If you grew up in the nineties, you probably remember the neon-green jerseys. You definitely remember the goat. The Big Green was Disney’s 1995 attempt to capture that lightning-in-a-bottle magic of The Mighty Ducks, only with soccer balls and a dusty Texas town instead of ice skates and Minnesota. It wasn't a critical darling, honestly. Critics kinda hated it. But for a generation of kids, the cast of The Big Green became the ultimate underdog squad.
Looking back, it’s wild how much talent was packed into that little movie. You had Steve Guttenberg at the height of his "lovable guy" era and Olivia d'Abo playing the foreign teacher who actually knew what a yellow card was. But the kids were the heart of it. They weren't polished child actors with perfect teeth; they felt like the actual weirdos you went to middle school with.
The Breakout Stars: Patrick Renna and Chauncey Leopardi
You can’t talk about the cast of The Big Green without mentioning the "Sandlot" connection. Disney basically looked at the most successful kids' sports movie of the era and said, "Give me those guys." Patrick Renna, who played Larry Musgrove, was already a legend for playing Ham Porter ("You're killing me, Smalls!"). In this flick, he’s the goalie who sees monsters instead of opposing players. It was a weird, surreal bit of 90s filmmaking that actually worked because Renna had such great comedic timing for a kid.
Renna has stayed incredibly busy since the mid-90s. He didn't just fade away into the "where are they now" abyss. He’s appeared in everything from GLOW to Bones, and he’s become a bit of a social media powerhouse, leaning into the nostalgia that fans have for his early work. He’s basically the elder statesman of 90s kid cinema at this point.
Then there’s Chauncey Leopardi. He played Evan, the kid with the glasses who was basically the "Squints" archetype moved to a soccer pitch. Leopardi’s career took a slightly different path, with some high-profile roles in Freaks and Geeks—one of the greatest shows ever made, period—before he largely stepped away from the industry to focus on his family and business ventures. Seeing those two together on screen was basically the Avengers: Endgame of 90s live-action Disney movies for us ten-year-olds.
Bug Hall and the Leading Man Energy
Bug Hall played Newt. He was the kid everyone recognized because of The Little Rascals, where he played Alfalfa. In The Big Green, he was the pint-sized heart of the team. Newt was the one who was too small but had too much spirit, a trope as old as time but Hall sold it.
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His life after the movie has been a bit more complicated and public. Hall continued acting for years, showing up in Castle and Revolution, but in recent years, he’s shifted his focus entirely. He moved away from Hollywood, embraced a very traditionalist religious lifestyle, and largely retired from the "biz." It’s a stark reminder that the kids we see on screen often grow up to want lives that look nothing like the bright lights of a movie set.
What Happened to Anna and Juan?
The emotional core of the movie wasn't the comedy; it was the story of Juan Morales, played by Anthony Esquivel, and the "will they, won't they" (as much as 11-year-olds can) with Anna, played by Olivia Dell.
Juan was the ringer. The kid who actually knew how to play soccer in a town that thought the sport was just "communist kickball." Anthony Esquivel wasn't a career child actor. He was a real-deal soccer player. That’s why his footwork actually looked legitimate on screen. After the film, Esquivel didn't chase the Hollywood dream. He stayed true to the sport, playing Division I soccer at Furman University and eventually moving into coaching. Honestly, that feels more "real" than him trying to land a sitcom. He lived the life his character started.
Olivia Dell, who played Anna—the daughter of the town’s overbearing coach—also stepped away from the spotlight. She had a few more credits, but she’s mostly stayed out of the public eye. It’s a common theme with this cast. Many of them were just kids having a fun summer in Austin, Texas, who then went back to being regular people.
The Adults: Guttenberg and d'Abo
Steve Guttenberg was the "Coach" figure, and he brought that specific brand of manic, friendly energy he perfected in Police Academy. He’s talked in interviews about how much he enjoyed the Texas shoot, mostly because it was low-pressure. He wasn't trying to win an Oscar; he was trying to make kids laugh.
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Olivia d'Abo was a different story. She was already famous from The Wonder Years, and her role as Miss Montgomery gave the movie its "adult" stakes. She provided the contrast to the dusty, small-town Texas vibes. D'Abo has had perhaps the most consistent "actor" career of the bunch, doing massive amounts of voice work for DC and Marvel animated projects. If you’ve watched a superhero cartoon in the last twenty years, you’ve probably heard her voice without even realizing it.
Why We Still Care About This Random Movie
Let’s be real. The movie is goofy. The plot is predictable. The special effects involving "the big green monster" haven't aged well. But it captures a very specific moment in American culture: the "soccer mom" boom of the 90s.
Before the 1994 World Cup was hosted in the U.S., soccer was a fringe sport in many parts of the country. The Big Green was part of that wave that tried to make the sport feel "American" and "cool." It succeeded, not by being a great sports movie, but by being a great "friendship" movie.
Surprising Facts About the Shoot
- The movie was filmed almost entirely in and around Austin, Texas, specifically in the town of Elgin.
- Many of the kids in the background were local Austin soccer players, not actors.
- The weather during filming was notoriously hot, reaching over 100 degrees, which is why the kids look so genuinely sweaty and exhausted in the final game scenes.
The Supporting Players You Forgot
You’ve got Jay O. Sanders as the "villain" coach. He’s one of those "that guy" actors who has been in literally everything from JFK to Succession. He played the jerk coach of the "Knights" perfectly. You hated him because he represented that specific type of over-competitive parent we’ve all dealt with.
And let’s not forget Billy L. Sullivan, who played the "bad boy" of the team. He had that classic 90s middle-part hairstyle and the attitude to match. Like many of his co-stars, he eventually transitioned out of acting, but he remains a staple of the "Where are they now" nostalgic deep dives.
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Final Take on the Legacy
The cast of The Big Green didn't produce a dozen A-list superstars. It didn't launch the next Brad Pitt. But it did something arguably more interesting. It gave us a group of performers who, for the most part, went on to lead normal, productive lives. They are teachers, coaches, business owners, and parents.
There’s something incredibly grounded about that. In an era where every child star seems to have a tragic documentary made about them, the "Big Green" kids seem to have turned out... okay. They’re just people who happened to spend a summer making a movie about a goat and a soccer ball.
How to Reconnect with the Nostalgia
If you're looking to scratch that itch, here's the best way to do it:
- Watch the Disney+ 25th Anniversary Reunion: Some of the cast got together via Zoom a few years back to reminisce. It's heartwarming and reveals how much they actually liked each other.
- Follow Patrick Renna on Instagram: He’s the most active link to that era and often posts behind-the-scenes photos that haven't been seen elsewhere.
- Check out Elgin, Texas: If you’re ever near Austin, you can still find some of the filming locations. The small-town vibe is still very much alive, though the "Big Green" field itself is mostly just a memory.
- Look for "The Sandlot" Crossovers: Since several cast members overlap, watching both movies back-to-back gives you a weirdly complete picture of mid-90s youth culture.
The movie ends with the team winning, obviously. But the real win was the way this cast represented a version of childhood that felt attainable. They weren't superheroes. They were just kids in green shirts trying not to trip over the ball. That’s why we’re still talking about them thirty years later.
To dive deeper into the specific filming locations or the technical soccer training the actors went through, check out local Austin film archives or 1994-1995 issues of Variety. Most of the "making of" secrets are buried in those trade publications rather than modern PR splashes.