Whatever Happened to Oliver James, the 2000s Teen Heartthrob From ‘What a Girl Wants’ and ‘Raise Your Voice’?
In the early 2000s, when a coming-of-age movie needed a male romantic lead, Oliver James was one of the names at the top of Hollywood's list.
As the star of fan-favorite teen flicks such as What a Girl Wants and Raise Your Voice, the British actor stole our collective hearts as he romanced the likes of Amanda Bynes' Daphne Reynolds and Hilary Duff's Terri Fletcher, thanks to his guitar-driven serenades, irresistible accent and slightly edgy Y2K style. (Ian Wallace and Jay Corgan 4ever!)
Now that it's been more than 15 years since he graced the big screen, you may be wondering what James — who now goes by his full name, Oliver James Huston — is up to these days. First of all, here's what he looks like now, according to this selfie from 2016:
Though he's living a fairly low-key existence according to our online sleuthing, we've rounded up three things you need to know about the British singer-actor's life today.
Check out three things you need to know about Oliver James, below!
His Acting Career Eventually Petered Out
After training at Guilford School of Acting, James got his big break in What a Girl Wants, which happened to be the very first film role of his career. ("It's been the best thing that's ever happened to me," he said of landing the movie in a 2003 interview.) After the success of that movie and Raise Your Voice, the actor transitioned to TV roles, appearing in the BBC crime drama The Innocence Project and a number of TV movies. His most recent role was in two episodes of the little-known 2012 docu-series Dark Matters: Twisted But True.
He Kept Pursuing Music
Former 2000s kids may best remember the spiky-haired star serenading his co-stars with swoon-worthy ballads such as "Greatest Story Ever Told" and "You and Me." According to his YouTube channel, the Brit continued to make music for several years after his teen movie heyday, performing live acoustic originals including "Never Look Back" and "Slow Down Girl." However, he hasn't uploaded a new song since 2013... Maybe he got tired of raising his voice?
He's Very Spiritual and Philosophical on Twitter
The one-time heartthrob often uses his social media to share his spiritual musings on mindfulness, peace and old-fashioned conventional wisdom. "Way finder. consciousness enquirer. truth seeker. esoteric. herbivore. non judgement. compassion. freedom. love," reads his Twitter bio. A sampling of Hutson's most recent thoughts on the platform? "Fear is the most abundant commodity on this planet," as well as the exhortation to his more than 11,000 followers to "move from a place of stillness."