It’s been nearly eight years since the release of Neighbors, the family vs. frat comedy that reintroduced the world to the hilarity of airbag explosions. If you loved following the conflicts between new parents Mac and Kelly Radner and the house of fraternity brothers that live next door, then it shouldn’t be surprising that nearly all the big-name actors from this 2014 movie have gotten even bigger. Let’s take a look at what the Neighbors cast is up to now.
Seth Rogen (Mac Radner)
Despite the fact that Neighbors is a movie featuring gross-out humor and copious amounts of weed jokes, Seth Rogen delivers a heartfelt performance as husband and father Mac Radner while still delivering gut-busting laughs.
Seth Rogen has racked up a long list of acting credits since the premiere of Neighbors, including parts in the Academy Award-nominated film The Disaster Artist, the live-action remake of The Lion King, and Long Shot, in which he stars alongside Charlize Theron.
His current work focuses more on producing and writing for television. In the past five years he’s been the executive producer for eight different shows, two of which he’s also credited as a writer – including the critically acclaimed superhero series The Boys (which has a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes). The Boys will return for its third season this June.
Rogen’s upcoming projects include producing roles for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2023) and The Something, an astronaut thriller. He’s also slated to voice Donkey Kong in the upcoming unnamed Super Mario movie.
Currently, fans can watch Rogen on the new Hulu series Pam & Tommy and hear his voice in Prime Video’s adult comedy Invincible. He’s also branching out into the podcast world with his show Storytime with Seth Rogen and has been honing his crafting skills in his pottery studio.
Zac Efron (Teddy Sanders)
In the years since his role as fraternity president Teddy in Neighbors, Zac Efron’s roles have ranged from a demented serial killer in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile to a singing playwright in The Greatest Showman. The man has range, okay? He’s also one of many actors on this list to appear in The Disaster Artist.
He’s also produced and appeared in the Netflix series Down to Earth with Zac Efron and is set to appear in the recently-announced adventure series-spinoff titled Killing Zac Efron.
In 2022 we can expect to see Zac Efron in the Disney remake of Three Men and a Baby and The Greatest Beer Run Ever, based on John Donohue’s memoir about delivering beer to his friends fighting in Vietnam in 1967. He’ll also star in the new adaptation of the Steven King novel Firestarter and one of 2022’s upcoming films, Gold, where he’ll star alongside writer and director Anthony Hayes.
Rose Byrne (Kelly Radner)
Don’t ever say women can’t hang with the boys. Rose Byrne managed to be one of the funniest actors in Neighbors, from her stressed-out mom outbursts to her devious meddling skills in the war against Delta Psi Beta.
Recent popular gigs from Rose Byrne include the 2018 comedy Instant Family and her ongoing role as Bea in the Peter Rabbit children's movies. But it’s her role as Gloria Steinem in the 2020 Emmy award-winning drama Mrs. America that could mean she’s attempting a shift from comedy to more dramatic roles.
Rose Byrne’s current starring role in the Apple TV+ dramedy Physical highlights her comedy chops as well as ability to play more nuanced roles. Byrne stars as Sheila, a 1980’s housewife who channels her self-criticism and need for control into dominating the world of aerobics.
Her upcoming movie They Are Us is based on the 2019 Christchurch attacks on the Muslim community in New Zealand, but we’re also excited to see her act and produce alongside her partner Bobby Cannavale in Seriously Red, a musical film about a Dolly Parton impersonator that will feature music from Dolly Parton herself. The film will be the first from Byrne’s production company, Dollhouse Pictures.
Dave Franco (Pete)
Dave Franco’s role as Pete the frat boy in Neighbors (and as Pete the engaged gay man in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising) definitely proved his comedic abilities to the world. You might have also seen Dave Franco in his appearances in Oscar-nominated films like If Beale Street Could Talk and The Disaster Artist (yes, the same film produced by his Neighbors costar Seth Rogen).
Dave Franco currently appears in the Apple TV+ series The After Party, a murder-mystery/comedy costarring Tiffany Haddish, Ilana Glazer, Sam Richardson, and fellow Neighbors alum Ike Barinholtz.
