30+ 2000s Heartthrobs Who Absolutely Had Us Smitten In Our Younger Years: How They Looked Then Vs Now
Zac Efron when he was in High School Musical just hits different—even today.
The 2000s decade was definitely something—everyone was just trying to get by and have a good time. Not only that, but this is also the decade that gave birth to many monumental pop cultural reset moments—from Justin Bieber's Baby to Britney Spears' bald head!
But it's not just the music industry that gave birth to such iconic moments and pieces in the 2000s era; this decade also provided us with a chock-full of rom-coms and chick flicks that made an immense impact on the youngsters who were still in their growing-up phase at that time. From Mean Girls, 13 Going on 30, and Bring It On to Legally Blonde, 10 Things I Hate About You, and The Devil Wears Prada, movies back then just hit differently, and people still don't get sick of rewatching them over and over again even now.
That's just how timeless they are, and every time the actors show up on the screen, we are still left swooning even more than ever. After all, these movies were filled with such good-looking actors that it's impossible not to develop the slightest crush on them, especially since these movies were released when we were just on our way to adolescence.
That being said, take a look at some of our favorite 2000s heartthrobs below and see how they looked then vs. now! We're sure you're bound to see your childhood crushes here, so scroll on:
1. Chad Michael Murray then:
Frank Micelotta / Getty ImagesChad Michael Murray now:
chadmichaelmurray/Instagram / Via instagram.com2. Zac Efron then:
High School Musical, anyone?
Jason Merritt / FilmMagic / Getty Images
Zac Efron now:
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3. The Jonas Brothers then:
Right after gawking at one of the stars from High School Musical, it's only natural to gush over the boy band guys from Camp Rock, right? Right.
Dave Hogan / Getty Images
The Jonas Brothers now:
Rich Fury / Getty Images for dcp
4. Omarion then:
Mychal Watts / WireImage / Getty Images
Omarion now:
Jon Kopaloff / Getty Images
5. Taylor Lautner then:
Let your inner Twilight fan back out to howl at the moon.
Kevin Winter / Getty Images
Taylor Lautner now:
Mike Coppola / Getty Images
6. Usher then:
Steve Granitz / WireImage / Getty Images
Usher now:
thisisRnB
7. Orlando Bloom then:
Amanda Edwards / Getty Images
Orlando Bloom now:
Gregg Deguire / FilmMagic / Getty Images
8. Channing Tatum then:
Jeffrey Mayer / WireImage / Getty Images
Channing Tatum now:
Karwai Tang / WireImage / Getty Images
9. Shane West then:
Robin Platzer / Getty Images
Shane West now:
theshanewest/Instagram / Via instagram.com
10. Corbin Bleu then:
Another opportunity to remember High School Musical.
Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images
Corbin Bleu now:
Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images for Disney
11. Jesse McCartney then:
Peter Kramer / Getty Images
Jesse McCartney now:
Fox / FOX Image Collection via Getty Images
12. Raviv Ullman then:
Mark Mainz / Getty Images
Raviv Ullman now:
Paul Archuleta / Getty Images
13. Tom Welling then:
Scott Gries / Getty Images
Tom Welling now:
Axelle / FilmMagic / Getty Images
14. Oliver James Hutson then:
Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com
Oliver James Hutson now:
oliverjhutson/twitter / Via Twitter: @oliverjhutson
15. Sean Faris then:
Noel Vasquez / Getty Images
Sean Faris now:
i_am_seanfaris/Instagram / Via instagram.com
16. Adrian Grenier then:
John Shearer / WireImage / Getty Images
Adrian Grenier now:
adriangrenier/Instagram / Via instagram.com
17. Enrique Iglesias then:
Samir Hussein / Getty Images
Enrique Iglesias now:
It's nice to see he's still sporting caps regularly.
Kevin Winter / Getty Images
18. Robert Schwartzman then:
Walt Disney Pictures
Robert Schwartzman now:
Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images
19. Jonathan Bennett then:
Kevin Winter / Getty Images
Jonathan Bennett now:
Stefanie Keenan / Getty Images for GLAAD
20. Penn Badgley then:
Jamie Mccarthy / WireImage / Getty Images
Penn Badgley now:
Randy Holmes / ABC via Getty Images
21. Robert Pattinson then:
Vera Anderson / WireImage / Getty Images
Robert Pattinson now:
Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images
22. Mark Ruffalo then:
Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
Mark Ruffalo now:
Jamie Mccarthy / Getty Images
23. Chris Pine then:
Jim Spellman / WireImage / Getty Images
Chris Pine now:
Steve Granitz / FilmMagic / Getty Images
24. Ashton Kutcher then:
Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images
Ashton Kutcher now:
James Devaney / GC Images / Getty Images
25. Mario then:
Ethan Miller / Getty Images
Mario now:
Paras Griffin / Getty Images
26. Patrick Dempsey then:
Matthew Peyton / Getty Images
Patrick Dempsey now:
Rosdiana Ciaravolo / Getty Images
27. Heath Ledger then:
Bob Riha Jr / WireImage / Getty Images
Heath Ledger in 2007:
Kevin Mazur / WireImage / Getty Images
28. Daniel Radcliffe then:
Eamonn Mccormack / WireImage / Getty Images
Daniel Radcliffe now:
Mike Marsland / Mike Marsland / WireImage / Getty Images
29. Ryan Gosling then:
Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images
Ryan Gosling now:
Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic / Getty Images
30. Bow Wow then:
Denise Truscello / WireImage / Getty Images
Bow Wow now:
Marcus Ingram / Getty Images
31. Joseph Gordon-Levitt then:
Jon Kopaloff / FilmMagic / Getty Images
Joseph Gordon-Levitt now:
David Livingston / Getty Images
32. Nick Cannon then:
Michael Buckner / Getty Images
Nick Cannon now:
Cindy Ord / Getty Images for SiriusXM
33. Milo Ventimiglia then:
Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images
Milo Ventimiglia now:
Jon Kopaloff / Getty Images
They may have inevitably aged, but nothing could ever change the fact that these men have truly captured our hearts back then—until now! We have a special place in our hearts for them; after all, they played a pivotal role in our lives when we watched them as kids and teens.
Which one was your favorite then and now? Comment down your thoughts, or share this article for all your family and friends to see!
