Twenty years. It’s been over twenty years since a movie about a closeted Mormon missionary and a party-boy waiter from Los Angeles tried to change the conversation around faith and sexuality. Most indie films from 2003 have effectively vanished into the digital ether. They’re artifacts. But the Latter Days movie cast managed to bottle something specific—a mix of earnestness and early-2000s camp—that keeps people searching for them on streaming services today.
Honestly, it wasn't just the script. It was the faces. You had this wild blend of future superstars, established character actors, and icons of the silver screen all jammed into a low-budget production that probably shouldn't have worked as well as it did.
Steve Sandvoss and Wes Ramsey: The Chemistry that Anchored Everything
Finding the leads was make-or-break. If you didn't believe in the connection between Elder Aaron Davis and Christian Markelli, the whole movie would have collapsed under the weight of its own melodrama. Steve Sandvoss, who played Aaron, was basically a newcomer. He had this incredible ability to look terrified and hopeful at the same time. He wasn't even LDS in real life, but he nailed that specific, rigid posture of someone trying to hold their entire world together with just their fingertips.
Then you have Wes Ramsey. Before he was a staple on General Hospital or appearing in Charmed, he was Christian. He had the hard task of making a "shallow" character feel like he had a soul worth saving. It’s funny looking back because their careers took such different paths. Sandvoss eventually stepped away from the acting grind to focus on sustainable farming and business, while Ramsey became a titan of daytime television.
Their contrast was the point.
The "Latter Days movie cast" succeeded because the casting directors didn't just look for pretty faces; they looked for people who could handle the heavy lifting of a story that deals with excommunication, suicide attempts, and the crushing pressure of religious expectation. It's heavy stuff.
👉 See also: New Movies in Theatre: What Most People Get Wrong About This Month's Picks
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: The Performance You Probably Forgot
Wait, was Joseph Gordon-Levitt really in this? Yeah. He was.
Before Inception, before The Dark Knight Rises, and right as he was transitioning out of his 3rd Rock from the Sun era, Gordon-Levitt played Elder Paul Ryder. He’s the antagonist, sort of. He’s the judgmental, "perfect" missionary who acts as a foil to Aaron’s internal struggle. It’s a prickly, uncomfortable performance. You can see the seeds of the high-caliber actor he would become. He doesn't play Ryder as a cartoon villain; he plays him as a true believer who is genuinely scared of anything that breaks the rules.
It’s a masterclass in being unlikable for the right reasons.
Most people coming back to the film now are shocked to see him there. He was taking risks. He was choosing weird, small indie projects that had something to say. His presence in the Latter Days movie cast gave the film a level of "indie cred" that helped it circulate in festivals like TLA Releasing's circuit.
The Powerhouse Supporting Women
You can’t talk about this movie without mentioning Jacqueline Bisset. She played Lila, the restaurant owner and maternal figure. Having an international film legend—someone who worked with Truffaut and starred in The Deep—in a small gay indie film was a huge deal. She brought gravitas. She was the emotional glue.
✨ Don't miss: A Simple Favor Blake Lively: Why Emily Nelson Is Still the Ultimate Screen Mystery
And then there’s Mary Kay Place.
If you want to see a heartbreaking performance, watch her play Aaron’s mother. She represents the "loving but trapped" parent. She loves her son, but her loyalty to the Church is so foundational that she becomes an instrument of his pain. Place is a veteran of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and Big Love, and she knows exactly how to play that specific brand of Midwestern/Intermountain West politeness that hides a storm of conflict.
- Amber Benson (Tara from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) played Julie, the roommate.
- Rebekah Johnson played Julie, the aspiring singer.
- Khary Payton, who would later go on to be King Ezekiel in The Walking Dead, had a small but memorable role.
Why the Casting Matters for the 2026 Viewer
Context is everything. In 2003, we didn't have RuPaul’s Drag Race on every screen or a massive library of LGBTQ+ content on Netflix. Seeing these actors take these roles was a statement. For the Latter Days movie cast, this wasn't just a gig; for many, it was a foray into a genre that was still considered "career suicide" by some old-school agents.
The film handles the intersection of religion and sexuality with a bluntness that some find dated and others find refreshing. It doesn't use metaphors. It uses the actual terminology of the LDS Church. Because the actors took it seriously, the audience did too.
Realism vs. Cinematic Fluff
Is it a perfect movie? No. It has some "early 2000s" editing choices that feel a bit like a music video. But the performances are grounded. When you look at the Latter Days movie cast, you're seeing a snapshot of a turning point in queer cinema. We moved from the tragic "AIDS movies" of the 90s into stories about identity, community, and the messy process of coming out in restrictive environments.
🔗 Read more: The A Wrinkle in Time Cast: Why This Massive Star Power Didn't Save the Movie
C. Jay Cox, the writer and director, based a lot of this on his own experiences. That’s why the dialogue feels "kinda" raw. It’s not polished Hollywood speak. It’s the sound of people trying to figure out if God hates them or if the people running the building do.
What the Cast is Doing Now
- Steve Sandvoss: He changed his name to Max Sandvoss and eventually moved into the private sector, notably co-founding a creamery. He’s largely retired from acting.
- Wes Ramsey: A consistent presence on TV, specifically General Hospital and various Hallmark/Lifetime projects.
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt: A genuine A-lister, director, and founder of HitRecord.
- Jacqueline Bisset: Continues to act in prestigious international projects and remains a red-carpet icon.
- Khary Payton: A voice-acting legend (Cyborg in Teen Titans) and a fan favorite on The Walking Dead.
Actionable Insights for Fans and New Viewers
If you’re looking to dive back into this film or watch it for the first time, don't just look at it as a romance. Look at the ensemble work.
Watch the background. The dynamics in the apartment shared by the missionaries are scarily accurate to the "MTC" (Missionary Training Center) vibe. Pay attention to the subtle ways the cast uses body language to show the hierarchy of the Mormon mission.
Check the soundtrack. One of the cast members, Rebekah Johnson, is a legit musician. The music isn't just background noise; it's a narrative device that connects the Los Angeles "party" world with the internal world of the characters.
Research the impact. At the time, the movie was banned by certain theater chains (like Madstone) and faced significant pushback. The fact that this specific cast stayed attached to the project despite the controversy says a lot about their professional guts.
To get the most out of a rewatch, track Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character specifically. It’s a fascinating look at how an actor can convey a rigid worldview through nothing but a tightened jaw and a specific way of holding a Book of Mormon. Then, compare that to Wes Ramsey’s gradual "softening" throughout the film. It’s a masterclass in character arcs that many modern big-budget films fail to achieve.
Stream it on platforms like Tubi or Amazon (it pops up frequently) to see why this specific group of actors created something that refuses to be forgotten.