Which actors took part in the Fast Times At Ridgemont High table read? Coming-of-age comedy Fast Times At Ridgemont High was the 1982 directorial debut of Clueless helmer Amy Heckerling and featured a screenplay penned by future Oscar winner Cameron Crowe, adapted from his non-fiction book of the same name. Set in suburban southern California, the movie chronicles a year in the lives of a group of students at the titular Ridgemont High as they navigate the highs and lows of growing up.
The movie is a snapshot of the early 1980s, from its abundance of Pat Benatar lookalikes and depiction of mall culture to the Fast Times At Ridgemont High soundtrack, which boasts tons of classic songs from the era including Oingo Boingo’s “Goodbye, Goodbye” and “Waffle Stomp” by Joe Walsh. The film helped kickstart the careers of some of the biggest stars of the 1980s too, including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates, Sean Penn and Judge Reinhold alongside providing early bit parts for Nicolas Cage, Forest Whitaker and Anthony Edwards.
The nostalgia for Fast Times At Ridgemont High is still strong today. In September 2020 a whole host of actors took part in a remote table reading of the movie that was broadcast on Facebook Live and TikTok. The charity table read was organized by actor and comedian Dane Cook to benefit non-profit CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) – which was co-founded by Fast Times At Ridgemont High star Sean Penn – and its COVID-19 work alongside the criminal justice reform group REFORM Alliance. But which actors appeared in this star-studded Fast Times At Ridgemont High table read?
Jennifer Aniston read the part of Phoebe Cates’ Fast Times At Ridgemont High character Linda Barrett, while her former husband Brad Pitt read Brad Hamilton, which was originally played by Judge Reinhold. Julia Roberts voiced Jennifer Jason Leigh’s Stacy Hamilton while Matthew McConaughey and Dane Cook read the parts of Stacy’s love interests Mike Damone and Mark Ratner, respectively.
Shia LeBeouf read the part of stoner-surfer Jeff Spicoli and Ray Liotta voiced Spicoli’s nemesis, Ridgemont High history teacher Mr. Hand. Henry Golding took on the role of science teacher Mr. Vargas, while John Legend played high-schooler Charles Jefferson, Forest Whitaker’s original role. Sean Penn - who famously played Spicoli in the 1982 film - was the only original Fast Times At Ridgemont High cast member to return and voiced a pizza delivery guy while Jimmy Kimmel voiced a dozen-or-so lesser characters. Rounding out the cast of the Fast Times At Ridgemont High table read was Morgan Freeman who lent his dulcet tones to the charity project as narrator.