A Walk to Remember strolled its way into the hearts of many when it hit theaters 20 years ago.
The film follows Mandy Moore’s shy Jamie Sullivan and Shane West’s cool kid Landon Carter, who are thrown together after Landon gets in trouble for hazing a new student and is sentenced to perform community service.
Though Jamie and Landon have known each other most of their lives, he never befriended her due to the status quo. She’s a minister’s daughter who gets involved in school and sings in the church choir; and he’s part of the “popular” crew, who pranks new kids at school by encouraging them to jump into mysterious bodies of water from 40-feet up.
When the school principal gives Landon the choice between being expelled or completing multiple service projects, which includes performing in the school play, he chooses the latter and seeks out Jamie’s help. She agrees to help him on one condition: “You have to promise you won’t fall in love with me,” she tells him, which, of course, he does.
A Walk to Remember marked one of the first Nicholas Sparks books to be turned into a film and made $47.5 million at the box office worldwide. Peter Coyote, Daryl Hannah, Lauren German, Clayne Crawford and Al Thompson also star.
In honor of A Walk to Remember’s 20th anniversary, The Hollywood Reporter takes a look at what the film’s stars have done since the Warner Bros. project hit theaters on Jan. 25, 2002.
