Sky High Stars Then and Now: Nicholas Braun, Malika Haqq and the Rest You Forgot Lifted Off

Jordan Collins here, your relentlessly helpful yet ever so slightly patronizing guide, because obviously you need a quick tour through a twenty year-old Disney movie that somehow still matters. Disney’s Sky High hit theaters twenty summers ago, and yes, you might have blinked and missed how many now-familiar faces popped up in that glossy, superpowered high school romp. The film followed Will Stronghold, a freshman who is part of a legendary superhero lineage but waters his gifts until he discovers his own path. The class fog of destiny is thick, and the movie gleams with Rosemary’s Baby level parental expectations and a pop crown of capes. If you never watched it, you might remember Zach, the glow‑in‑the‑dark sidekick who steals scenes with a bleach-blonde vibe. That iconic role belonged to Nicholas Braun, who would later become a household name as Cousin Greg in Succession. But Sky High was more than a one-hit-city for Braun; it was the launchpad to a slew of Disney Channel picks such as Minutemen and Princess Protection Program, before branching into indie cred with The Perks of Being a Wallflower and more recent, high-profile prestige casts.

Now let’s connect the dots, because you probably want receipts. Michael Angarano plays Will Stronghold, a student navigating hero status and personal doubt. His post Sky High career spans There Is no shortage of appearances in projects like This Is Us, a Daniels-tinged look into family life, and more. Angarano also shows up in 2024’s Sacramento, where he cross-pollinates with Maya Erskine, who later casts him as a drama teacher on her show Pen15. The film’s ensemble also sprinkles in Danielle Panabaker as Layla Williams, the plant-wielding ally with a knack for resilience; Panabaker would go on to star in The Flash as Caitlyn Snow, continuing a prolific screen arc that outlived most teen-hero narratives.

Malika Haqq and Khadijah Haqq, then rising stars and real-life friends of Khloe Kardashian, appear as Penny, the villainous senior who duplicates herself, proving the movie didn’t just borrow charisma from the cast; it borrowed real-world energy that fans would follow for years. The late 2000s and 2010s carried Sky High’s cast into a kaleidoscope of projects: Braun’s later comedy-adjacent roles, Angarano’s more grounded dramatic work, Panabaker’s sustained television presence, and the Haqq sisters’ continued appearances in reality and scripted TV.

But the real throughline here is legacy. Sky High served as a springboard into a wave of mid-level stardom and broader recognition for a generation of performers who have since diversified their portfolios. It’s not merely a nostalgia hit; it’s a catalog of how early screen exposure translates into staying power across film, television, and streaming. If you’re chasing a thread of 2000s nostalgia, you can follow the breadcrumbs from a Disney Channel-style origin to today’s varied careers, where names like Braun and Angarano pop up in major projects, and Panabaker toggles between superhero mythos and character-driven dramas.

If you thought Sky High was just a cheeky family film, you’re not entirely wrong, but you’re not entirely right either. The cast’s trajectory demonstrates how a light, buoyant Disney movie can ripple outward into a durable, multi-genre career arc for several of its notable players. And yes, there’s still a sense of “what could have been” with some of these performers—except that many did, in fact, become the reliable, recognizable faces you’ve seen in big and small screens since. So, what’s next on the horizon for this bunch who once soared through the skies on screen? A new chapter, new collaborations, and surely more teasing glimpses of their roots that fans won’t let slide back into the shadows. The air is buzzing with potential, and your next binge might just be a Sky High rewatch that reminds you how these stars began their ascent.

So buckle up: if you’re craving a reminder that today’s familiar faces started with a cape and a high school hallway, this is your jump-off point. And yes, there’s more where that came from, if you’re prepared to follow the breadcrumbs all the way to the next entertainment universe crossover. What to watch next? The answer is likely as dazzling as a neon glow in an air duct, and yes, you’ll want to spill the tea as you go.

Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! Online, Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter
Attribution: Nicholas Braun, Rachel Sennott, and Willem Dafoe at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival — Jay Dixit (CC BY-SA 4.0) (OV)