Mae Whitman was seemingly born to play the “cute little girl” in so many classic 1990s movies, including One Fine Day, Hope Floats, When a Man Loves a Woman, and Independence Day. She also made memorable guest appearances in an episode of Friends as the scout Ross has to sell cookies for, and on the television series JAG and Chicago Hope. Whitman told People in 2017 that her family made it easy for her to grow up in Hollywood, saying, “My parents did such a good job over the years of never making this bigger than what was going to make me feel good and where my heart was. If I wanted to go on a field trip instead of doing a movie, [they] were supportive. They would be like, ‘Don’t do it! Do your field trip, whatever you want.'"
Whitman is all grown up now and still doing what she wants. Read on to learn what the former child star is up to now.
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She continued acting into adulthood.
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesAlthough she might be best remembered as the cute kid from some of the best '90s rom-coms, Whitman went on to star in a number of major projects. She voiced Little Suzy on the animated series Johnny Bravo, along with various characters on Family Guy, and played George Michael's sometimes-girlfriend Ann Veal on Arrested Development. Notable movie roles in the 2000s and '10s include Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The DUFF, and Duck Butter.
From 2010 to 2015, Whitman played Amber on the series adaptation of Parenthood. And she's continued to do voicework in shows including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, American Dad, Dragons: Race to the Edge, and DC Super Hero Girls, as well as video games.
The actor's most recent major live-action role was playing Annie in the crime drama Good Girls, alongside Christina Hendricks and Retta. Since the series was canceled in 2021, Whitman has been cast in Up Here, a musical rom-com series set to air on Hulu.
She came out as pansexual.
Gregg DeGuire/WireImageIn addition to all of those other roles, Whitman also voices Amnity on Disney Channel’s The Owl House, an animated series with several LGBTQIA+ characters, including Whitman's. Playing Amity Blight inspired the actor to come out as pansexual in 2021. Whitman tweeted, “Just taking a moment to say I am SO proud to be even a small part of a show like The Owl House. Being pansexual myself, I wish I had such incredible characters like Amity and Luz in my life when I was growing up.” She added, “I know ppl might be unfamiliar with what pansexual means; for me it means I know I can fall in love with people of all genders. This is the word that fits me best and I’m proud+happy to be part of the Bi+ community.”
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She’s also recorded music.
Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesAlthough most likely know Whitman best for her acting and voice roles, she’s also a recording artist and has played musical roles. She recorded “I Heard Bells On Christmas Day” and “You Make Christmas Feel Good,” for School’s Out! Christmas. She was also featured on the song “Gardenia” on Parenthood in Season 2 and has appeared in two Tegan and Sara videos: “I Was A Fool” and “Boyfriend.”
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She’s never considered another job.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Los Angeles Confidential MagazineWhitman has been working in the entertainment business since her first commercial at two years old. And, although it might not have been her idea to get started, she’s never considered pursuing anything else but acting. Well, at least not seriously. She told HuffPost in 2012, “For me, there's always things where I think, "Ooh. That'll be fun! Ooh, maybe I want to be a museum tour guide. Ooh, maybe I want to work at the zoo. Maybe I want to be a lifeguard." There are all sorts of little things that pop up to me because I love life so much and I want to try everything. But then I think, 'Well, that's why I'm an actor.' Because I get to be a bajillion different people in my lifetime and have a little small taste of what all these different lives would be like. And that to me is just sort of the ultimate gift—to explore everyone's life and bring my own understanding to all these different people's struggles. Hopefully, that'll connect with maybe one other person in the world and I feel like that would be the best thing ever.”
