Empire Records is a classic coming-of-age comedy-drama from the '90s with a cast of actors who were relatively unknown in 1995 but went on to have successful and prolific careers in Hollywood. Directed by Allan Moyle (Pump Up the Volume), Empire Records depicts just two days at an independent record store and follows the complicated relationships of the young employees. The store is up to be sold to a large national chain, but the store’s manager plans to buy out the owner. A gambling problem, a washed-up singer, and a disgruntled customer combine to make what could be the final day of the store a very interesting one.
The movie was a commercial and critical flop. It only earned $273,000 at the box office (via Empire Records' memorable quotes and nostalgia. The soundtrack is filled with songs from 90s bands like Gin Blossoms and The Cranberries. Empire Records’ final reason for cult status is its stacked cast of stars whose careers afterward were almost universally exceptional.
Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony LaPaglia plays store manager Joe Reaves in Empire Records. Joe is the most responsible of all the young people working at the store and actively fights the mega-chain purchase. After being cast in Empire Records, LaPaglia had a successful career in movies and television. Not only did LaPaglia star as Jack Malone in Without a Trace, a role that earned him a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Series, but he also earned an Emmy win for Outstanding Guest Actor for his appearance on Frasier. LaPaglia has since entered the franchise movie world, appearing in The Conjuring Universe where he stars in Annabelle: Creation as Samuel Mullins.
Rory Cochrane
The cause of most of the trouble in Empire Records is Lucas, an employee with more heart than brains who loses the stores remaining $9000 at a casino when he tries to raise enough to stop the mega-store purchase. Lucas is played by Rory Cochrane who starred in another coming-of-age comedy-drama two years previous when he played Ron Slater in Dazed in Confused. After ing the cast of Empire Records, Cochrane became a series regular in CSI: Miami as Tim Speedle - who was eventually killed off. He also appears in Argo, Antlers, and Hostiles in police and uniformed roles, a far cry from his slacker archetype in Empire Records.
Johnny Whitworth
Empire Records’ romantic sub-plot involves A.J., a shy but kind record store employee, played by Johnny Whitworth. A.J. pines after Corey Mason (Liv Tyler) and his expression of love is at first rebuffed before finally being accepted in the end. Whitworth has appeared in numerous movies and TV roles after ing the Empire Records cast. He played a recurring character on the CW show, The 100, and also appears in multiple episodes of CSI: Miami and Colony. In moives, Whitworth has been cast in The Rainmaker, Limitless, and as the primary antagonist Blackout in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.
Ethan Embry
Ethan Embry is credited as Ethan Randall in Empire Records where he is cast as Mark, one of the employees of the store. Mark takes a backseat to most of the action but has the “lightbulb” moment at the end of the movie about how to raise money for the store with the TV cameras present. Embry has had a long career in TV and movies since and has appeared in multiple one-episode roles in The Walking Dead, Gotham Knights, and Once Upon a Time (where he has a recurring role as antagonist Greg Mendell). He also appears in notable movies like That Thing You Do, Sweet Home Alabama, and Can’t Hardly Wait.
Liv Tyler
Liv Tyler is ed the cast of Empire Records as Corey Mason, the other character involved in the love romantic subplot. Corey is the overachieving type who, at first, spurns A.J. but eventually its her love. Tyler has appeared in a variety of films including Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings as Arwen, the terrifying The Strangers, and the mind-bending Ad Astra. She also played Betty Ross in The Incredible Hulk and Meg Abbot in The Leftovers, giving one of the most intense performances of her career. She's a talented performer in her own right.
Renée Zellweger
Gina is the uninhibited opposite of the straight-laced Corey, but the pair are still strong friends despite their differences. Renée Zellweger is cast in Empire Records as Gina and it was a very early role in what would become one of the most decorated careers for an actress. Zellweger has been nominated several times for an Oscar, winning Best ing Actress for Cold Mountain and Best Actress for Judy. She also has four Golden Globe nominations as well as four SAG award wins. Her filmography includes such celebrated movies as Jerry Maguire (where she played Dorothy Boyd), Chicago (Roxie Hart), and Bridget Jones's Diary (Bridget Jones).
Robin Tunney
Debra is one of the more complicated characters in Empire Records. Robin Tunney is cast as the hostile and rude record store employee who recently survived an attempt on her own life. The first thing Deb does when she arrives in the store is shave her own head as a sort of protest. After ing the cast of Empire Records, Tunney continued appearing in smaller films including Niagra, Niagra, The Craft, and Supernova. Her biggest role came in television. Tunney appears as a main cast member in the first two seasons of Prison Break as Veronica Donovan and was the second lead of The Mentalist as Teresa Lisbon, Patrick Jane’s foil.
Maxwell Caulfield
Maxwell Caulfield ed the cast of Empire Records as Rex Manning. Rex is a former pop idol from the 1980s whose only fans are older women and Corey. He proves himself to be a creep when Corey approaches him and is eventually forced out of the store by the employees. Caulfield is a British stage, film, television, and voice actor who has appeared in dozens of stage and screen productions. His most notable roles post-Empire Records have mainly come on television in American Horror Story: Double Feature and Pam & Tommy as the real-life character, Bob Guccione.
Debi Mazar
Rex’s long-suffering assistant in Empire Records, Jane, is played by Debi Mazar. Jane is pushed around by Rex until she ditches him to the store employees. Mazar is a prolific television and movie actor but is better known for her TV castings. She has appeared on Friends, 7th Heaven, Ugly Betty, Burn Notice, and At Home with Amy Sedaris. Her most notable role is as Shauna Roberts, Vincent Chase's publicist, in Entourage.
Brendan Sexton
Brendan Sexton is cast as “Warren Beatty”, the pseudonym of a disgruntled teen who is apprehended for trying to steal records. He returns in the finale of Empire Records to threaten the employees but is offered a job instead. Sexton has worked in numerous film and television roles since 1995, and even though they are often smaller parts, he has multiple projects coming out yearly. He has appeared in Black Hawk Down, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, and Don’t Breathe 2 as the primary antagonist, Raylan. He also is a recurring cast member on the Netflix series, Russian Doll, as Horse.
