It's already well-known to the fans that 13 Reasons Why follows several storylines, all of which center around a group of teenagers who deal with mental health and social problems in a distressing high-school environment. Considering that, it's not surprising that these high-school characters are portrayed by young actors who just started to gain attention in show business thanks to the show launching their careers.
And while the main cast of the show consists of predominantly rising young stars, there are many household names among the supporting characters who are recognizable from other beloved TV shows such as Supernatural and Grey's Anatomy. Besides, the youngsters are successively rising to their level by being increasingly involved with big projects – some of them that are listed below.
Katherine Langford (Hannah Baker): Cursed
Although Hannah Baker has been Langford's breakout role that gained her the Golden Globe Award nomination, this Australian actress is becoming even more popular thanks to another Netflix television series, Cursed. The show is inspired by the Arthurian legends and Langford portrays sorceress Nimue who is assigned to bring the Sword of Power to Merlin.
In addition, she also got another lead role as Mara in a coming-of-age movie Spontaneous and appeared in an award-winning mystery movie Knives Out as well as a romantic comedy Love, Simon.
Kate Walsh (Olivia Baker): Private Practice
Before she played Hannah's mother Olivia, Kate Walsh was most recognizable (and probably still is) as Dr. Addison Montgomery of Grey's Anatomy and its spin-off series Private Practice. In the latter case, Walsh got a lead role as this neonatal surgeon who helps her pregnant patients while trying to pursue motherhood herself.
Plus, the sitcom Bad Judge centers around her main character Rebecca Wright – unfortunately, it was canceled after just one season. After all, she most recently portrayed The Handler in The Umbrella Academy.
Dylan Minnette (Clay Jensen): Don't Breathe
Until he portrayed 13 Reasons Why's gloomy protagonist Clay Jensen, this young American actor and musician played guest-starring roles in various acclaimed TV shows like Prison Break, Scandal, and Lost.
But, when it comes to his movie role preferences, it seems he's most involved in the horror genre. To be more precise, Minnette starred in the tense atmospheric movie Don't Breathe as Alex – one of the thieves who end up in a blind man's house in an attempt to steal his money. Besides, he's set to star in the upcoming fifth segment of the Scream franchise, which should be released in 2022.
Amy Hargreaves (Lainie Jensen): Homeland
Fans of the show mostly know her as Clay's protective mother Lainie, but Amy Hargreaves played many interesting movie and television characters before she appeared in the 13 Reasons Why. For example, in 2011 she began embodying the recurring role of Maggie Mathison on Homeland – a medical doctor who secretly provides her bipolar sister Carrie with drugs.
Hargreaves also starred in Law & Order franchise, as well as in the crime drama series Blindspot and Power.
Alisha Boe (Jessica Davis): Poms
She started her acting career in horror movies Amusement (as Lisa Swan) and Paranormal Activity 4. But, later, we saw her appear more frequently in TV shows like Teen Wolf, soap opera Days of Our Lives (in the role of Daphne), and Modern Family's fifth season.
Recently, she's been starring in movies such as Yes, God, Yes, and 68 Kill, both of which received great reviews. Moreover, in the comedy Poms, Boe plays a character similar to her breakthrough role as cheerleader Jessica Davis. More precisely, she recurred as Chloe, a young cheer captain who helps a group of ladies in retirement to form their own cheerleading squad.
Ross Butler (Zach Dempsey): Riverdale
Although he appeared only in the first season of the teen drama Riverdale because of his obligation to 13 Reasons Why, Ross Butler is still often recognized by his role of Reggie Mantle, a captain of the football team Riverdale Bulldogs.
Yet, his more significant roles include Brett Willis on Disney's K.C. Undercover and Trevor in To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You. With that in mind, it can be noticed that Butler avoids cast as stereotypically Asian "nerdy" characters, which means he usually portrays jocks. Additionally, he played the adult (superhero) version of Eugene in Shazam! where he truly enjoyed being "(one of?) the first on-screen male Asian superhero in film."
Brandon Flynn (Justin Foley): Ratched
2020 was a big year for Brandon Flynn; he retired the role of Justin Foley and move on the new projects, which includes the lead role as Max in an indie movie Looks That Kill and playing unbalanced young Henry Osgood in Ratched. There he got an opportunity for starring alongside Sharon Stone who plays his mother Lenore.
He appeared in a crime television series True Detective, too, but Flynn's first screen role was as Mike the intern on BrainDead.
Miles Heizer (Alex Standall): Parenthood
Heizer's acting career began in 2005 with his debut in CSI: Miami episode "Nothing to Lose." After that, he was already appearing in prominent shows such as Bones, Private Practice, and (for several episodes) ER. Since 2010, Heizer was cast as introvert boy Drew Holt – who is now surely one of his most recognizable characters – on the NBC comedy-drama show Parenthood.
Also, he co-starred in the musical drama Rudderless as Josh, but his latest appearance on the big screen was in the 2018 movie Love, Simon, where he portrayed Cal Price.
Mark Pellegrino (Bill Standall): Supernatural
This American actor has been in the industry for three decades, which means a lot of notable TV and movie roles. However, younger generations certainly remember him from the fantasy television series Supernatural; he performed as Lucifer for a total of 38 episodes.
All in all, Pellegrino has proved himself a dedicated actor, which can be recognized in other cases, too. He played Jacob in Lost, Paul Bennett in Dexter, and Clayton Haas in Quantico. Ultimately, in a cult movie The Big Lebowski, he portrayed the "Blond Treehorn Thug."
Derek Luke (Kevin Porter): The Purge
Every fan of The Purge will instantly recognize Derek Luke as the show's season 2 main character Marcus Moore, who tries to survive in a dystopian American society that legalizes crime for a single day every year. On the other side, MCU fans might find Luke's face familiar from Captain America: The First Avenger where he portrayed Gabe Jones – a member of the elite combat unit Howling Commandos.
Still, his biggest appearance was in a biographical movie Antwone Fisher. He played the lead role for which he won the Black Reel Award for the Best Breakthrough Performance.