Most people remember the 2015 drama We Are Your Friends for its epic soundtrack and depiction of the EDM scene. The movie follows Cole Carter, a struggling DJ who meets one of his musical idols at a gig. Once a talented DJ himself, James Reed sees potential in Cole and takes him under his wing.
Now, eight years later, the film has developed somewhat of a cult following. Here’s what the cast of We Are Your Friends is up to these days.
Wes Bentley
Wes Bentley made a name for himself in Hollywood after portraying Ricky Fitts in the 1999 award-winning drama American Beauty. His success led to an alcohol and heroin addiction, which he confessed to the New York Times he funded through sporadic acting gigs.
Bentley slowly rebuilt his career with roles in The Hunger Games and American Horror Story, leading up to starring in We Are Your Friends. He now plays Jamie Dutton on the wildly successful television show Yellowstone, a role he has portrayed since 2018.
Jonny Weston
American actor Jonny Weston appears in We Are Your Friends as one of Cole’s friends, Dustin Mason. Most recently, he starred next to Noah Schnapp and Victoria Justice in The Tutor, released in March 2023. That same month, he appeared in a musical production of Betty Blue Eyes about a pig set to be slaughtered for a royal wedding during the food rationing period after World War II in the U.K.
Emily Ratajkowski
Actress and model Emily Ratajkowski portrayed Sophie in We Are Your Friends, the woman who comes between Cole and his mentor. It was her first leading role in a film, significantly influencing her modeling career and earning her a handful of magazine covers.
According to the Los Angeles Times, she continued to take small acting roles until she quit in 2022, exposing Hollywood for making her feel like “a piece of meat.” These days, she’s more focused on her contribution as a feminist and activist, which she partially describes in her 2021 collection of essays titled My Body. In 2022, she partnered with Sony Music Entertainment to create the podcast High Low with EmRata, covering feminism, pop culture, self-image, and relationships.
Alex Shaffer
American actor Alex Shaffer appeared in We Are Your Friends as another of Cole’s friends, “Squirrel.” He’s best known for his role as Kyle Timmons in the 2011 sports comedy Win Win, where he plays a high school wrestler. Since then, he has appeared in several films, including the 2019 thriller Ring Ring.
Zac Efron
Teen idol turned household name Zac Efron stars as Cole in We Are Your Friends. He rose to stardom with roles in films like Hairspray and 17 Again. Since portraying Cole, Efron has worked on over a dozen projects, including Baywatch, The Greatest Showman, and the Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.
Since then, Efron has offered fans more insight into his life on YouTube with videos on fitness and his wilderness adventures. In 2020, his award-winning documentary Down to Earth with Zac Efron premiered on Netflix. Most recently, Efron opened up about his health issues to Men’s Magazine, revealing his struggles with mental illness and addressing plastic surgery rumors after shattering his jaw in 2013.
Shiloh Fernandez
Ollie, portrayed by Shiloh Fernandez, is the final member of Cole’s friend group in We Are Your Friends. Fernandez started his acting career with minor roles on TV shows like Cold Case and Drake & Josh. Twilight fans may remember him as one of the actors getting considered to play Edward Cullen, but as we all know, he lost out to Robert Pattinson.
He eventually landed his breakout role in 2011 as the romantic lead in Red Riding Hood opposite Amanda Seyfried. Since then, he has appeared in the 2022 comedy Big Gold Brick alongside Megan Fox and Lucy Hale. Fernandez also starred with Ashley Benson in a remake of the 1960 thriller Private Property.
Jon Bernthal
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Jon Bernthal appeared in We Are Your Friends after wrapping up his lead role on The Walking Dead. Since then, he has played essential roles in many major motion films, including The Wolf of Wall Street, Fury, and Sicario.
In 2016, Bernthal played Frank Castle, AKA “The Punisher,” in the second season of Daredevil on Netflix. He reprised the role the following year in a spinoff titled The Punisher, which got canceled in 2019. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bernthal is extremely busy these days filming a new Daredevil series for Disney Plus.