Probably one of the most unique and iconic fish-out-of-water films out there is 2002’s Sweet Home Alabama. Viewers followed along with Melanie Smooter, or rather, Carmichael, walking a line between the life of a metropolitan New Yorker and a country gal. A star-studded cast lines both sides of this life she leads, but what have these talented actors gotten up to since?
Upon its release, Sweet Home Alabama did not receive a particularly strong critical reception but was a hit at the box office. With a budget of $30 million, it netted $180.6 million. But for many of the stars, this was just one illustrious note in a sea of many similar triumphs.
Reese Witherspoon (Melanie)
Melanie Smooter has roots planted deep in the fictional Pigeon Creek, Alabama, and although she got caught up in feelings of affection for a local boy named Jake Perry, she’d rather put some distance between her and the ol’ country road. But when her elite boyfriend Andrew proposes years later, saying “yes” isn’t so simple.
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Reese Witherspoon played Melanie, winning it over the first choice of actress Charlize Theron. The role had her, at one point, running around in the rain wearing nothing but a wedding dress but rather than being resentful, Witherspoon remains very fond of that memory.
“I remember thinking, ‘This is such a crazy amazing moment, I’m going to remember this forever,'” she recalled fondly.
By the time she filmed Sweet Home Alabama, Witherspoon was known for The Man in the Moon (1991) and Cruel Intentions (1999). 2001 saw her firmly established as a star of romance and comedy with Legally Blonde. Witherspoon eventually broke the cycle of romcoms in the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line (2005), where she played June Carter.
While Witherspoon continues to act, she’s also active behind the scenes uplifting other women and their stories. She has a production company, Hello Sunshine, which is the force behind The Morning Show, Daisy Jones & The Six, Gone Girl, and more. Today, Witherspoon is 47 and still very active behind and in front of the camera. She lent her voice to 2021’s Sing 2, and is both an actor and producer for Your Place or Mine.
Josh Lucas (Jake)
Local good ol’ country boy Jake Perry was the one Melanie just couldn’t forget about, no matter how often it seemed things fell apart for them. Josh Lucas played the lovesick almost-ex and the actor is just as much in love with the film as the most die-hard fan. Speaking on the unique nature of Jake and Melanie’s relationship, he mused, “I think it haunts them in a wonderful way. And I think that movie, at least for me, kind of has that as well. You want to find out what that person is like.”
Lucas had American Psycho (2000), You Can Count on Me (2000), The Deep End (2001), and A Beautiful Mind (2001) before joining the cast of Sweet Home Alabama. Many followed immediately after, to the point that he admitted “I’ve barely seen or haven’t seen Reese since we made the movie. So we have this exchange every once in a while like, ‘Hey listen, stop being so busy.'”
Some of what kept him so busy include Hulk (2003), Glory Road (2006), Poseidon (2006), Life as We Know It (2010), and Ford v Ferrari (2019). Deviating from the romcom trend he set, Lucas also had a six-episode stay on Yellowstone, from 2018 to 2022. In the Kevin Costner-led neo-Western, Lucas played a younger version of Costern’s character, John Dutton.
Just as Melanie found it hard to fully divorce herself from her Alabama roots, Lucas isn’t about to say goodbye forever to the film. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight in 2022, he said he “would love to” be part of a sequel, should it ever get the green light. “I’ve campaigned her,” he noted, “I’m not going to say that she’s the problem, but I think part of it is that Reese is so busy.”
Patrick Dempsey (Andrew)
Acting as a foil to Melanie’s connections back in Alabama – or technically Georgia, since filming actually took place around the Oak Hill Berry Museum – Andrew was ambitious and polished and ready to tie the knot with Melanie. He also might have made her First Lady Melanie Smooter, if things played out differently.
Taking up this role was Patrick Dempsey, who followed up his time with the Sweet Home Alabama cast with more romcoms, including Enchanted (2007), Made of Honor (2008), and Valentine’s Day (2010). In a deviation from this new norm, Dempsey also became known for his role in Grey’s Anatomy as Dr. Derek Shepherd. As recently as 2022, he and Amy Adams picked things up from where they left off with Disenchanted.
Today at 57, he left Grey’s Anatomy behind in 2021, along with a pretty extensive racecar driving career, which he last participated in back in 2015. His last film credits from this year were Ferrari and Thanksgiving. As for TV, Dempsey has a main role in Devils as Dominic Morgan, and an upcoming main role in Ways & Means, where he also serves as executive producer.
Candice Bergen (Mayor Kate)
Melanie and Andrew had enough on their plates as it was, but contributing to the drama was Kate Hennings, Andrew’s father and Mayor of New York City. She didn’t feel Melanie was good enough for her precious son, whom Kate had been setting up for a presidential run.
Playing this Queen of Mean in the cast of Sweet Home Alabama was Candice Bergen, known for playing the title role in Murphy Brown, a role she maintained from 1988 to 1998, and reprised in 2018. Bergen started off as a Vogue model before transitioning to acting and went on to add The Women (2008), Bride Wars (2009), Book Club (2018), and Let Them All Talk (2020) to her film work.
On TV, Bergen oscillates between drama and comedy in everything from House to Seinfeld to different versions of Law & Order and multiple episodes of The Conners.
When she’s not in front of the camera, she’s behind it, working as a photojournalist and composing articles, memoirs, and plays. Today, this -year-old boasts five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. But has she run for office?
Ethan Embry (Bobby Ray)
Bobby Ray is part of a huge turning point for Melanie; he’s not entangled in her romance drama yet gets thrown under the bus in a pretty intense way when Melanie gets drunk, insults her old school friends, and outs Bobby. Ethan Embry brought Bobby expertly to life in the Sweet Home Alabama cast.
Embry already had experience with stories of youthful days and their effects down the road thanks to Empire Records; he also appeared in Can’t Hardly Wait and That Thing You Do! before joining the cast of Sweet Home Alabama.
Embry would go on to work extensively in both film and television, especially the former. His television credits include Once Upon a Time and Grace and Frankie. On film, he can be seen in Heart of a Dragon, Dorothy and the Witches of Oz, Cheap Thrills, and most recently, Last Seen Alive. Today, he is and still keeping very busy.
Fred Ward (Earl)
Providing a bit of grounding for the displaced and bewildered Melanie were her parents. First, we have Earl Smooter, played most colorfully by Fred Ward. His usual wheelhouse prior to Sweet Home Alabama was pretty different from the fun romcom, populated by films such as Escape from Alcatraz, The Right Stuff, two Tremors films, and Swing Shift.
After Sweet Home Alabama, Ward kept things diverse, appearing in productions such as ER, In Plain Sight, Leverage, and True Detective.
Sadly, this 2015 credit would also be his last. Ward stepped away from acting and died on March 8, 2022, at the age of 79.
Mary Kay Place (Pearl)
Rounding off the core Smooter family was Pearl, Melanie’s mother. Fans of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman will easily recognize Mary Kay Place for the role of Loretta Haggers, which earned Place the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Comedy Series in ’77. She can also be seen in the classics M*A*S*H and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Place has a voice-over role in Julie & Julia and had a guest-starring role on The Mentalist. Today, she is 76 and still frequently appears on screen. Place can be seen in 9-1-1: Lone Star, Music, and The Prom. Most recently, she was the narrator in 2022’s My Father’s Dragon.
Sweet Home Alabama provided a fun, enduring meeting point for several beloved stars who made up the strong, talented cast. If plans for a sequel do come to fruition, fans can rest assured there is an enthusiastic team to see the job done right.
