Empire Records cast: Where are they now?

Anthony LaPaglia (Joe)

Anthony LaPaglia played Joe, the manager of Empire Records and father figure for its disparate group of isolated teenage employees. With the help of his young workers, Joe saves the store from a corporate takeover, and is rewarded when Mitchell Beck (Ben Bode) sells him the shop.

LaPaglia won a Tony for his starring role in A View From the Bridge in 1998. He went on to win an Emmy in 2002 for his guest stint on Frasier as Daphne Moon's uncouth brother Simon, and was nominated in 2004 for his starring role as FBI missing persons detective Jack Malone on Without a Trace. He has appeared in numerous TV shows and films, including Annabelle: Creation (2017), Below (2019), Pearl (2020), and Nitram (2021).

Renée Zellweger (Gina)

In the film's undeniable breakout performance, Renée Zellweger played Gina, an Empire employee whose effortless confidence allows her to seduce aging pop idol Rex Manning.

Zellweger's career skyrocketed after Empire Records. She officially broke into the mainstream with 1996's Jerry Maguire, then went on a run of multiple Oscar nominations, including Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) and Chicago (2002), before finally winning the gold statuette for Cold Mountain (2003). After a few years' hiatus, she returned to the screen with 2016's Bridget Jones's Baby and 2019's Judy Garland biopic Judy, for which she won a second Oscar.

Her TV work includes the Netflix series What/If and the NBC limited series The Thing About Pam.

Liv Tyler (Corey)

A classic example of the pretty, smart student who's secretly falling apart on the inside, Liv Tyler's Corey is the only Empire employee legitimately excited for Rex Manning Day. But, after the star rebuffs her seduction attempts, her cheery façade crumbles to reveal anger issues and a pill problem.

Tyler followed up Empire Records with a starring role as the daughter of Bruce Willis' character in Armageddon (1998), before giving Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies a much-needed female hero in the form of elf princess Arwen.

She continued her nerd-adaptation streak as Betty Ross in The Incredible Hulk (2008), and had a substantial role on HBO's The Leftovers. She produced and starred in the 2017 indie horror film Wildling and joined Hulu's Harlots for two seasons. She also starred in the first season of Fox's 9-1-1: Lone Star.

Debi Mazar (Jane)

Debi Mazar's Jane starts out as Rex Manning's beleaguered assistant, but eventually ditches him for the free spirits of Empire Records, supporting the employees' attempts to save their store. She seems particularly impressed by Joe.

Mazar gained a real following as a divorce attorney on Civil Wars. She then had a recurring role on Entourage as Vincent Chase's publicist, and went on to be a series regular as Maggie on Younger.

She starred opposite Mike Myers in the 2022 Netflix comedy series The Pentaverate and hosted a cooking show, Extra Virgin, with her husband Gabriele Corcos on the Cooking Channel.

Ethan Embry (Mark)

Ethan Embry's Mark ends up solving the Empire employees' central problem when he spontaneously promotes a "Save the Empire" campaign in front of news cameras covering a robbery. The resulting fundraiser gets Joe enough money to stop a takeover and buy the store from disinterested owner Mitchell Beck.

Embry followed Empire Records with That Thing You Do! and continued his teen-movie streak with 1998's Can't Hardly Wait before going a different route on Showtime's Brotherhood as a detective hunting down mobsters—who are also his childhood friends.

He had a main role on Netflix's Grace and Frankie and appeared in the 2018 films Blindspotting and First Man.

Johnny Whitworth (A.J.)

As lovesick A.J., Johnny Whitworth spends the movie pining after Corey. Her initial rebuttal of his advances gives him the confidence and independence to finally enroll in art school. It all works out in the end—his art school is in Boston, giving him and Harvard-bound Corey the potential to develop their relationship.

Whitworth took a short break from acting after his first few movies. He reappeared in Francis Ford Coppola's The Rainmaker (1997), and later joined Empire Records costar Rory Cochrane on CSI: Miami. He took a more villainous turn as the demonic Blackout in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011) and recurred on the TV series Blindspot.

Rory Cochrane (Lucas)

As Lucas, Cochrane sets the film's plot into motion when he stupidly gambles away a day's worth of receipts at an Atlantic City casino, leaving Empire Records vulnerable to a takeover from franchise chain Music Town.

Cochrane's biggest post-Empire Records roles included POW drama Hart's War (2002), Richard Linklater's animated sci-fi adaptation A Scanner Darkly (2006), and a recurring role on CSI: Miami.

He turned up as one of the hostages in Argo (2012) and as Whitey Bulger's right-hand man in Black Mass (2015). Additional film credits include Hostiles (2017), Encounter (2021), and Antlers (2021). He also played basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian on HBO's Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.

Maxwell Caulfield (Rex Manning)

Maxwell Caulfield played aging pop icon Rex Manning, whose agreement to do a signing day at Empire Records provides the central setting of the movie (Rex Manning Day). Slowly realizing that his fanbase has aged as much as him, a despairing Rex gives in to advances from an underage Gina, which gets him kicked out of the store.

In addition to various TV and movie credits, Caulfield has had a successful theater career in the U.S. and U.K., including leading 2010s U.K. national tours of The Rocky Horror Show, Singin' in the Rain, and Guys and Dolls. He also took a crack at James Bond, voicing the iconic superspy in the 2002 video game 007: Nightfire.

Robin Tunney (Debra)

Robin Tunney's suicidal Debra is the heart of the movie. Though initially isolated and depressed, she starts to overcome her problems thanks to Joe's kindness and her friends' support. Deb's peace of mind gives her the strength to save the store from a gun-wielding Warren.

After Empire Records, Tunney made her biggest mark on TV. She starred as Agent Teresa Lisbon on The Mentalist, lawyer Veronica Donovan on Prison Break, Maya Travis on ABC's The Fix, and Jane on Apple TV+'s Dear Edward.

Brendan Sexton III (Warren Beatty)

"Warren Beatty" is one of the more enigmatic characters in Empire Records. He spends Rex Manning Day hanging with Empire employees in the back room after they bust him for shoplifting. He eventually returns with a gun, but he's really only interested in a job at the store—and is quickly talked down by Deb.

Brendan Sexton III appeared in 2001's Black Hawk Down, though he has since voiced concerns about the political message of the film. He also starred as Belko Royce in the first two seasons of The Killing and recurred on Netflix's Russian Doll.