What The Teen Wolf Stars Look Like Today

When Michael J. Fox starred in supernatural high school comedy "Teen Wolf" all the way back in 1985, no one could have predicted that the film would spawn a franchise that's still going strong decades later. After the film's 1987 sequel, the Jason Bateman-starring "Teen Wolf Too," MTV tapped the man behind "Criminal Minds" to adapt the first story into a television show in 2011. Set in the fictional town of Beacon Hills, "Teen Wolf" followed the adventures of a werewolf named Scott and his pack of supernatural best friends. Unlike the original movie, which was mostly just funny, the television show captured fans by bringing them a unique blend of genres. Jeff Davis told Assignment X, "MTV was always pushing us to go edgier. They gave us a mandate, that the writers turned into the three words we live by — sexy, scary, and surprising."

That mandate powered the show through to its end in 2017, but the "Teen Wolf" fandom stayed strong once the series was off the air. 2023 brings a Paramount+ original movie picking up where the MTV show left off, and Davis' unrelated "Wolf Pack" show featuring Sarah Michelle Gellar for the same streaming service. But what has everyone been up to in the years since the 2010s "Teen Wolf" went dark? Who's back for the movie and who's too busy with their careers? Read on to find out what the "Teen Wolf" stars look like today.

Tyler Hoechlin played Derek Hale on the first four seasons of "Teen Wolf," an older werewolf who serves as a mentor of sorts for Scott. When he exited the show ahead of Season 5, series creator Jeff Davis told BuzzFeed News, "Tyler Hoechlin decided he wanted more time to pursue movies. We talked and creatively agreed that maybe this was a good season to refocus on the teens..." The former child star did indeed pursue films, acting in such big-screen hits as Richard Linklater's "Everybody Wants Some!" and the trilogy-ending "Fifty Shades Freed." Other post-"Teen Wolf" film credits include "The Domestics," "Bigger," and "Then Came You."

Most of Hoechlin's time since he was an MTV regular, however, has been spent on television. Like several of his co-stars, Hoechlin became a CW superhero star. It started with a few appearances as Clark Kent on "Supergirl," but in 2021, Hoechlin's version of Superman got his own show, "Superman & Lois." He told Men's Health, "I always say that it's not the role that I ever envisioned myself playing, but I think that's maybe why I'm able to play it the way that I have been." (The actor had grown up imagining that he'd play Batman.) He added that he would stick with Supes for as long as he could, especially because the role has forced him to be consistent with his workouts. "I really looked forward to the challenge of not getting to that place but maintaining it for hopefully a long time," he said.

On "Teen Wolf," Tyler Posey played the titular werewolf, Scott McCall. After the show ended in 2017, Posey nabbed an arc on "Jane the Virgin." He then pivoted to a more adult role, starring on steamy Starz drama "Now Apocalypse." The show, created by New Queer Cinema filmmaker Gregg Araki, featured Posey as Gabriel, a guy who seduces main character Ulysses (Avan Jogia). That meant Posey filmed numerous sex scenes with his fellow teen-show vet. Turns out, Posey wasn't mad about the former "Victorious" star's abilities. "He's a good kisser," he told Young Hollywood, bragging, "I'm better."

Posey has also done a lot of voice work since "Teen Wolf." In addition to roles on shows like "Elena of Avalor" and "Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors," Posey led Netflix's animated series "Fast & Furious Spy Racers." The show is set in the same universe as the blockbuster films, making Posey's character Tony the younger cousin of Vin Diesel's Dom Toretto. "It's super family friendly," he told Screen Rant.

That contrasts with the other thing Posey has been up to since "Teen Wolf" — generating headlines for his decidedly-NSFW work on OnlyFans. Now, though, in making his return to "Teen Wolf: The Movie," Posey told the New York Post that he's celebrating his sobriety alongside the new film. "I'm sober, I'm present in every moment," he revealed. "I was excited to play Scott McCall with this new mentality of where I'm at right now."

On "Teen Wolf," Dylan O'Brien played fan-favorite character Stiles Stilinski, human bestie to Tyler Posey's teenage werewolf. He broke out quickly, leaving the show before the final season to attend to his skyrocketing career. Though he did return for the series finale, O'Brien has been quite busy ever since. He starred in the hit YA "Maze Runner" films, led the cast of "American Assassin" with Michael Keaton, toplined "Love & Monsters," and acted in "Not Okay," a film for Hulu. O'Brien was also in '50s gangster drama "The Outfit."

