See ‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ cast 20 years later

Alexis Bledel as Lena Kaligaris

Alexis Bledel starred in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants as Lena, a born romantic and aspiring artist. She reprised the role in the 2008 sequel, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.

Speaking with EW at a cast reunion in 2013, the actress admitted she was put off by the film’s title at first. “Then you read it, and the characters were so well crafted and they seemed like such real people that I think we all ended up giving it a second look because of that,” she said.

In 2005, Bledel’s career was already off to the races due to her turn as Rory Gilmore on Gilmore Girls (2000–2007). She followed her performance in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants with roles in films such as Post Grad (2009), The Conspirator (2010), and Jenny’s Wedding (2015).

She would go on to win an Emmy in 2017 for her work as Emily Malek on Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale (2017–2021).

While shooting her moving arc on the fifth season of Mad Men (2012), Bledel struck up a relationship with Vincent Kartheiser, who played Pete Campbell on the series. The couple married in June 2014, and Bledel gave birth to a son the following year.

In 2022, Bledel and Kartheiser divorced after eight years of marriage.

America Ferrera as Carmen Lowell

America Ferrera played Carmen, a child of divorce who is the most dogged about sustaining the sisterhood’s bond. She reprised the role for The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.

Following The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ferrera landed the lead role in ABC’s Ugly Betty (2006–2010), playing Betty Suarez across four seasons and winning both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her performance.

Ferrera has remained a consistent presence on TV, leading series like DreamWorks Dragons (2012–2018) and Superstore (2015–2021) while guesting on the likes of The Good Wife (2011–2013) and Curb Your Enthusiasm (2017).

On film, she voiced Astrid in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise (2011–2019), and scored an Academy Award nomination for her turn in 2023’s megahit Barbie.

She released a book, American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures, in 2018, the same year she announced her first pregnancy (with the help of her Traveling Pants pals).

“We’ve been a part of each other’s lives in really meaningful ways that go beyond making a movie together,” Ferrera told EW in 2013. “We almost forget that we made a movie together because our friendship was created from so many other experiences. The fact that our friendship started in this beautiful film that was so meaningful to all of us and to our lives and our careers and to our friendship, we are always so grateful for it.”

Blake Lively as Bridget Vreeland

Blake Lively starred in both Sisterhood and its sequel as the impulsive and athletic Bridget.

“I got to that audition and they gave me the lines right there, and it was 10 pages. It was the scene where I opened up for the first time about my mom committing suicide,” Lively revealed to EW in 2013. “So it was very shocking to have that be the audition scene. I did it, and it went really well.”

Since the film’s release, Lively entered a new realm of fame by starring as Serena van der Woodsen on Gossip Girl (2007–2012) and highlighting her range in projects as diverse as rom-com New York, I Love You (2008), Boston crime drama The Town (2010), and survival horror thriller The Shallows (2015).

Over the last decade, Lively’s star power has grown with roles in A Simple Favor (2018) and its 2025 sequel, as well as with her close association with pop icon Taylor Swift. Lively directed Swift’s 2021 music video, “I Bet You Think About Me,” and the singer is the godmother to Lively’s three daughters, whom Lively shares with her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds. They also have a son.

In 2024, Lively found herself in a messy, highly publicized legal battle that stemmed from her work on It Ends With Us, in which she starred and served as an executive producer. Lively alleges that Justin Baldoni, the film’s director and her costar, sexually harassed her and launched a smear campaign against her. Baldoni countersued for extortion, defamation, and breach of contract, though that suit has since been thrown out.

Amidst the legal drama, Ferrera, Tamblyn, and Bledel shared a joint statement in support of Lively. “As Blake’s friends and sisters for over twenty years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,” it reads.

Amber Tamblyn as Tibby Tomko-Rollins

Amber Tamblyn starred as Tibby, who, with her green-streaked hair and resentful attitude, is among the more rebellious girls in the sisterhood. She reprised the role in the 2008 sequel.

“[America and I] were the first ones cast, I believe. I remember it like it was yesterday, truly, meeting America for the first time,” Tamblyn told EW in 2013. “I met her at the auditions for Blake’s role. I came in and there was a green room and there was this table where we were just waiting, and we met and talked and got to know each other and were like, ‘Okay, we’re doing this movie together.'”

Tamblyn, the daughter of West Side Story and Twin Peaks actor Russ Tamblyn, was already a seasoned actress by the time of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, having starred on General Hospital (1995–2001) and Joan of Arcadia (2003–2005) as a child.

Her post-Sisterhood career has featured roles in horror flicks (The Grudge 2), cringe comedies (The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret), medical dramas (House), and sitcoms (Two and a Half Men). She’s also worked with many iconic filmmakers, including Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained), Danny Boyle (127 Hours), and Nicole Holofcener (You Hurt My Feelings).

Over the past decade, Tamblyn has drawn on her childhood in Hollywood to offer a vital perspective in the #MeToo era as a writer, cultural critic, and co-founder of Time’s Up, a non-profit that worked to financially support victims of sexual harassment. 

She’s been married to actor, comedian, and writer David Cross since 2012. In 2017, the couple welcomed a daughter.

Bradley Whitford as Al Lowell

Bradley Whitford costarred in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants as Al Lowell, Carmen’s father.

