The varied fates of the Little Miss Sunshine cast: From Oscar nominations to a high-profile showbiz feud and a tragic death – as film marks 20th anniversary

The best feel-good movie to hit the box in 2006.

Shot on a shoestring budget of just $8 million, Little Miss Sunshine, about a hopelessly dysfunctional family and their cross-country road trip in a 1979 Volkswagen minivan, became a blockbuster.

The film announced the names of its main cast and would make Sundance Film Festival history by winning the largest distribution rights deal in the event’s history following its premiere on January 20 of the same year.

Earlier this year, some of the cast reunited for a special screening of the indie comedy, 20 years after it first premiered.

While some stars in the cast look uncannily similar, others have undergone a remarkable transformation.

During the time the series was taken off the air, many things happened, from a tragic death to becoming an Oscar-nominated star…

Abigail Breslin

Abigail was only ten years old when she starred in Little Miss Sunshine.

The film became her breakout role and even earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

He starred in films such as No Reservations, Definitely, Maybe, and took on more mature roles in Zombieland, The Call, and August: Osage County.

In 2015, in Scream Queens, Emma Robert’s slave Chanel No. He portrayed 5.

Abigail recently reprized her role as Little Rock in Zombieland: Double Tap and starred opposite Matt Damon in Still water.

Abigail, when it comes to her personal life She married her long-time partner Ira Kunyansky in 2023 at the Hummingbird Nest wedding hall in the Santa Susana Mountains.

She also talked about her struggle with body image.

Although Abigail does not attribute any of her struggles to starring in Little Miss Sunshine, her character appears to be desperately trying to fit into beauty standards in order to win the pageant.

In one scene, her father is seen telling her that eating ice cream can cause her to become ‘fat’, while in another part of the film, she is seen sucking her stomach in front of a mirror.

The star has previously said that the film made her feel shy in real life.

“I was wearing something to add something to my stomach,” she explained on the Vulnerable with Christy Carlson Romano podcast in 2024, referring to the padding she wore to give her character a larger frame.

‘I definitely felt a deep sense of insecurity when I saw the other girls in the beauty pageant and thought, ‘Am I the ugly one?’ ‘ I thought.’

Abigail was later diagnosed with anorexia and bulimia when she was 15 years old.

Also, on World Mental Health Day in October 2020, the former child actor revealed that he was diagnosed with anxiety when he was 13 years old.

He said at the time: ‘For a while I was ashamed of these labels and the stigma attached to them. I now see it as part of my identity… Every day I don’t have a panic attack is a win.’

Paul Dano

Paul began to make a name for himself in the early 2000s, appearing in LIE, The Emperor’s Club, The Girl Next Door and The Sopranos.

However, he received critical acclaim for his role as Dwayne in Little Miss Sunshine.

Since the film’s release, Paul has appeared in films such as 12 Years a Slave, Love & Mercy, and played The Riddler in The Batman.

He is now a Hollywood star with multiple BAFTA, Emmy and Golden Globe nominations and a string of major film credits.

Most recently Ruby Sparks, Prisoners, Swiss Army Man and The Kremlin Wizard.

In 2007, the actor married his theater friend Zoe Kazan, known for the films The Deuce and Clickbait.

The couple has since welcomed two children, a daughter in 2018 and a son in 2022.

Paul was recently attacked by director Quentin Tarantino for his perceived lack of on-screen presence, sparking backlash from the Hollywood acting community.

‘There Will Be Blood’ would have had a good chance of being number one or two if there wasn’t a huge, huge flaw… and the flaw was Paul Dano,’ Quentin said.

‘Obviously this is supposed to be two-handed, but it’s also pretty obvious that it’s not two-handed. [Paul] Weak sauce, man. That weak sister.’

Bizarrely, the director claimed Elvis star Austin Butler would be better suited to the sinister role of Paul.

‘Austin Butler would be great in this role. [Paul] “He is such a weak, feeble and uninteresting man,” she continued.

Notably, Butler is seven years younger than Paul and would have been around 15 when There Will Be Blood was filmed; Paul, on the other hand, was 22 years old and managed to portray both the young Eli at the beginning of the film and the older, more tired version of the character last seen in the late 1920s.

Quentin was subsequently criticized on social media for his “classless” and “crazy” comments about Paul, while moviegoers mocked his list for making mediocre movie choices and excluding many outsider and obscure filmmakers that Quentin once championed early in his career.

Steve Carell

At the time of Little Miss Sunshine, Steve was already known for his role as Michael Scott in The Office, for which he won a Golden Globe in 2006.

The actor was also known for his performances in the films Anchorman and The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

He continued his impressive film career with hit comedies such as Get Smart, Date Night, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Crazy, Stupid, Love and The Way Way Back.

Steve earned his first Oscar nomination for his role as John du Point in 2014’s Foxcatcher.

He later starred in The Big Short, Cafe Society, The Morning Show, and The Patient on Hulu.

The actor also voiced Gru in the Despicable Me franchise and reprized the role in 2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru.

Toni Collette

By 2006, Toni was no stranger to the big screen.

She previously appeared in Muriel’s Wedding, Emma, ​​The Sixth Sense, About a Boy and In Her Shoes.

After playing Sheryl Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine, she earned accolades, including a Primetime Emmy, for her role in Showtime’s United States of Tara.

She went on to star in the films Madame, Please Stand By and Hereditary.

Toni most recently played Joni in Knives Out and Zeena the Seer in Nightmare Alley.

In 2022, he starred in HBO Max’s miniseries The Staircase and the movie The Estate.

Greg Kinnear

The film starred Greg Kinnear, who was then known for his roles in Sabrina, You’ve Got Mail, and his Oscar-nominated performance in As Good as It Gets.

Since the film’s release, Greg’s career has skyrocketed.

He starred in The Kennedys, which explored the lives of the Kennedy family dynasty and earned him an Emmy nomination.

He also appeared in TV series such as You, The Stand, Shining Vale, and played Joe Biden in the 2016 television movie The Confirmation.

Greg most recently starred in Misbehavior, Crisis and miniseries such as The Stand and Black Bird.

Alan Arkin

Alan won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the foul-mouthed grandfather in the hit film.

He was first nominated for an Oscar in 1966 for his role in The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming.

He was also nominated for the films The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and Argo.

Alan continued to appear in major projects such as Marley & Me and The Kominsky Method.

His last film was Minions: The Rise of Gru, in which he played Wild Knuckles.

Alan sadly passed away on June 29, 2023, at the age of 89, due to heart problems.

Bryan Cranston

Bryan was already a major sitcom star before playing Stan Grossman on Little Miss Sunshine.

He was best known for his role as Hal on Malcolm in the Middle and has guest-starred in various TV comedies, including Seinfeld, American Dad, and How I Met Your Mother.

In 2008, he joined Breaking Bad, winning four Primetime Emmy awards.

Bryan later joined the cast of Little Miss Sunshine and was nominated for an Oscar and an Emmy award respectively.

Since then, The Infiltrator, Wakefield, Why Him? He was no stranger to the big screen by starring in films. The Upside, Last Flag Flying and Jerry and Marge Grow Up.