One of O'Brien's biggest gigs since "Teen Wolf" was starring in the music video — sorry, short film — for Taylor Swift's hit song "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)." The film paired O'Brien with "Stranger Things" star Sadie Sink, re-enacting scenes that fans interpreted as being memories from Swift's short-lived (yet oh-so-impactful) relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal. "She's a born and bred storyteller, and she's got really good taste," O'Brien revealed to The Hollywood Reporter.

Unfortunately for fans, O'Brien declined to return to "Teen Wolf" for the Paramount+ film. Thankfully, it seems there are no hard feelings. The actor told GQ that it wasn't easy to opt out, but he recalled his character in the finale and said, "It just felt nice where it was, and I didn't want to f*** with that. I also never want to come to something if my full heart's not in it, especially something as precious to me as 'Teen Wolf.' But I love all those guys and I always will."

Holland Roden played resident "Teen Wolf" banshee Lydia Martin, and she told Thrillist she had mixed feelings about the show's end. "It's like graduating high school, where you don't want to leave the house but you kind of have to," she reflected. "It's bittersweet in that aspect."

Roden has kept busy ever since. She led a season of "Channel Zero," had an arc alongside "Teen Wolf" vet J.R. Bourne on "Mayans M.C.," and popped in for appearances on "Lore" and "MacGyver." She also starred in not one, but two movies about evil escape rooms. "No Escape" was released in 2020, and "Escape Room: Tournament of Champions" followed a year later. She told Looper that the latter film was particularly challenging. "I would say the difference with this movie versus other movies is, as an actor, you're usually not in every scene all day, every day, and so it was a different feeling to be on camera that much as well as the type of acting," she said.

Before returning to Lydia for "Teen Wolf: The Movie," Roden capped off her hiatus with a Hallmark Original Christmas movie called "Time for Him to Come Home for Christmas." Unlike her horror-focused television and film work, this movie required Roden to stretch her romantic muscles. She told TV Fanatic that she was glad to join the Hallmark family, remarking, "I come from a world with a very loyal fan base from a show I was on for a long time, so they seem very similar."

In the early seasons of "Teen Wolf," Crystal Reed played Allison, Scott's love interest. While Scott was a werewolf, Allison was a Hunter; the teen girl came from a long line of people who devoted their lives to tracking down werewolves. Can you say, drama? Though she would later appear in flashbacks and hallucinations, Reed left the show after Season 3, when Allison met an untimely end. That makes her return for "Teen Wolf: The Movie" a perfect hook for fans. "There was a little bit of hesitation [about returning]," Reed confessed to ComingSoon.net, "but that was based on my own terrifying fear that I'm not a good actor [and] no one cares about Allison. Then I was convinced and it ended up working out really well, I think."

In the years since Allison died in Scott's arms, Reed has stuck to appearing in the type of genre shows that made her famous. She starred on 20 episodes of "Gotham" as the mob villainess Sofia Falcone, but that wasn't the only show with its roots in DC Comics to boast Reed as a star. On "Swamp Thing," she played Abby Arcane, the human lead of the show. The series originally aired on DC's short-lived streaming service, but it was later shown in full on The CW. Reed told CBR that the experience of leading the show was fulfilling. She reflected, "I was allowed to shine and be my fully realized self."

In the first two seasons of "Teen Wolf," Colton Haynes played Jackson, a high school bully who turned out to have a secret. Namely, there was the pesky fact that he sometimes transformed into a giant lizard creature called a kanima. Haynes left the show after the second season, admitting in his memoir "Miss Memory Lane" that he exited over a pay dispute, also mentioning conflict between production and his management. "...the real truth was that they didn't want to pay me the same amount as everyone else," he said. Jackson would ultimately return in Season 6, and Haynes is back for "Teen Wolf: The Movie."

Soon after leaving "Teen Wolf," Haynes joined the cast of The CW's "Arrow." On eight seasons of the show, he played Roy Harper, a sidekick who eventually becomes a hero in his own right. He also made headlines with a much-publicized coming-out in Entertainment Weekly. "People want you to be that GQ image that you put out, but people don't realize what it's like to act 24 hours a day. I'd go home and I was still acting," he told the outlet. A whirlwind relationship and marriage to celebrity florist Jeff Leatham followed, though as ET noted, they divorced after a mere six months together. He admitted to Attitude that addiction had derailed his career and his personal life. "I got so heavily involved with drugs and alcohol to mask the amount of pain I was feeling that I couldn't even make some decisions for myself," he confessed. Haynes is now sober, according to his memoir.