Upcoming releases for the youngest Franco brother include Day Shift, set to release in 2022. He’ll also reprise his role as Jack Wilder in the recently announced third installment of the Now You See Me franchise and dip his toes into the waters of directing with his upcoming comedy Somebody I Used to Know.
Ike Barinholtz (Jimmy)
You’ve definitely seen Ike Barinholtz as the goofy (but usually well-meaning) sidekick character in everything from Neighbors to The Mindy Project. He also appeared briefly in the beginning scene of The Disaster Artist.
Barinholtz’ upcoming projects include the true story The White House Plumbers, a five-part miniseries about the Watergate scandal, and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, a Nicolas Cage movie starring Nicolas Cage as Nicolas Cage as an informant for the CIA. You know, typical Nic Cage stuff.
Barinholtz’ writing career will continue in 2022 with Maximum Truth, a mockumentary-style comedy in which he’ll also star as the “sketchy friend” character. You can also catch him on Batman: The Audio Adventures, DC’s scripted podcast series featuring Batman stories. Barinholtz voices Harvey Dent/Two-Face.
Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Scoonie)
From frat brother to guidance counselor? The upcoming comedy Honor Society features Christpher Mintz-Plasse in a role as Mr. Calvin, the guidance counselor to a group of high school seniors trying to get into Harvard. He’ll star alongside Angourie Rice and Gaten Matarazzo in this 2022 Awesomeness Films production.
To catch up on the projects Christopher Mintz-Plasse has been involved in since Neighbors, check out his voiceover work in the ABC comedy When Nature Calls or the Academy Award-winner Promising Young Woman where he appears as a predator-turned-prey to Carey Mulligan’s protagonist. He’s also a prominent player in the ongoing How to Train Your Dragon cinematic universe, and appeared in The Disaster Artist.
Jerrod Carmichael (Garf)
You may remember Jerrod Carmichael as Garf, the frat brother inexplicably dressed as Samuel L. Jackson at the Robert De Niro Party. This standup comedian has since written, produced, and starred in The Carmichael Show and written for Laugh Factory.
Recent credits include a gritty leading role in the Sundance film On the Count of Three, as well as producing and acting roles for the Hulu series Ramy. He’ll pull more double-duty in the future, acting and producing for an upcoming untitled Nate Bargatze project.
Oh, he also appeared in The Disaster Artist, along with basically everyone else on this list. Neighbors co-stars stick together.
In the near future, Carmichael will appear in the 2022 Victorian period-piece Poor Things alongside Willem Dafoe, Emma Stone, and Margaret Qualley.
Brian Huskey (Bill Wazowkowski)
Mac and Jimmy’s boss Bill Wazowkowski was played by none other than character actor Brian Huskey. He’s been in everything from New Girl to Drunk History to The Disaster Artist and continues to appear in TV and film roles of all sizes and genres. Some of his most impressive parts are his tenure as Leon West on the award-winning HBO show VEEP and an appearance in the Marvel film Ant Man and the Wasp.
Current gigs for Huskey include the recurring role of Rudy on Bob’s Burgers and the voices of Doug and Shart on the Apple TV+ cartoon Central Park. In 2022, fans will see Huskey in the 1990's roller rink film Saturday at the Starlight, as well as the thriller Helen’s Dead, both of which are in post-production.
Hannibal Buress (Officer Watkins)
Buress’ scene-stealing role as the cop in Neighbors may have only lasted several minutes, but the movie truly wouldn’t have been the same without him. In the years following Neighbors, Buress continued to steal scenes as Lincoln in the Comedy Central series Broad City.
Recent projects include the 2018 buddy comedy Tag, as well as appearances in both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: No Way Home. (And yes, Hannibal Buress was also in The Disaster Artist.)
Buress continues to perform as a stand-up comic and has released several comedy specials, including Miami Nights which premiered for free on a YouTube live stream in 2020. He also takes part in the internet series TheDailyBugle.net, a viral marketing campaign for the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy.
Fans of Neighbors can see many of the cast members reunite in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising.
