Whatever Happened To The Cast Of Walk The Line?

The 2005 musical biopic "Walk the Line" tells the amazing true story of country music legend Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix), covering his humble beginnings on a cotton farm in Arkansas to his meteoric rise to fame and his eventual romantic relationship with fellow country artist June Carter (Reese Witherspoon) and the struggles they faced.

The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including the best actress win for Witherspoon, and won three Golden Globes, including best picture, best actor, and best actress, in the musical/comedy category. The award-winning film was also a box office hit, earning over $186 million against a $28 million budget. Not only was the film a hit, but the music was as well, earning a Grammy for its certified platinum soundtrack.

The incredibly well-received movie features a perfect mix of actors and musicians portraying the musical legends and real-life family who surrounded Johnny Cash throughout his life. Did they utilize the film's success to propel their careers forward, or did they hang up their cowboy hats after a job well done? Read on to discover the answer to the burning question of whatever happened to the cast of "Walk the Line."

Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal of the country music icon Johnny Cash earned him not only an Academy Award nomination but also a Grammy win for his work on the soundtrack. Phoenix's spot-on performance even fooled film critic Roger Ebert, who wrote, "I closed my eyes to focus on the soundtrack and decided that, yes, that was the voice of Johnny Cash I was listening to. The closing credits make it clear it's Joaquin Phoenix doing the singing, and I was gob-smacked."

"Walk the Line" was Phoenix's second Academy Award nomination, having previously been nominated for the 2000 Ridley Scott epic "Gladiator." Another nomination would follow for 2013's "The Master." Finally, Phoenix took home the Oscar for his take on the iconic DC Comics villain in 2020's "Joker."

Acting in 1980s films like "SpaceCamp" and "Parenthood" under the name Leaf Phoenix, he switched to Joaquin to star in such diverse films as 1995's "To Die For," M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs," Disney's "Brother Bear," the controversial "I'm Still Here," the sci-fi romance "Her," the Western "The Sisters Brothers," and the 2021 drama "C'mon C'mon." Next up, Phoenix will star in the Ari Aster film "Disappointment Blvd.," play Napoleon in a Ridley Scott film, and return as the clown prince of crime for "Joker: Folie à Deux."

Phoenix also entered into a relationship with his now-fiancée and "Mary Magdalene" co-star, Rooney Mara, and they've since had a son, River, who is named after the actor's late brother (per Harper's Bazaar).

Johnny Cash meets fellow country singer June Carter and is smitten with her charming personality. He convinces her to join him on tour, and despite her initial reluctance due to his marriage to another woman, the two have an affair. When Johnny's wife leaves him, June still has reservations about their relationship due to Johnny's fast, self-destructive lifestyle. Her conflicting emotions inspire her to write one of Cash's biggest hits, "Ring of Fire."

Reese Witherspoon's accurate portrayal of the real-life artist led to her winning several major awards, including an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA. Before "Walk the Line," she had appeared in several critical and financial hits like "Pleasantville," "Cruel Intentions," "Election," and the "Legally Blonde" films. She went on to star in everything from family films like "Monsters vs. Aliens," "Sing," and "A Wrinkle in Time" to dramas like "Water for Elephants," "Inherent Vice," and "Wild," the latter of which again saw her nominated for an Oscar.

Witherspoon successfully moved into a role as a producer with films like "Gone Girl," "Lucy in the Sky," and the upcoming "Where the Crawdads Sing." In addition, she produced and starred in the popular television series "Big Little Lies," "Little Fires Everywhere," and "The Morning Show," as well as briefly hosting her own talk show "Shine On with Reese."

Next up for Witherspoon is a starring role in "Tinker Bell" and a return to Elle Woods in the much-anticipated "Legally Blonde 3."

In 1954, Johnny Cash married Vivian Liberto (Ginnifer Goodwin), and the couple struggled to make ends meet while raising an ever-increasing family. When Johnny finally finds fame and his star begins to rise, his relationship with his wife quickly deteriorates. Things only get worse with Vivian when June Carter enters the picture.

