What Happened to Rachael Leigh Cook? Where Actress Is Now

Actress Rachael Leigh Cook got her big break portraying Laney Boggs in 1999’s She’s All That alongside heartthrob Freddie Prinze Jr. Before that, she starred in films like The Baby-Sitters Club and Carpool. In recent years, the former teen icon has experienced a career resurgence. Scroll below for details on what happened to Rachael and where she is now.

What Happened to Rachael Leigh Cook?

She’s All That became a cult favorite in the romantic comedy genre after its release. Two years later, Rachael starred in the musical Josie and the Pussycats, and the romantic thriller Tangled. Over the years, she has been very candid about one role she regretted turning down — Rogue in 2000’s X-Men. Her She’s All That costar Anna Paquin ended up portraying the character in the franchise.

“As soon as I saw the posters for it, I knew that I’d made a mistake,” Rachael explained about her “huge misstep” during an August 2021 interview with The New York Times.

What Happened to Rachael Leigh Cook? Where Actress Is Now — Photo by Moviestore/Shutterstock

In the early 2000s, she shifted her focus to looking for roles in independent films.

“I really thought what everyone told me was correct when they said, ‘What we need to do now is make sure you’re taken seriously,’” she reflected. “I definitely did things for the wrong reasons.”

Rachael appeared in the 2005 miniseries Into the West, the 2007 film Nancy Drew and 2014’s Red Sky and voiced several animated TV and video game characters. The Dawson’s Creek alum had a recurring role in Psych from 2008 to 2010 and was a main cast member in the crime drama Perception from 2012 to 2015.

Where Is Rachael Leigh Cook Now?

In 2004, Rachael married Virgin River actor Daniel Gillies. The Minnesota native and the Vampire Diaries alum share two kids, Charlotte and Theodore. They announced their split in a June 2019 statement on Instagram.

“With deep gratitude for every year we have spent together, and the thousands of beautiful memories shared, we have mutually decided to separate as a couple,” the statement read. “This decision isn’t one we have come to easily or lightly.”

Their divorce was finalized in 2021 and the pair still remain friends who are dedicated to coparenting their kids. She opened her heart to finding love again when she met producer Kevin Mann. They made their relationship Instagram official in July 2021.

Beginning in 2016, Rachael became a popular face on the Hallmark Channel, starring as the lead in several romantic drama films like Summer Love, Frozen in Love and Valentine in the Vineyard. After finding a home on the network, the mom of two joined the cast of He’s All That, the 2021 remake of the film that made her famous.

“I’m not going to lie; it took me a moment to truly decide if I was ready to be actively compared to my much younger self — was this good for my career? My ego?” she admitted during an August 2021 interview with BuzzFeed about hesitancy to join the cast. “But when I took a step back and looked at the big picture, I knew, looking back, I’d much rather be an active participant and supporter of this reimagining than to answer questions for the rest of my life about the remake without having been part of it.”