Here’s What Happened to the Cast of ‘Coyote Ugly’

The late 1990s and early 2000s were the height of romantic comedies and Coyote Ugly fit the bill perfectly. Released in 2000, and based on the Coyote Ugly Saloon chain, the film’s cast graced movie screens and turned it into the cult classic we still can’t enough of nearly 25 years later.

Despite the negative reviews that greeted it upon release, the Jerry Bruckheimer produced movie grossed over $113 million worldwide and became a sensation for fans everywhere, proving that the critics don’t always know what they’re talking about.

What is Coyote Ugly about?

Coyote Ugly follows Violet (Piper Perabo), who moves to New York City to follow her dreams of becoming a songwriter. After getting a “day” job at the bar that gives the film its name, she becomes one of the Coyotes who dances on the bar for locals.

The film drew inspiration from a 1997 GQ article written by Elizabeth Gilbert about the real bar, which is similar to the one in the movie.

Keep reading to find out what happened to the cast of Coyote Ugly.

Piper Perabo

Character Played: Violet Sanford

Born: October 31, 1976, in Dallas, Texas

Best Known For: Films like Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), Imagine Me & You (2005) and Because I Said So (2007). Perabo has also starred in TV series like Covert Affairs (2010-2014), Yellowstone (2021-22) and Billions (2022-23)

Thoughts on Coyote Ugly: “I mean it was really the launch of it. That really got me in the door and I’ve been making movies for 20 years now because of it. I think, sometimes, that’s what people still associate me with… I really like the story of a young woman with a dream.”

Adam Garcia: Coyote Ugly cast

Character Played: Kevin O’Donnell

Born: June 1, 1973, in Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australia

Best Known For: Films like Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004), Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) and Afterlife of the Party (2021).

Thoughts on Coyote Ugly: “It absolutely boosted my career. It was a Hollywood film and ended up being a pretty successful Hollywood film… It certainly opened the door during the years that I was in L.A.”

Maria Bello

Character Played: Lil

Born: April 18, 1967, in Norristown, Pennsylvania

Best Known For: Best known for series such as NCIS (2017-24), ER (1997-98) and Beef (2023). Also known for The Cooler (2003) and Lights Out (2016).

Thoughts on Coyote Ugly: “I went to a famous warehouse gallery and I went upstairs and someone said, ‘There’s the Coyote Ugly bar.’ And the owner of the place had built a replica of the Coyote Ugly bar… I went to it and surprised the crowd and did a little speech and song and danced on the bar.”

Bridget Moynahan: Coyote Ugly cast

Character Played: Rachel

Born: April 28, 1971, in Binghamton, New York

Best Known For: Shows like Blue Bloods (2010) and Sex and the City (1999-2000). Also known for films Serendipity (2001), Ramona and Beezus (2010) and John Wick 1 and 2 (2014/2017)

Thoughts on Coyote Ugly: “Coyote Ugly really felt enormous. It was a Jerry Bruckheimer project and they had put a lot of money into the movie, so it was a lot bigger than I’d ever imagined.”

Tyra Banks

Character Played: Zöe

Born: December 4, 1973, in Los Angeles, California

Best Known For: The Tyra Banks Show (2005-10), America’s Next Top Model (2003-18) and the Life-Size film series.

Thoughts on Coyote Ugly: “I’ve had a passion to do a sequel to Coyote Ugly for some time now. I’ve even reached out to [producer] Jerry Bruckheimer and the team and the original writer and they’ve had some jam sessions on what it could possibly be.”

Melanie Lynskey: Coyote Ugly cast

Character Played: Gloria

Born: May 16, 1977, in New Plymouth, New Zealand

Best Known For: The Intervention (2016), Up in the Air (2009) and Heavenly Creatures (1994). Also known for Two and a Half Men (2003-15) and Yellowjackets (2019-).

Thoughts on Coyote Ugly: “I was very excited to do Coyote Ugly… A great ensemble cast of women, and all of them were really wonderful and just great, great, great people.”

John Goodman

Character Played: Bill

Born: 1952 in Affton, Missouri

Best Known For: Roseanne (1988-2018), The Conners (2018-24) and The Righteous Gemstones (2019-). Also known for films like Barton Fink (1991), Flight (2012) and Argo (2012).

Izabella Miko: Coyote Ugly cast

Character Played: Cammie

Born: January 21, 1981, in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland

Best Known For: Films like Clash of the Titans (2010) and appearances in shows like Deadwood (2005), Blue Bloods (2015) and Chicago Fire (2015).