatre run. ---
**Author:** ![multimediac17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@multimediac17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/multimediac17)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/2 "2010-08-18T07:18:31Z")
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Tim Curry Susan Sarandon Barry Bostwick Meat Loaf Richard O’Brien All of whom would go on to become bigger successes in film, theatre, music, or… game show hosting. Either way it was a nothing cast back when Rocky Horror was released but all of them are stars now, and in the case of Susan Sarandon and Meat Loaf, massive success stories. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/3 "2010-08-18T08:16:38Z")
From 1984: Peter Weller John Lithgow Ellen Barkin Jeff Goldblum Christopher Lloyd_The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension_ From 1983: Sam Shepard Scott Glenn Ed Harris Dennis Quaid Fred Ward Barbara Hershey Lance Henrikson Jeff Goldblum Harry Shearer_The Right Stuff_ ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/4 "2010-08-18T09:02:56Z")
The kids in \*Stand By Me \* : - River Phoenix - Quinn Malory from _Sliders_ - Wesley Crusher from _Star Trek TNG_ ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/5 "2010-08-18T10:29:29Z")
I’ve always considered Milos Forman’s \*\*Ragtime \*\* (1981) to be the ultimate of these: James Cagney Brad Dourif Elizabeth McGovern Donald O’Connor Mandy Patinkin Mary Steenburgen Debbie Allen Norman Mailer Jeff Daniels Fran Drescher Samuel L. Jackson Michael Jeter Andreas Katsulas John Ratzenberger ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/6 "2010-08-18T10:31:11Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > The kids in \*Stand By Me \* : > > - River Phoenix > - Quinn Malory from _Sliders_ > - Wesley Crusher from _Star Trek TNG_ Did you just forget to mention Jack Bauer? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/7 "2010-08-18T11:44:36Z")
Coppola’s _The Outsiders_ had: C. Thomas Howell Matt Dillon Ralph Macchio Patrick Swayze Rob Lowe Emilio Estevez Tom Cruise Diane Lane Tom Waits Sofia Coppola ---
**Author:** ![Flip\_Pancake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f1d935/32.png) [@Flip\_Pancake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flip_Pancake)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/8 "2010-08-18T11:53:58Z")
_Diner_ had Kevin Bacon Ellen Barkin Mickey Rourke Tim Daly Paul Reiser Daniel Stern Steve Guttenberg ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/9 "2010-08-18T12:14:05Z")
How are any of these movies _post facto_ ensembles? Wouldn’t that assume that they all had a main star when they were released? Because I know that’s not the case with **The Faculty** , which was always pitched as an ensemble movie. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/10 "2010-08-18T12:19:30Z")
_Dazed and Confused_ had Ben Affleck Matthew McConaughey Milla Jovovich Parker Posey Renee Zellweger Joey Lauren Adams Jason London Cole Hauser Adam Goldberg Nikki Kat Rory Cochrane ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/11 "2010-08-18T13:20:49Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > How are any of these movies _post facto_ ensembles? Wouldn’t that assume that they all had a main star when they were released? Because I know that’s not the case with **The Faculty** , which was always pitched as an ensemble movie. I think it’s pretty obvious he’s talking about casts that were “a bunch of nobodys” - rather than an ensemble of big names, like **Ocean’s 11-13** was. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/12 "2010-08-18T13:27:51Z")
American Graffiti: Richard Dreyfuss as Curt Henderson Ron Howard as Steve Bolander Paul Le Mat as John Milner Charles Martin Smith as Terry “The Toad” Fields Cindy Williams as Laurie Henderson Mackenzie Phillips as Carol Morrison Harrison Ford as Bob Falfa Suzanne Somers as Blonde in T-Bird TV movie Uncommon Women and Others: Meryl Streep - Leilah Swoosie Kurtz - Rita Altabel Jill Eikenberry - Kate Quin Ellen Parker - Muffet DiNicola Ann McDonough - Samantha Stewart Alma Cuervo - Holly Kaplan Josephine Nicholas - Mrs. Plumm Cynthia Herman - Susie Friend Anna Levine - Carter Alexander Scourby - Narrator (voice) ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/13 "2010-08-18T13:29:35Z")
Switching to the small screen, **Freaks & Geeks** had: Linda Cardellini James Franco Seth Rogen Jason Segel Busy Phillips Martin Starr Joanna Garcia Lizzy Caplan And cameos by Ben Stiller and Jason Schwartzman. ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/14 "2010-08-18T13:30:17Z")
Godspell (1973) Victor Garber (DeathTrap, Titanic, First Wives Club) Lynne Thigpen (Warriors, Lean on Me, Anger Management, Where in the World is Carmen SanDiego?) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/15 "2010-08-18T13:32:08Z")
Original Lodon cast, srage production of Godspell: Julie Covington David Essex Jeremy Irons Tom Saffery Gay Soper Marti Webb And the small screen Bosom Buddies: Tom Hanks Peter Scolari Wendie Jo Sperber Holland Taylor Donna Dixon Telma Hopkins ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/16 "2010-08-18T13:34:18Z")
\*American Graffiti \*was my first thought, but **Annie** beat me to it. Unknown cast and an unknown director. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/17 "2010-08-18T13:34:28Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I’ve always considered Milos Forman’s \*\*Ragtime \*\* (1981) to be the ultimate of these: > > James Cagney > Brad Dourif > Elizabeth McGovern > Donald O’Connor > Mandy Patinkin > Mary Steenburgen > Debbie Allen > Norman Mailer > Jeff Daniels > Fran Drescher > Samuel L. Jackson > Michael Jeter > Andreas Katsulas > John Ratzenberger James Cagney and Donald O’Connor were not exactly “unknowns.” But how about \*\*American Grafitti \*\*(1973) which featured, among others, Richard Dreyfus, Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, MacKensie Phillips, and Harrison Ford, none of whom were well-known at the time? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/18 "2010-08-18T13:40:20Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > > > How are any of these movies _post facto_ ensembles? Wouldn’t that assume that they all had a main star when they were released? Because I know that’s not the case with **The Faculty** , which was always pitched as an ensemble movie. > > I think it’s pretty obvious he’s talking about casts that were “a bunch of nobodys” - rather than an ensemble of big names, like **Ocean’s 11-13** was. OK sure, but that’s not what “ensemble cast” means. It just means a group of characters without one actor overshadowing the rest. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/19 "2010-08-18T13:50:12Z")
Can’t Hardly Wait had a lot of people that were early in their careers and a few people that were already well known. Ethan Embry Lauren Ambrose Seth Green Jennifer Love Hewitt Jason Segel Jamie Pressly Donald Faison Selma Blair Breckin Meyer Jenna Elfman Jerry O’Connell Liv Tyler Melissa Joan Hart ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606/20 "2010-08-18T13:55:10Z")
Breakfast Club: Judd Nelson as John Bender Emilio Estevez as Andrew “Andy” Clark Molly Ringwald as Claire Standish Ally Sheedy as Allison Reynolds Anthony Michael Hall as Brian Johnson Paul Gleason as Principal Richard “Dick” Vernon John Kapelos as Carl Reed [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-post-facto-ensemble-casts/550606.md?page=2)