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Dylan Sprayberry joined the cast of "Teen Wolf" in the show's fourth season. He played Liam, a fellow teen who gets turned into a werewolf by Scott. When the show ended in 2017, he told Showbiz Junkies that he was pleased with the way things had wrapped up. "We all put everything into it. We really gave it our all," he said. "...I think we've killed this season." Nevertheless, Sprayberry is back for "Teen Wolf: The Movie," happily returning to Beacon Hills to check in with Liam. This time, he drew from a new source: Hugh Jackman's performance as Wolverine. "Especially being somebody who is playing half-animal/half-human, Hugh's example of the way he took Wolverine and brought him to life was a big inspiration for me," he told SFX Magazine (via CBR). "... Every time you fight, you are doing the roar. Every time you're roaring, it's a real roar. You're not faking it. I don't care if you lose your voice."

In the years between "Teen Wolf" and "Teen Wolf: The Movie," Sprayberry has stuck to horror. He starred on another supernatural television show, playing Henry Richmond on 18 episodes of "Light as a Feather," a Hulu original series about a group of teens being haunted by something paranormal. He also led the cast of "Malibu Horror Story." In 2023, mere weeks before "Teen Wolf: The Movie" hit Paramount+, Sprayberry appeared in "Sick," a Peacock Original, COVID-set slasher.

Throughout the initial run of "Teen Wolf," Seth Gilliam played Dr. Alan Deaton, the veterinarian at the clinic where Scott works. Dr. Deaton is back in "Teen Wolf: The Movie," and Gilliam told a panel at Fandemic Tour Atlanta (via ComicBook.com) that it was going to take some work to get back into character. "I started by going back and watching the six seasons of 'Teen Wolf' and trying to remember who it was I created," he admitted. "It's like living in another skin."

When "Teen Wolf" ended, Gilliam didn't have to worry about his career or his cred with fans of horror TV shows. After all, he is best known as one of the main cast members on "The Walking Dead," having starred across 125 episodes of the show as Father Gabriel Stokes. That show came to an end in 2022, lining up perfectly with Gilliam's return to Beacon Hills. Unlike many of the biggest stars of "The Walking Dead," Father Stokes survived until the series finale. Gilliam reflected on his action-packed final appearance in an interview with ComicBook.com, concluding, "It was really exciting, and humbling, and a little terrifying as well."

Shelley Hennig joined the cast of "Teen Wolf" in Season 3. She played Malia Tate, a character who expanded the series' mythology by introducing the existence of a new species: werecoyote. High school is hard when you spent much of your childhood living in the wilderness, okay? "Teen Wolf: The Movie" finds all the characters grown up, meaning Hennig had to find a way in to an older version of the character she created on television. "It gave me an opportunity to show a different side of her," she told ComingSoon.net, noting that the character seemed vulnerable in the script. "It was fun to incorporate that and to see Malia squirm a little."

After "Teen Wolf," Hennig appeared on shows like "Dollface" and "Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet." She starred in two films for Netflix, "When We First Met" and "The After Party," but her biggest role for the streamer came in the form of a television show. In 2021, Hennig was part of the cast of "The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window," the Kristen Bell-led parody of thrillers like "The Woman in the Window" and "The Girl on the Train." Hennig told Looper that she was glad to sign on because the genre-blending made it more interesting to her. "I like that it was not your typical thriller horror. I'm a big fan of hybrids, and I've always been gravitating towards projects that did something different," she said. "There's nothing better than that feeling of trying something new, being a part of it," Hennig added.

Melissa Ponzio starred on "Teen Wolf" as Scott's mom, Melissa McCall. Though she initially has no idea her son is a teenage werewolf, she eventually joins in the supernatural shenanigans running amok in Beacon Hills. The actor liked playing Melissa, and she's particularly happy to return for "Teen Wolf: The Movie." In fact, Ponzio told KGET that she'd expected the reunion would happen ever since the show went off the air. "The fandom that we have kept our characters alive and well on social platforms," she reflected. "The fact we have been able to come back has been a dream come true for all of us."

In the intervening years, Ponzio has kept busy while waiting for the call that would bring her back to Melissa McCall. In addition to starring in made-for-TV movies with titles like "Cheerleader Nightmare" and "Killer Reputation," Ponzio has had roles on the shows "Everything's Fine," "First Wives Club," and "Die Hart." She also played Carolyn on five episodes of Hulu miniseries "The Girl from Plainville," a show about a girl put on trial for coercing her boyfriend to commit suicide over text message. Most notably, she joined the cast of "Chicago Fire" while still on "Teen Wolf," playing Donna Robbins up through 2021. "It's been an honor," she told Survived The Shows about her time on the NBC procedural. "It's been an honor to have a full life on that show from start to finish."