Few in Hollywood can play a weasel like Whitford, who’s portrayed despicable characters in everything from Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (1987) and Billy Madison (1995) to Jordan Peele’s horror hit Get Out (2017), in which his character offered one of our most enduring memes by declaring he “would have voted for Obama for a third term” if he could.

Of course, Whitford is likely best known as Josh Lyman on NBC’s The West Wing (1999–2006), a role that nabbed him an Emmy in 2001. He would go on to win two more Emmys for his turns on Transparent (2014–2019) and The Handmaid’s Tale(2018–2025).

Whitford remains prolific to this day, having recently recurred on series like Parish (2024), The Madness (2024), and The Diplomat (2025).

Nancy Travis as Lydia Rodman

Nancy Travis appeared in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants as Lydia, Carmen’s not-so-nice stepmother.

Travis initially found fame in big-screen pics like Three Men and a Baby (1987), Air America (1990), and So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993). But she’s spent most of the last two decades on TV, with leading roles on The Bill Engvall Show (2007–2009) and Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing (2011–2021), the latter of which she starred on for 194 episodes.

In recent years, she starred on Hallmark Channel’s Ride (2023) and reunited with Allen on his latest series, Shifting Gears (2025).

Speaking with PEOPLE in February 2025, Travis recalled her experience on Sisterhood as a “warm one.” She added, “It really is great to be able to say that because we are in a business that has a dark side. It’s good to be able to have more [good] experiences.”

Rachel Ticotin as Christina

Playing Carmen’s real mother in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and its sequel was Rachel Ticotin, a veteran of beloved ’80s and ’90s films like Total Recall(1990), Falling Down (1993), and Con Air (1997).

The same year she starred in Sisterhood, Ticotin appeared in the hotly anticipated second season of ABC’s Lost (2005–2006).

Later, she’d take on a lead role as Lieutenant Arleen Gonzalez on Law & Order: LA (2010–2011), and guest on some of TV’s most popular shows, including Blue Bloods (2013), Homeland (2017), Grey’s Anatomy (2018), and NCIS (2023).

Jenna Boyd as Bailey Graffman

Jenna Boyd was just 12 years old when Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants hit theaters, but she delivered a memorable turn as Bailey, a child with leukemia who forms a bond with Tibby.

Following the film’s 2005 release, Boyd spoke with the Washington Post about how she prepared for Bailey’s tear-filled centerpiece. “I have to focus the whole day. I can’t talk to anyone. I have to focus about being sad. I have to understand what [the character] is going through,” she said. “That will make me cry and feel what they are feeling. [Bailey] is just so afraid of not getting to know people. I sort of thought, I have my little dog and my mom, and I imagined looking at my dog for the last time.”

Boyd has continued to act in the years since, appearing on series like Ghost Whisperer (2007), Criminal Minds (2008), and Netflix’s Atypical (2017–2021), in which she played Paige, the girlfriend of protagonist Sam.

The actress made headlines in 2020 after posting a TikTok about the “hate” she receives for being a “gun owner” and a “Christian.”

She said, “People say all kinds of things like, ‘How do you sleep at night?’ And, y’all, all I can tell you… if you really you want to know, it’s after I’ve said my prayers with some bomb night cream on my face and with a loaded .38 Special underneath my bed.”

In 2022, she appeared opposite Machine Gun Kelly, Megan Fox, and Dove Cameron in Good Mourning, a stoner comedy co-directed by Kelly and musician Mod Sun.

Mike Vogel as Eric Richman

As Eric Richman, Mike Vogel made quite an impression as the soccer coach who takes Bridget’s virginity in Sisterhood.

Following his turn in the film, Vogel went on to star in a diverse range of projects, from found-footage blockbuster Cloverfield (2008) and horror remake Fantasy Island (2020) to awards favorites like Blue Valentine (2010) and The Help (2011).

You may also recognize him for his work on TV, as he’s led series such as the Stephen King adaptation Under the Dome (2013–2015), NBC’s The Brave (2017–2018), and Netflix’s Sex/Life (2021–2023).

Kyle Schmid as Paul Rodman

Kyle Schmid costarred in Sisterhood as Paul, Carmen’s stepbrother.

These days, Schmid leads NCIS: Origins (2024–present) as a young Mike Franks, a pivotal figure in the life of the franchise’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

The actor has also appeared on network hits like Big Sky (2021) and The Rookie (2023), as well as the Lifetime film Yoga Teacher Killer: The Kaitlin Armstrong Story (2024).

Michael Rady as Kostas Dounas

In his acting debut, Michael Rady made Sisterhood fans swoon as Kostas, the local hunk who captures Lena’s heart in Greece before reuniting with her in the sequel.

Rady’s carved out a steady career in TV since then, with recurring roles on Greek (2008–2009) and Melrose Place (2009–2010) that gave way to leading turns on Emily Owens M.D. (2012–2013) and UnREAL (2016).

After several years starring in Hallmark fare like Christmas at Pemberley Manor (2018) and You’re Bacon Me Crazy (2020), Rady returned to network TV with gigs on popular series like Chicago Med (2021–2022) and Magnum P.I. (2023).

In a 2017 interview, Rady was enthusiastic about returning to the Sisterhood franchise for a potential third film. “I’m looking forward to the day my phone rings with that phone call,” he said. “I would be pleased and proud to be a part of it. I feel so lucky and proud to be in those movies.”