“You Don’t Look Happy…” Where Are They Now: The ‘80s Heartthrobs of Less Than Zero

Teen heartthrob and “Brat Pack” member, Andrew McCarthy, played the lead role in Less Than Zero as Clay Easton. McCarthy played a convincingly genuine Easton, who comes home to friends gone terribly wild in his absence.

Since Less Than Zero, McCarthy has retained his boyish good looks and acting career to boot. In 1989, McCarthy scored another hit in the comedy Weekend At Bernie’s, and continued to land lead and supporting roles in major films. While his star doesn’t shine nearly as brightly as it did during his “Brat Pack” days, he continues to star in film and TV shows, like Gossip Girl and White Collar.

The raspy-voiced Jami Gertz starred as Blair, Clay’s high school girlfriend. Gertz’s strikes the perfect balance between wide-eyed naiveté and junkie sex appeal in the 1987 flick.

After scoring roles in hit movies like Sixteen Candles, Crossroads and Lost Boys, Less Than Zero was icing on the cake at the pinnacle of Gertz’s career. Gertz took a break from acting and moved to Paris to become a scent designer for the high fashion brand, Lanvin. Gertz returned to America to star in the 1996 blockbuster Twister, then had a recurring role E.R. and Ally McBeal. Gertz continues to act in TV shows like Entourage and Modern Family and lives in Beverly Hills with her husband and three sons.

The talented Robert Downey Jr. played Julian, Clay’s drug-addicted best friend, in Less Than Zero. Julian has been sleeping with Clay’s high school girlfriend, Blair, while Clay has been away at college and spins into an out-of-control drug spiral in the movie. At the time, Downey Jr. was famously battling his own real life demons during and after filming.

One of the most successful ‘80s graduates of the “Brat Pack,” Downey Jr. has had his fair share of love, loss and triumph in LA that paralleled a little too closely his role in Less Than Zero. After becoming a real life version of his drug-addicted character Julian Wells, Downey Jr. suffered a number of drug-related arrests and incidents that harpooned his rising star. In 2000, after spending nearly a year in rehab, Downey Jr. joined the cast of Ally McBeal and won a Golden Globe for his role. In 2001, Downey Jr. was arrested again on suspicion of being under the influence. Since then, he’s cleaned up his act and landed a series of highly acclaimed supporting and lead roles. He struck box office gold with Iron Man and The Avengers series, which helped cement his career comeback as an A-list talent, and he’s been unstoppable ever since.

James Spader plays Julian’s ruthless drug dealer, Rip, who forces Julian to become a prostitute to pay back the $50,000 owed him.Talk about ruthless: when Julian tells Rip his plans for sobriety, Rip lures him back into doing drugs and hooking.

Another “Brat Pack” outlier, James Spader had his first big break with Endless Summer across from Brooke Shields. Spader’s memorable performances in Pretty In Pink, Mannequin and Les Than Zero helped bring him into the spotlight. Spader’s choice in eccentric or extreme characters, like Maggie Gyllenhaal’s sadistic boss in Secretary, has not gone unnoticed. Spader has been nominated numerous times for roles in TV and film and has won a number of Emmy’s for outstanding lead roles in drama series.

Michael Bowen had a supporting role as the drug dealing character Bill in Less Than Zero. In one scene, Bill walks in on Clay and Blair having sex, adding to the pervasive theme of partying-induced apathy in the movie.

Born to actress Sonia Sorel, Bowen is no stranger to Hollywood (actresses Martha Plimpton and Ever Carradine are his nieces!) and is best known for his roles in Jackie Brown, Magnolia and Less Than Zero and a recurring role on the TV show Lost. Since playing Hop in Less Than Zero, Bowen has continued to land a string of small supporting roles in TV and film, most notably in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Tony Bill plays Andrew McCarthy’s father, Bradford Easton in the ‘80s flick. Easton's character is a father-figure for both Clay and Julian, since Julian's drug addiction and debts to drug dealers forces him to steal from those around him.

Tony Bill, an established actor, director and producer in the entertainment industry, produced the Academy Award winning film The Sting in 1973. He followed this with a number of roles in successful films like Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure and Less Than Zero. He continued to make minor appearances in TV and film but focused more on directing after Less Than Zero. In 1980 he directed his first film, Bodyguards and continues to direct and produce with his wife and partner in Venice, CA.