It's Been 15 Years Since "American Gangster" Was Released — Here's Where The Cast Is Now

Spoiler alert: Denzel Washington is still killing it.

How has it been a whole 15 years since American Gangster was first released?

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Let's recap and remind ourselves what the film was about, shall we? The movie is directed by Ridley Scott, and is inspired by the criminal career of drug lord Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina, who smuggled heroin into the US on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War. That is, before being caught and detained by detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe).

Now, in honor of the film's anniversary, let's take a look at the cast then vs. now and see what else they have been up to...

Here's Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas:

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Denzel Washington starred in American Gangster at 53 years old. He played the leading drug lord, Frank Lucas, and did so with the highest combination of charm and danger. Oh, and not forgetting, a hefty dose of violence.

And here's Denzel in 2022:

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Since the film, Washington is still killing it with his acting career, having starred in the post-apocalyptic drama The Book of Eli, The Equalizer action series, and more recently as a sheriff in the thrilling The Little Things. 

Washington is now 67 years old, and I'm certainly hoping he won't be retiring from the big screen anytime soon. Though it's always nice to know that his acting legacy will carry on thanks to his talented son, John David Washington, who has been making his own name for himself over the years!

This is Russell Crowe as Richie Roberts:

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Russell Crowe was 43 when the film was released, and his performance as detective Richie Roberts was praised for contributing enormously to the storytelling of the film. My favorite scene of his has to be the final shootout. ... Crowe is covered in beads of sweat, and you get a real feel for the tension and danger his character is in, but he still comes through!

And here he is a whole 15 years later:

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Now 58 years old, Crowe has a lot more films under his belt. He's starred opposite Ryan Gosling in the rather funny crime comedy The Nice Guys, he put on his singing cap in Les Misérables, and he's played a terrifying man in the road-rage driven revenge flick Unhinged.

Josh Brolin played Detective Trupo:

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Josh Brolin was 39 at the time of American Gangster, and you may remember him as the corrupt NYPD detective Nick Trupo who accepts bribes from Frank. Sadly for him, Trupo is another character that has an unfavorable ending.

And now he's rocking a gray beard:

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At 54, the actor certainly has a fresh look with his gray beard! Brolin has still been pretty active over the years, though, having starred in a ton of hit films...from playing the absolute unit that is Thanos in the Marvel films, to portraying Cable in Deadpool 2, and as Gurney Halleck in Dune. 

Here is Chiwetel Ejiofor as Huey Lucas:

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Chiwetel Ejiofor was just 30 years old when he portrayed Huey Lucas in the movie. Huey was Frank's brother, a younger and impressionable figure who even got arrested, no thanks to Frank.

Now, Chiwetel Ejiofor looks like this:

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The actor is now 45, and you'll probably all know him most from his portrayal as Solomon Northup in the heartbreaking true story that is 12 Years a Slave. Chiwetel was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance, and has continued his acting career with a diverse portfolio. The actor has played the voice of Scar in The Lion King reboot and did a mighty fine job doing so, plus he's also starred in the Doctor Strange series as Mordo.

And here's Lymari Nadal as Eva:

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Looking back at American Gangster, it's no surprise to find out that Lymari Nadal was just 29 years old when she portrayed Frank's wife, Eva. Her character is a Puerto Rican beauty queen with whom Frank falls in love with.

Lymari Nadal went on to do a handful of other movie roles and adverts:

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Now 44 years old, Lymari has only appeared in a handful of acting roles since American Gangster was released, but her acting portfolio seems to have come to an end in 2016. Since then, it looks like Lymari moved to Oklahoma and was supporting charity work, including leading an initiative to recruit more bilingual teachers, and petitioning for Puerto Rico to have more support from the US.

This is Armand Assante as Dominic Cattano:

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Armand Assante was 58 when he starred as Dominic Cattano in American Gangster. Cattano was high in the ranks of an Italian crime family, and pressured Frank into working with him in the drug trade.

And here's Armand lately:

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Now 73 years old, Armand has a whole host of movie and TV appearances under his belt. He's been in an English Italian horror movie called Smile, action crime thriller The Brave, and plenty more. Armand also launched his own cigar company in 2013 but struggled with distribution challenges, but has recently gotten more involved with the market again with hopes of bringing his own brand of cigars to the world one day.

Tip Harris, aka T.I., played Stevie Lucas:

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Tip Harris, or better known now as T.I., starred in American Gangster when he was just 27 years old. Tip played Frank's nephew, Stevie Lucas, and perhaps his most poignant moment was when he was talking to his uncle, offering up the memorable line of "I want what you got Uncle Frank. I wanna be you." 

