It was 2010. The world was collectively losing its mind over sparkly skin and brooding teenage angst. You couldn't walk into a mall without seeing Team Edward or Team Jacob t-shirts plastered everywhere. Then came Vampires Suck. This movie didn't just poke fun at Twilight; it basically took a sledgehammer to the entire YA supernatural phenomenon. While critics mostly hated it—shocker, right?—the cast of Vampires Suck actually featured some incredibly talented actors who’ve gone on to do some pretty big things.
Looking back, the movie is a time capsule of a very specific era in pop culture. It’s messy. It’s ridiculous. But the actors? They actually nailed the impressions. Jenn Proske, who played Becca Crane, didn't just act like Kristen Stewart; she mastered every nervous hair-tuck and stuttering exhale Stewart was known for in the early 2010s. It’s honestly impressive when you realize how much work goes into making something look that stupid.
Jenn Proske: The Becca Crane Masterclass
Jenn Proske was a newcomer when she landed the lead role. Most people don't realize that Vampires Suck was her film debut. She had to carry the entire movie on her shoulders by mimicking one of the most famous actresses on the planet. Honestly, she was better at being Bella Swan than Bella Swan was at times. Proske’s commitment to the bit was total. She didn't just do a voice; she embodied the physical awkwardness.
After the parody hype died down, Proske didn't just disappear into the "where are they now" void. She popped up in several major TV procedurals. You might have spotted her in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit or Graceland. She also had a recurring role in Beauty & the Beast. While she hasn't reached A-list movie star status, her performance in the cast of Vampires Suck remains a cult favorite for people who appreciate the art of the "spoof." She eventually stepped back from the limelight a bit to focus on her personal life and family, marrying actor Taye Diggs' brother, Gabriel Mann (not the one from Revenge, a different Gabriel Mann).
Matt Lanter and the Transition to Voice Acting Royalty
Then there’s Matt Lanter. He played Edward Sullen. If you were a teenage girl in the late 2000s, Matt Lanter was everywhere. He was the resident heartthrob on 90210, playing Liam Court. In Vampires Suck, he had to make fun of the very "brooding pretty boy" image that was paying his bills. It was meta before everything was meta.
Lanter’s career after the movie is actually the most successful of the bunch. He didn't stay stuck in the parody world. Instead, he became a pillar of the Star Wars universe. No, seriously. He is the voice of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. For an entire generation of fans, he is Anakin. Beyond the galaxy far, far away, he starred in the NBC sci-fi hit Timeless, which has one of the most dedicated fanbases in television history. He also showed up in Jupiter’s Legacy on Netflix. He’s a versatile guy who managed to outrun the "spoof movie" curse that usually kills careers.
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Chris Riggi and the Jacob White Abs
You can't have a Twilight parody without a Jacob Black stand-in. Enter Chris Riggi as Jacob White. Riggi’s main job in the movie was to be shirtless and turn into a chihuahua. It sounds degrading, but he leaned into the absurdity. Before he joined the cast of Vampires Suck, Riggi was already making waves as Scott Rosson in Gossip Girl.
He’s continued to work steadily in indie films and television. He appeared in Lily & Kat and has directed his own projects too. Riggi is one of those actors who has stayed working under the radar, avoiding the massive scandals that often plague child or teen stars from that era. He’s matured quite a bit from the guy who spent half a movie wearing a wig and a fake tan.
The Supporting Players: Ken Jeong and Anneliese van der Pol
The movie really leans on its supporting cast to fill the gaps between the Twilight jokes. Ken Jeong shows up as Daro, a parody of the Volturi leaders. This was right around the peak of his The Hangover and Community fame. Jeong is Jeong—he brings a chaotic energy to every frame he’s in. Even in a script this thin, he manages to find a way to make it weirdly memorable.
Then you have Anneliese van der Pol. Millennials know her as Chelsea from That's So Raven. In Vampires Suck, she played Jennifer, the parody of Anna Kendrick’s character, Jessica Stanley. It’s a bit of a full-circle moment because Kendrick herself has joked about how "checked out" she was during the filming of the actual Twilight movies. Van der Pol eventually returned to her Disney roots for the revival Raven's Home, proving that she knows exactly how to play to her audience.
Why the Cast of Vampires Suck Actually Worked
Parody movies are a dime a dozen. Most of them are frankly unwatchable after a few years because the jokes age like milk. Vampires Suck isn't exactly a cinematic masterpiece, but the reason it still gets searched for today is the chemistry of the leads.
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- The Commitment Factor: None of these actors "winked" at the camera too much. They played the drama straight, which is the golden rule of comedy.
- The Look-alikes: Casting director Venus Kanani really found people who could pass for the original actors in a dark room if you squinted.
- The Timing: It hit right when Twilight fatigue was setting in.
The movie cost about $20 million to make and pulled in over $80 million worldwide. In the world of business, that’s a massive win, regardless of what Rotten Tomatoes says. People wanted to laugh at the "emo" vampire craze, and this cast delivered exactly what was asked of them.
The Legacy of Spoof Culture in the 2010s
Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, the duo behind the film, were responsible for a whole string of these movies: Date Movie, Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans. The cast of Vampires Suck was arguably their most cohesive group. Unlike Meet the Spartans, which felt like a series of disconnected sketches, Vampires Suck followed the plot of the first two Twilight books fairly closely. This gave the actors a real narrative arc to work with, even if that arc involved being hit by a bus or fighting a pack of stray dogs.
The movie represents the tail end of the "Big Parody" era. Today, this kind of humor has migrated to TikTok and YouTube. Why wait for a movie studio to greenlight a parody when a creator can do a 60-second "POV: You're Bella Swan" video that gets 10 million views? The actors in this film were essentially the pioneers of a style of comedy that is now dominated by social media influencers.
Tracking the Extended Cast
Beyond the main trio, there are some faces you might recognize if you're a heavy TV watcher. Diedrich Bader played Frank Crane (the Charlie Swan parody). Bader is a veteran. From The Drew Carey Show to voicing Batman in The Brave and the Bold, he’s a professional who knows how to elevate mediocre material. Having someone like him on set probably helped the younger actors find their footing.
Arielle Kebbel, who played Rachel, actually appeared in the real Vampire Diaries as Lexi Branson. It’s these weird little crossovers that make the movie interesting in retrospect. You have actors who were legitimately part of the "vampire craze" making fun of the very genre that gave them a paycheck.
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What You Should Know If You're Rewatching
If you're diving back into this movie for a hit of nostalgia, pay attention to the small details in the performances. Notice how Jenn Proske perfectly mimics Kristen Stewart's specific way of biting her lip. Look at Matt Lanter’s "pain face," which is a direct dig at Robert Pattinson's acting choices at the time. It’s a masterclass in observational comedy, even if the script relies heavily on slapstick.
The cast of Vampires Suck didn't just show up for a paycheck; they did their homework. In an era where parody movies were often lazy, these actors actually studied the source material to make sure the satire landed. That’s why, despite the 4% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, people are still talking about it nearly 16 years later.
To get the most out of a rewatch or a deep dive into this cast, you should look up the original Twilight press tours from 2008 and 2009. The awkwardness of the real-life actors provided all the ammunition this cast needed.
Next Steps for the Fan:
Check out Matt Lanter's voice work in Star Wars: The Clone Wars to see just how much range he has beyond the Edward Sullen hair. If you're into TV history, track down Jenn Proske's guest spot on Law & Order: SVU—it's a jarring but impressive shift from her work in comedy. Lastly, compare the "Jacob" transformation scenes in both Vampires Suck and New Moon; the frame-by-frame similarities in the cinematography are actually pretty hilarious.