Simply wonderful! Since That Thing You Do! premiered in October 1996, fans haven’t been able to get enough of the movie — or its fictional boy band.
Starring Tom Everett Scott, Ethan Embry, Steve Zahn, Liv Tyler and Charlize Theron, the film follows a Pennsylvania group originally called the Oneders (pronounced “wonders”) as they become an overnight success thanks to their hit song, also called “That Thing You Do!”
Tom Hanks, fresh off his back-to-back Oscar wins for Forrest Gump and Philadelphia, made his directorial debut with the movie, which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Though he hadn’t yet done much work behind the camera, his on-screen reputation loomed so large that he occasionally had to placate extras and onlookers with impressions of his most famous characters.
“If someone wanted him to list all the versions of shrimp he could cook from Forrest Gump, he’d do it,” Scott told Rolling Stone in April 2020. “He’d play along. He knew fans love that stuff.”
Before filming began, Hanks had the band — Scott, Embry, Zahn and Johnathon Schaech — participate in a rock music boot camp so their portrayal of musicians would be more realistic.
“[Producer] Gary Goetzman and Tom Hanks both wanted us to be at the point where we could play anything that was required of the film so that they didn’t have to worry about us, they could just shoot the movie,” Zahn told Entertainment Tonight in September 2021. “Ethan was — he is — a great bass player. We had personal teachers, we rehearsed as a band for hours and hours and hours, days and days and days without even looking at the script. And that was the important thing to those guys.”
Hanks, who also wrote the movie’s screenplay, started work on the script while he was still filming Forrest Gump, which premiered in July 1994.
“I wanted to be carrying something in my head completely void of anything about the Oscar race or box office, and so, while I was flying around the world doing all that press, I began working,” the Sully actor told The Ringer in October 2021. “By that time I’d worked with Nora Ephron quite a bit and I’d always send any idea to Nora. ‘Does this make sense to you?’ She was extremely helpful and pulled no punches.”
The Tony nominee also snuck in a few Easter eggs for superfans. Peter Scolari, who starred with him in the 1980s sitcom Bosom Buddies, appeared as Troy Chesterfield, the host of The Hollywood Television Showcase, and his wife, Rita Wilson, made a cameo as a waitress at a jazz club.
Keep scrolling to find out what the That Thing You Do! cast has been up to since the movie premiered:
In addition to writing and directing the movie, Hanks played Amos White, who becomes the band's manager. He has since written and directed Larry Crowne, in which he also starred. His other film credits include Captain Phillips, Toy Story 4, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and Greyhound, and he's earned three additional Oscar nominations for his acting work. In 2017, he authored a book of short stories called Uncommon Type. He has been married to Wilson since 1988.
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Scott played Guy "Shades" Patterson, who became the band's drummer after original member Chad broke his arm. Since That Thing You Do! premiered, he's racked up credits in many movies, including Van Wilder, La La Land and Because I Said So and TV shows, including How to Get Away With Murder and Scream. He has been married to his college sweetheart, Jenni Gallagher, since 1997. They share daughter Arly and son Finn.
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The Empire Records star played Faye, girlfriend of the band's lead singer. She went on to star in Armageddon, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Incredible Hulk and Ad Astra. The 9-1-1 alum has been engaged to Dave Gardner, with whom she shares son Sailor Gene and daughter Lula Rose, since 2015. Tyler also shares son Milo with ex-fiancé Royston Langdon.
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The Can't Hardly Wait actor starred as T.B. Player, the band's bassist. He's since appeared in First Man, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and Eagle Eye, as well as several hit TV shows, including Grey's Anatomy, Grace and Frankie and The Walking Dead. He shares one child with his ex-wife Amelinda Smith, whom he divorced in 2002. In 2005, he married actress Sunny Mabrey. They divorced in 2012 but later reconciled and remarried in 2015.
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Theron originally wanted to play Tyler's role, but she instead starred as a Tina Powers, who dated Guy. In 2004, she took home an Oscar for her performance in Monster. She's since earned two other nominations for her roles in North Country and Bombshell. The South Africa native is also mom to daughters Jackson and August.
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Schaech starred as James "Jimmy" Mattingly II, the band's lead singer. His screen credits include Prom Night, The Night Clerk, Sleepy Hollow, Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman. He has been married to Julie Solomon since 2013. They share son Camden and daughter Lillian. He was previously wed to Christina Applegate from 2001 to 2007. Schaech was also briefly married to Jana Kramer in 2010.
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Zahn played Leonard "Lenny" Haise, the band's guitarist. He has since appeared in Out of Sight, You've Got Mail, Joy Ride and Tall Girl. In 2021, he garnered critical acclaim for his performance in the HBO series The White Lotus. He has been married to Robyn Peterman since 1994. The duo share son Henry and daughter Audrey.
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The Lost Highway star appeared as Chad, the band's original drummer. He went on to star in films including The Mod Squad, The Virgin Suicides, Saving Private Ryan, Cold Mountain, Lost in Translation and The Bad Batch. He and his girlfriend, Emily Ward, welcomed twins in December 2018.
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