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When "Teen Wolf: The Movie" was announced, fans were disappointed to see that Arden Cho, who played Scott's love interest Kira, wasn't included. Kira had been written out of the show before Season 6, which Cho explained to fans in a YouTube video. "Sometimes in a show where there are so many characters, there isn't always room for everyone and everyone's storylines, and so I guess that was it," she said. Still, she was invited back for "Teen Wolf: The Movie," but she chose not to return when it became clear that she would be paid less than half of what her co-stars were getting. She told The Cut, "I wasn't saying 'no' necessarily for me or because I was angry. I was saying 'no' because I hope that there will be more equality in the future." On the release date of the film, Cho tweeted as part of a longer response to a concerned fan, "Love you all, no regrets!"

Luckily, fans have had other chances to see Cho act. In addition to her arc on Seasons 3 and 4 of "Chicago Med," Cho led the cast of Netflix hit "Partner Track." On that show, she starred as Ingrid, an ambitious young lawyer trying for a promotion. She told The Italian Rêve that the experience of making the show was affirming. "Every woman knows what it feels like to be belittled or to experience misogyny or the patriarchal system or to feel like 'less than,'" she reflected. "We've all experienced that... but it's still drama, it's still TV and fun." Cho is also a gifted musician.

When "Teen Wolf" introduced Dylan Sprayberry's character Liam in Season 4, the scope of the show widened to include a group of teens who were younger than the main cast. One such teen was Mason Hewitt, Liam's best friend, played by Khylin Rhambo. The character returned for "Teen Wolf: The Movie," which Rhambo was excited about. In an interview with Young Entertainment magazine, the actor explained that he initially found out about the film when the fans did, and that he reached out to the creator of the TV show to make sure they knew he was available. "I remember shooting Jeff a DM, and I was like, 'Tag me in, coach!' Just like, jokingly, but also shooting my shot. And he, of course, he had me in mind, which I was just so appreciative of." 

In the years since the show, Rhambo hasn't been quite as busy as some of his co-stars. In 2019, however, he starred in "47 Meters Down: Uncaged," a shark-filled sequel to that movie where Mandy Moore gets trapped in a shark-diving cage at the bottom of the ocean. Rhambo's role required him to act underwater, which he told LRM Online made him access a new way of working. "It's like meditation," he explained. "... There's just so much stimulation and there's so much going on that... you kinda go within, and... there's this inner strength that you tap into." He added, "I really valued that."

Tyler Posey's character Scott and J.R. Bourne's character Chris Argent were mortal enemies on "Teen Wolf," but in real life, the two get along great. In the years since the show went off the air, they have kept it up. Posey told the New York Post that it was great to get back on set with his buddy. "We maintain our close relationship outside of 'Teen Wolf' — we goof around, ride motorcycles with each other, go shopping," he said. "But to get to do [the show] again with him, and see him grow as a person too ... we had the greatest time."

When he's not riding motorcycles with his former co-star, Bourne has been staying busy working since his role on MTV ended. He jumped from "Teen Wolf" to "The 100," joining the sci-fi CW show in its final season as the villainous Sheidheda. He likes playing antagonists, he told CBR, and his character on "The 100" was especially evil. "As an artist, it's just been an absolute freaking blast because there is no fighting against a moral compass," he said.

Bourne also had an arc on "Mayans M.C.," alongside fellow "Teen Wolf" co-star Holland Roden. Unlike Chris Argent and Sheidheda, though, his "Mayans M.C." character was just a regular human being. In an interview on BBoy45, Bourne reflected, "That was just incredible... And nothing supernatural about him at all! But just an incredible sort of character to play with."

Linden Ashby played Sheriff Stilinski, the father of Dylan O'Brien's character, on the initial run of "Teen Wolf." When the show ended, Ashby told Tell-Tale TV that he was particularly pleased to see just how many of his former co-stars returned in the final season to see their characters off. "This show went out into the universe and touched so many people's lives in such profound and different ways. The message that it sent out, and the love that has come back from that... I couldn't be more proud to have been a part of something like this than if I tried," he beamed. We can only assume he feels the same way about "Teen Wolf: The Movie."

During those few years where Ashby wasn't playing Sheriff Stilinski, he found a steady career for himself in several made-for-TV movies on Lifetime. One, called "A Daughter's Revenge," saw the TV dad playing someone's stepfather. "It was one of the easiest parts I've ever played. Maybe it was because it was kind of Stilinski-ish," he told FanSided.

Ashby hasn't just been acting in Lifetime movies; he's directed some, too! The star, who directed an episode of "Teen Wolf" while he was on the show, has helmed Lifetime films such as "Nightmare Neighborhood Moms" and "Escaping My Stalker." He told Hidden Remote that he enjoyed exploring this new phase of his career: "I just like the process. For me, it's cool." Ashby added, "As a director, I love to see what actors are going to bring to it."