After some small roles, Goodwin her start on television with a recurring role on the NBC show "Ed," then went on to appear in feature films like "Mona Lisa Smile," "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!," "He's Just Not That Into You," "Ramona and Beezus," and "Something Borrowed." She also voices Judy Hopps in the 2016 animated Disney film "Zootopia."

Goodwin returned to television as Margene Heffman in the 2006 HBO series "Big Love," then as Mary Margaret Blanchard and Snow White in the hit ABC series "Once Upon a Time." There, she met her husband, Josh Dallas, who played David Nolan and Prince Charming (per E! Online). Recently, Goodwin played Beth Ann in Season 1 of "Why Women Kill" and Jodie on Fox's "Pivoting."

When Johnny Cash's brother, Jack (Lucas Till), is killed in a sawmill accident, their father, Ray (Robert Patrick), blames Johnny. Their strained relationship only gets more antagonistic over the years as Johnny's skyrocketing career does nothing to impress his father. With his descent into addiction only making things worse, Johnny still tries to repair the broken bond between father and son.

Ray Cash wouldn't be the only father of a music legend that Patrick would play. In 2005, he took the role of Vernon Presley in the CBS miniseries "Elvis" before playing the King himself in the 2009 film "Lonely Street." Starting his career in low-budget action movies, Patrick made his big breakthrough as the iconic liquid villain in 1991's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." From there, he appeared in loads of popular films, including "Fire in the Sky," "Striptease," and "Spy Kids." His television career was just as prolific, with main roles in "The X-Files," "The Unit," "True Blood," and "Scorpion" as well as memorable recurring roles in "The Sopranos," "Burn Notice," and "Sons of Anarchy."

In 2021 alone, he appeared in four feature films and three television series. In 2022, he took the role of bad dad to supervillain status when he portrayed Auggie Smith, also known as White Dragon, the titular character's father in the DC Comics show "Peacemaker."

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Johnny Cash gets a band together and auditions for Sam Phillips (Dallas Roberts), the owner of the famous Sun Records. Initially unimpressed with their generic gospel music, he compels them to try something more meaningful. After switching gears, the band plays the soon-to-be-a-classic "Folsom Prison Blues" and is quickly signed with the label.

Roberts would go on to appear in films like "Flicka," "3:10 to Yuma," "The Grey," and "Dallas Buyers Club." He also landed numerous recurring roles on television, including Angus Partridge in "The L Word," Milton Mamet in Season 3 of "The Walking Dead," and Owen Cavanaugh in "The Good Wife." He also portrayed serial killer Greg Yates in a multiple-episode crossover event between "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Chicago P.D."

Most recently, Roberts appeared in recurring television roles as Bob Armstrong in Netflix's "Insatiable," Jackson Berg in Showtime's "American Rust," and Richard Ford in ABC's "Big Sky."

When Johnny Cash performs his audition for Sam Phillips, he is backed up by his trusty guitar player Luther Perkins (Dan John Miller). He sticks around as part of Cash's Tennessee Two (later Three) and helps define the band's distinctive sound as they grow in popularity.

Miller, who plays Perkins, has relatively few film credits to his name, making small appearances in films like "Mr. Woodcock," "Leatherheads," and "The End of the Tour," but he has had a much more distinguished career as a musician. In the 1990s, Miller formed the band Goober & The Peas, who would eventually include The White Stripes' Jack White as a drummer. In 1997, Miller and White, along with Miller's wife, Tracee Mae Miller, would form another band, called Two-Star Tabernacle. In 2002, Dan John and Tracee Mae Miller formed their own band, Blanche, and continue to perform to this day, with their latest album released in 2007. Tracee Mae Miller also made a brief appearance in "Walk the Line," playing the wife of Luther Perkins.

Dan John Miller does still act, though, appearing in the 2021 short film "Pack Co." and the 2021 horror film "We Need to Do Something."