Well, this scene is definitely memorable to me because I remember hearing it for the first time and thinking, "No you don't, Stevie, you really don't!"

And look at him 15 years later:

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T.I. is now 42 years old, and it's fair to say he's a jack of all trades, thanks to his skills as a rapper, record executive, and actor. American Gangster was one of his first acting opportunities, and he has continued to make his mark in the industry, having starred in the first two Ant-Man marvel movies, the Roots TV miniseries, and more recently, Monster Hunter.

T.I. has never slowed down with his music career, though, and in 2020, he released his 11th studio album entitled The L.I.B.R.A. That said, in 2021, T.I. announced he will be releasing his final album called Kill the King, which is currently in the works, and this came alongside personal allegations against him and his wife for sexual assault from former acquaintance Sabrina Peterson.

Idris Elba starred as Tango:

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Idris Elba was 35 when American Gangster first hit our screens. The actor played a drug dealer who came to blows with Frank Lucas, unfortunately for him.

Fun fact: Director Ridley Scott recently came out to share the story of how Idris genuinely believed he had been shot during the filming of the movie. Ridley explained how he asked Idris to lean against the gun when it was aimed at his head, because it was a solid barrel gun with no aperture. Idris followed the instructions, and when the trigger was pulled, it went bang, and Idris dropped to the sidewalk and said, "I've been shot." Poor guy must have had a shock!

The actor is still going:

Karwai Tang / Via WireImage

15 years later, and Idris has reached the big 5-0, whilst seemingly not looking a day older in his life! The actor has excelled in his career, starring as the lead in the popular TV show Luther, along with his portrayal of Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and in the rebooted The Suicide Squad. 

Idris has also been performing DJ sets at festivals over the years, as well as featuring on some British rap songs (shoutout to Wiley's "Boasty"). It's no surprise then that his love for music has led him to reveal this year that he's planning on leaning away from acting to focus more on music in the future.

RZA took on the role of Moses Jones:

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Robert Fitzgerald Diggs aka RZA featured in American Gangster as Moses Jones, a police officer working with Detective Richie Roberts on the case of drug lord Frank Lucas. RZA was 38 at the time of the film's release.

Here he is performing in 2022:

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Now 53 years old, RZA has continued to star in movies alongside his music producer and rapper roles. RZA has appeared in action crime thriller Brick Mansions, zombie comedy The Dead Don't Die, and Nobody opposite Bob Odenkirk.

On the music front, RZA is still releasing records, having put the 2015 Wu-Tang Clan album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin up for auction, and releasing Bobby Digital and the Pit of Snakes under his solo pseudonym. 

Here's Cuba Gooding Jr. as Nicky Barnes:

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Cuba Gooding Jr. took on the role of crime lord Nicky Barnes in American Gangster at 39 years old. Barnes is a competing local gangster and another obstacle that Frank Lucas comes to odds with.

And here's what has been happening with Cuba Gooding Jr. as of late:

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Well, this is not so much a nice update for Cuba Gooding Jr. Now 54 years old, the actor has spent the last three years battling a "forcible touching" case in which he has recently offered a guilty plea to a lesser charge. This comes amongst various other allegations of inappropriate behavior against him.

Prior to this, Cuba saw great success from his portrayal as O.J. Simpson in American Crime Story.

This is Common as Turner Lucas:

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Common took on the role of Turner Lucas when he was 35 years old. He plays another one of Frank's brothers who gets involved in Frank's criminal empire. 

And here is Common lately:

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When Common starred in American Gangster, he was still relatively new to acting having only appeared in a few smaller projects beforehand, but was known on the music scene after gaining recognition for his 1994 album Resurrection. 

Now at 50 years old, Common has continued to take on acting roles, as well as the continued creation of his music. Common played the rival assassin Cassian in John Wick: Chapter 2, and in 2018, he formed the part jazz part hip-hop supergroup August Greene.

And finally, here's Ted Levine as Lou Toback:

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Ted Levine was 50 years old when he played Lou Toback, the Newark police captain who assigned Richie Roberts with the daunting task of leading the department's drug task force.

And here he is just last year:

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At 65, the actor has steadily continued to hold up his name ever since his terrifying performance as Buffalo Bill back in the 1991 thriller The Silence of the Lambs. Over the years since American Gangster, the actor has been involved in a whole host of major film and TV shows, from Shutter Island, to The Bridge TV series, Jurassic World, and most recently, Big Sky.

Are you surprised with what some of the cast have gone on to do?! Tell us in the comments!