Coyote Ugly cast: Where are they now?

The 2000 cult classic included such names as Piper Perabo, Maria Bello, and Tyra Banks. Find out what the cast is up to now.

01 of 09

Catching up with the coyotes

COYOTE UGLY, Tyra Banks, Piper Perabo, Maria Bello, Bridget Moynahan, Izabella Miko, 2000. (c) Buena
Everett Collection

It's been decades since we stepped inside the walls of the Coyote Ugly Saloon and met the likes of Lil (Maria Bello), Cammie (Izabella Miko), Zoe (Tyra Banks), and Rachel (Bridget Moynahan). Violet (Piper Perabo) sets out for New York City with dreams of becoming a songwriter, but finds herself sidetracked by her "day job" as a bartender at the titular Coyote Ugly, based on the popular real-life chain of bars. Our leading lady gets her happy ending, but as for that cast...all these years later, where are they now?

02 of 09

Piper Perabo (Violet Sanford)

Coyote-Ugly-Piper-Perabo
Everett Collection; Mireya Acierto/Getty Images

Perabo scored a major breakout role as Violet Sanford, a Jersey girl who dreams of making it big in New York. The actress went on to a steady stream of movie roles, including memorable parts in The Prestige (2006) and Looper (2012).

One of her biggest hits came in 2010 with her Golden Globe-nominated role on USA's Covert Affairs, starring as CIA operative Annie Walker for five seasons. Perabo has had other TV stints on Notorious, The Big Leap, Yellowstone, and Billions.

03 of 09

Adam Garcia (Kevin O'Donnell)

Coyote-Ugly-Adam-Garcia
Everett Collection; Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images

Australian actor Adam Garcia made his U.S. film debut as Violet's love interest Kevin, who helps her overcome her stage fright. Garcia went on to feature in several other early-2000s films, including 2001's Riding in Cars With Boys (opposite Drew Barrymore).

Most notably, he helped create the role of Fiyero in workshop productions of Wicked and went on to portray him in the West End production. He stayed attached to his theatrical roots, primarily working on the British stage. Garcia earned a 2012 Olivier nomination for his portrayal of Bill Calhoun/Lucentia in the Old Vic production of Kiss Me, Kate; he has also performed in The Winter's Tale (2015), Singin' in the Rain (2016), The War of the Worlds (2018), and more.

Meanwhile, Garcia earned onscreen roles in Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Death on the Nile (2021), and the Starz drama The Serpent Queen.

04 of 09

John Goodman (Bill)

Coyote-Ugly-John-Goodman
Everett Collection; Ben Gabbe/Getty Images

John Goodman was the biggest name on the Coyote Ugly roster when the film debuted in 2000, portraying Bill, Violet's loving but overprotective father. He had already become a massive star on television with his role as patriarch Dan Connor on the groundbreaking sitcom Roseanne, and established himself as a major acting talent on the big screen with a wide range of characters, including his earliest roles in the Coen brothers' unofficial acting company.

Goodman has remained a force to be reckoned with, excelling in everything from animation (Monsters, Inc., Monsters University, Monsters at Work) to TV (Alpha House, The Conners, The Righteous Gemstones) to film (10 Cloverfield Lane, Patriots Day, Atomic Blonde, Captive State).

05 of 09

Maria Bello (Lil)

Coyote-Ugly-Maria-Bello
Everett Collection; Amanda Edwards/WireImage

Maria Bello had already made a name for herself as pediatrician Dr. Anna Del Amico on ER when she booked the role of tough bar owner Lil in Coyote Ugly. She went on to a string of film and television projects, including a Golden Globe-nominated turn in A History of Violence (2005) and memorable roles in Secret Window (2004), The Jane Austen Book Club (2007), and Prisoners (2013).

Bello has concentrated her energies on television with the short-lived Americanized version of Prime Suspect and a recurring role on the Amazon drama Goliath. The actress played Jack Sloane—a series regular role—on CBS' juggernaut NCIS for four seasons. Bello also produced and developed the story for the acclaimed action film The Woman King (2022), starring Viola Davis.

06 of 09

Izabella Miko (Cammie)

Coyote-Ugly-Izabella-Miko
Everett Collection; Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

Polish actress/dancer Izabella Miko made her American film debut in Coyote Ugly as Cammie, one of three women who befriends Violet and welcomes her into the fold as a performer/server at the bar. Miko went on to do more film work, including portraying the role originated by Julia Stiles in the 2006 sequel to Save the Last Dance. She has continued to capitalize on her background as a dancer, appearing in music videos for the Killers and Billy Idol, as well as the feature Step Up: All In (2014).

However, she is most recognizable for her steady work as a television guest star with recurring roles on Deadwood and Chicago Fire and one-off appearances on Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, NCIS: Los Angeles, and The Flight Attendant.

07 of 09

Tyra Banks (Zoe)

Coyote-Ugly-Tyra-Banks
Everett Collection; Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

Tyra Banks was already one of the top-earning supermodels in the world when she took on the role of Zoe, another one of the servers/performers working at the Coyote Ugly saloon. The first Black woman to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue, Banks dipped her toes into acting on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and as doll-brought-to-life Eve in the Disney Channel original movie Life-Size and its 2018 sequel.

After Coyote Ugly, she became a media magnate with the launch of her hit reality series, America's Next Top Model, and daytime talk show, The Tyra Banks Show. Banks continues to dominate in multiple spheres as a beauty mogul, producer, writer, and host, replacing Tom Bergeron as host of Dancing With the Stars in 2020.

08 of 09

Bridget Moynahan (Rachel)

Coyote-Ugly-Bridget-Moynahan
Everett Collection; Andrew Toth/WireImage

Bridget Moynahan began her career as a model, but had her first major role in a feature film as Rachel, the third gal in the trio of Coyote Ugly bartenders. Around the same time, she began appearing in the recurring role of Natasha, Mr. Big's (Chris Noth) wife—later, ex-wife—on Sex and the City.

She has since made memorable film appearances in Serendipity (2001), The Sum of All Fears (2002), I, Robot (2004), and a pair of John Wick films. Moynahan has been most visible on television, particularly as Assistant District Attorney Erin Reagan on CBS' procedural Blue Bloods.

09 of 09

Melanie Lynskey (Gloria)

Coyote-Ugly-Melanie-Lynskey
George De Sota/Liaison/Getty Images; Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Melanie Lynskey wowed audiences when she was only 16, as half of a murderous teenage duo (with Kate Winslet) in Heavenly Creatures. After taking two years off to go to school, she returned to the screen as a sweet stepsister in Ever After (1998). In Coyote Ugly, she portrays Gloria, the best friend whom Perabo's Violet leaves behind in New Jersey—though Violet returns for her wedding and Gloria travels to New York for Violet's breakthrough performance at the Bowery Ballroom.

Since then, Lynskey has become the darling of indie filmmakers in movies like Hello I Must Be Going (2012), They Came Together (2014), The Intervention (2016), and Lady of the Manor (2021).

She's also left a lasting impression on television with a memorable recurring role as Charlie Sheen's obsessive neighbor Rose on Two and a Half Men, and starring roles on Togetherness, Castle Rock, Mrs. America, Candy, and Yellowjackets, for which she earned her first Emmy nomination in 2022.

Related Articles