Joining Johnny Cash and Luther Perkins in their audition for Sam Phillips is bassist Marshall Grant (Larry Bagby). These three artists would form Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three before taking the world by storm with their pulse-pounding music.

You might recognize Larry Bagby from his roles prior to "Walk the Line," which include the teenage bully Ice in 1993's Disney classic "Hocus Pocus," the closeted bully-turned-white hat Larry Blaisdell in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and the American soldier Shirl Kendrick in 2003's "Saints and Soldiers." He would go on to appear in many other films and television series, including a recurring role as Frank Ellis on the CBS soap opera "The Young and the Restless."

Bagby also ventured into country music proper, releasing his first album, "Where I Stand," in 2005, with a follow-up, "On The Radio" in 2007. His music has been featured in the 2008 Keanu Reeves film "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and the CBS show "Cold Case."

Shelby Lynne made her feature film debut in "Walk the Line" playing Carrie Cash, Johnny Cash's mother, who is stricken with grief after the passing of her other son, Jack. Lynne had previously appeared in a small role in the 1991 Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson TV movie "Another Pair of Aces: Three of a Kind" and would later appear in a 2009 episode of "Army Wives" and in the 2020 rock and roll film "When We Kill the Creators."

If you couldn't tell from her heavily music-related acting resume, Shelby Lynne is an accomplished singer-songwriter whose musical career stretches back to 1988, when she recorded a duet with country star George Jones called "If I Could Bottle This Up." She released her first country album in 1989. She released four more albums over the next six years and performed with Vince Gill at the 1997 CMAs. But it was her sixth album, "I Am Shelby Lynne," that finally won her a Grammy, surprisingly enough for Best New Artist, as the album shifted away from country into a more pop and blues-inspired genre.

Lynne continues to write and perform and released a collaboration album with her sister, Allison Moorer, entitled "Not Dark Yet," in 2017.

Once Johnny Cash and his band are signed with Sun Records, they begin touring along with other popular musical acts from the label, including the King of Rock and Roll himself, Elvis Presley, played in "Walk the Line" by Tyler Hilton.

While the 2005 film was Tyler Hinton's film debut, the prior year he had landed the role of Chris Keller on the popular teen drama "One Tree Hill," a role he played from 2004 to 2007 and again in the show's final season in 2012. In 2007, he played Taylor Swift's love interest in her music video for "Teardrops on My Guitar" and a school bully in the Anton Yelchin film "Charlie Bartlett," which is where Hinton met his now-wife, actress Megan Park (via People). Most recently, he appeared in a series of Lifetime television films, including 2013's "Christmas on the Bayou," 2018's "The Christmas Contract," and 2019's "A Christmas Wish."

Professionally performing music since the age of 16, Hinton released his first album, "The Tracks of Tyler Hilton," in 2004, and his latest, "City on Fire," in 2019. In addition to his own albums, he also contributed exclusive tracks to the "One Tree Hill" soundtracks. Recently, he released a holiday single "It's Finally Christmas!" in December 2021.

In addition to Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, the Sun Records tour lineup also included the comically extravagant piano player Jerry Lee Lewis, played with electric energy by Waylon Payne.

Payne is no stranger to the music scene, as his father was Jody Payne, a guitarist for Willie Nelson, and his mother was Sammi Smith, a Grammy Award-winning country artist who toured with Payne's namesake and godfather, Waylon Jennings. Wayne released his own album, "The Drifter," in 2004, before moving on to write songs for other artists like Lee Ann Womack, Pam Tillis, and Aaron Lewis. In 2020, he released an album entitled "Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me," with a three-song follow-up called "The Lost Act" released in 2021.

Payne's film debut was "Walk the Line," and he would follow it up with another music biopic by playing country music star Hank Garland in the 2008 film "Crazy." He also featured in the 2014 Elvis-inspired film "The Identical" and starred alongside Willie Nelson in 2018's "Waiting for the Miracle to Come." Payne also stars in another country music film, the upcoming "Ticket to Nashville."

