It's a cruel summer—except for the anniversary of Blue Crush's release.
19 years ago, Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez and Sanoe Lake teamed up to take on the famed Pipeline competition in the surf drama. The trio played best friends trying to make ends meet in Hawaii while Anne Marie (Bosworth) pursued her dream of becoming a pro surfer after a near-death accident in the water.
Since its release in 2002, earning $55 million at the box office to become one of the summer's sleeper hits, Blue Crush has remained a cult classic, thanks to its depiction of female friendships and a young woman trying to make her mark in a male-dominated sport. And there was even buzz in 2017 that a Blue Crush TV show was coming to NBC. Totally tubular.
The film served as one of Bosworth and Rodriguez's first major roles and had a lasting impact on both stars.
"For me," Bosworth said during the main trio's virtual catch-up last summer, "Blue Crush is the one that everyone, and especially young girls, come up to me and say, 'You inspired me to do this! You guys are all my heroes!' It's so incredible."
So what have the stars of Blue Crush been up to since its release and who's down to return to the North Shore for a sequel? Find out...
Bosworth's performance as aspiring pro-surfer Anne Marie was her breakout role, with the actress going on to land leading parts in Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!, Beyond the Sea (as real-life singer Sandra Dee), and Superman Returns (as fictional journalist Lois Lane).
The 39-year-old later pivoted to smaller projects, starring in a string of indie films, including Straw Dogs, Still Alice, Before I Wake, and The Domestics.
In a 2019 Instagram post, Bosworth opened up about her intense training for Blue Crush, writing, "I often get comments about my body in Blue Crush, that result came from an intense, high impact but short-lived body build. Do you know I trained 7 hours a day?"
But she'd still be down to do a sequel, teasing during video chat with her co-stars in 2020, "I'll put my life on the line again. I don't mind."
Bosworth married Michael Polish, a film director she met while working on 2011's Big Sur, in a country-style wedding in Montana in August 2013. The couple announced they were separating in August, though they shared their intention to remain in each other's lives in their joint statement.
"In the process of letting go, we have come to acknowledge that our love will never end," the couple wrote on Instagram. "The connection does not simply disappear. The love deepens, the heart expands...We laugh as we plan for our next movie together and are excited to share our latest collaboration."
She is now dating Justin Long.
Aside from her turn as tough girl surfer Eden, Rodriguez is known for her part in the uber-successful Fast & Furious franchise, playing Lettie Ortiz in seven films. She's also starred in actions flicks such as Resident Evil, Avatar, S.W.A.T., and Widows.
In July 2014, Rodriguez made headlines when she was spotted cuddling with Zac Efron, and a source later told E! News the unexpected couple dated for two months before calling it quits. Ah, summer love.
During the cast's recent virtual reunion last summer, the 44-year-old admitted it's difficult to recreate the magic they felt while filming Blue Crush in movies today.
"I miss that vibe period in film," she said. "Everything's either too goofy or not real enough. It's just really sweet to have a thing you can escape to some other beautiful place that's full of water, summer and nature."
Selected as the face to launch the Roxy brand, Lake was the only real professional surfer among the movie's main cast, becoming known as the "Princess of Surf" in the industry. (Like Anne Marie in the movie, Lake would go on to sign with Billabong in 2003.)
Following her breakout role in Blue Crush, the 43-year-old went on to star in movies such as Cruel World, Half-Life and Creature of Darkness.
Lake married artist Michael Sterling Eaton in 2007 and they have two children together.
During the cast's virtual reunion, Lake spoke about why the film remains so beloved.
"Whether it's surfing or any other sport, I think that's why it resonated with so many females and girls," Lake said. "They were like, 'Oh, I can! I can do it!'"
Before he was Matt Tollman, Anne Marie's supportive NFL quarterback boyfriend, Davis was known as Warner Huntington III, the Ivy League douchebag who broke up with Reese Witherspoon's Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. The range!
Since his rom-com days, Davis became a CW fan-favorite, thanks to his role as Alaric Saltzman on The Vampire Diaries and its spinoff series, The Originals and Legacies.
In 2018, Davis, 44, married his longtime girlfriend, actress Kiley Casciano, and the couple welcomed their first child, daughter Ripley Nightingale Davis, in March 2020 and their second child, Dorothy Lavender Davis, in January 2022.
After playing Bosworth's little sister Penny, Boorem joined Dawson's Creek in a recurring role before starring in films such as Sleepover, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, and The Ward.
The 34-year-old eventually made the transition behind-the-camera, directing several short film before tackling her first full-length feature, Hollwood.Con, in 2020.
Love played Leslie, Matt's fun-loving football teammate who learned how to surf in a memorable scene, before going on to have stand out supporting roles in Elf ("There's no singing in the North Pole!"), Couples Retreat and The Perfect Holiday.
The 54-year-old has also guest-starred on My Name is Earl and Black-ish, and he most recently appeared in Step Up: High Water.
In 2017, Love was arrested following an altercation with a valet Columbus International airport. He later plead no contest to misdemeanor assault.
Blue Crush is available to stream on HBO Max.