Another talented country musician along for the star-studded tour is Waylon Jennings. While the real-life Jennings' godson, Waylon Payne, plays Jerry Lee Lewis, his own son, Shooter Jennings, would have the honor of portraying his talented father.

Jennings actually spent some time as a baby living on the tour bus with his famous father, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson. He eventually began playing percussion with his father's band before forming his own rock band called Stargunn in 2001. In 2005, he went solo and released his first album "Put the 'O' Back in Country." He went on to release many more genre-crossing albums, including collaborations as diverse as Brandi Carlile, Marilyn Manson, and horror fiction legend Stephen King. Recently, he released a 2022 collaboration album with rapper Yelawolf entitled "Sometimes Y."

In addition to his acting role in "Walk the Line," he also provided a voice for a "Robot Chicken" special and played himself in 2019 episodes of both the Marvel show "The Punisher" and the animated Adult Swim comedy "Squidbillies."

Rock & Roll Hall-of-Famer Roy Orbison is yet another of the Sun Records music icons on tour with Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and June Carter. Orbison is portrayed in "Walk the Line" by singer-songwriter Johnathan Rice.

In 2001, the 18-year-old Rice moved to New York with his EP "Heart and Mind," hoping to make it big. He released his first album, "Trouble Is Real," in 2005, containing songs that would make their way onto hit shows like "The OC" and "Grey's Anatomy." As he continued to tour and put out new music, he also began working with fellow musician Jenny Lewis, including collaborations with Elvis Costello, creating songs for the Anne Hathaway film "Song One" and the Meryl Streep film "Ricki and the Flash" and eventually forming his own band with Lewis, called Jenny and Johnny.

In 2018, Rice released a book entitled "Farewell, My Dudes: 69 Dystopian Haikus," collecting poetry he made for his Instagram account. He followed that up in 2019 with a solo album, "The Long Game."

"Walk the Line" begins in 1968 with Johnny Cash about to perform at Folsom State Prison. When he notices a nearby table saw, the movie flashes back to his childhood in 1944, when a 12-year-old Johnny Cash leaves his brother Jack alone in a sawmill while he goes fishing. The tragic events that follow are heartrendingly felt due to the performance of a young Ridge Canipe.

Canipe made his acting debut in an episode of the 2003 series "Lucky," portraying the younger version of the main character, played by John Corbett. He would go on to appear in episodes of "Cold Case," "The District," and "Angel" before making his film debut in the sports film reboot "Bad News Bears." More film and television roles would follow, including most notably a pair of episodes in which he plays a young Dean Winchester in the smash-hit television series "Supernatural." Canipe also appeared in the 2013 film "All American Christmas Carol."

Johnny Cash and his older brother, Jack, are hired to cut some wood at the local sawmill at the beginning of Johnny's story, but Johnny gets bored and wants to go fishing. Jack sends him on his way, saying he can finish the chore alone. While Johnny is away, Jack gets caught in the machinery and fatally injures himself. It would not only be a heartbreaking loss for Johnny, but it creates a rift between him and his father, who blames Johnny for the accident.

After playing Jack Cash in "Walk the Line," Lucas Till landed the part of Travis Brody, the romantic interest in the 2009 film "Hannah Montana: The Movie." In 2009, he was cast as the romantic interest of Taylor Swift in her music video for "You Belong with Me." In 2011, he landed his next big role as the mutant Alex Summers aka Havoc in "X-Men: First Class," a character he would reprise in the 2014 sequel "X-Men: Days of Future Past" and 2016's "X-Men: Apocalypse." In 2016, he landed the lead role in the family film "Monster Trucks" as well as the titular character in CBS's hit reboot "MacGyver," whom Till played until the show ended in 2021.

Recently, Till starred in "Son of the South," playing a white southerner who gets involved in the civil rights movement in the 1960s. He is also producing and starring in the sci-fi thriller "Spectrum" (per The Hollywood Reporter).