Where Step Up cast are now – from heroin overdose heartache to ‘sexting’ scandal and heartthrob arrested for burglary
WITH its sensational soundtrack and jaw-dropping dance routines, Step Up is not your average romcom.
The movie centres around two main characters - troublemaker street dancer Tyler Gage, played by Channing Tatum, and prim and proper ballet dancer Nora Clark (Jenna Dewan).
As their opposite world's collide, sparks fly and the pair fall in love.
While it was panned by critics, the 2006 flick was a box office hit, grossing $114.2million and spawning four sequels and a TV series.
The lead stars' onscreen romance transferred into real life, with Channing and Jenna marrying in 2009 and having daughter Everly in 2013, before their shock split in 2018.
Here, we take a look at how the former couple and the rest of the cast have fared since the film's release.
Jenna Dewan - Nora Clark
Jenna, now 42, actually started out as a backing dancer for Janet Jackson, Pink and Christina Aguilera before moving into acting and also starred in 2006 film Take The Lead.
She and Channing shocked the world when they announced they'd separated - which he described as "super scary and terrifying" in the beginning.
The pair said they fought for their marriage but had "grown apart".
They finalised their divorce in 2019, by which point Jenna had begun dating actor Steve Kazee and they got engaged in February 2020.
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The pair now have a son, Callum, born in March 2020.
Most recently, Jenna starred in TV film Let's Get Physical and TV series The Rookie.
Channing Tatum - Tyler Gage
He's best known now for Magic Mike and 21 Jump Street, but Step Up was Channing Tatum's breakout role.
Since splitting from Jenna, Channing dated Jessie J on and off between 2018 and 2020 and started dating now-girlfriend Zoe Kravitz in 2021.
He reprises his role as a stripper in the third instalment of Magic Mike - Last Dance, starring alongside Salma Hayek, who reportedly replaced Thandiwe Newton following claims of an "on-set bust-up".
The Sun reported the alleged row between Thandiwe and Channing, said to be "unimaginably vicious", was over Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars and culminated with Channing driving off set in his car.
Mario Dewar Barrett - Miles Darby
R&B singer Mario had signed a record deal by the time he was 14, and played the role of Miles - a music producer.
He went on to star in an MTV special the following year, called I Won't Love You to Death: The Story of Mario and His Mom, which dealt with his mother's heroin addiction.
Sadly, his mum died of an overdose in 2017.
The Let Me Love You singer told Page Six: "I think about my mother all the time. The last time I cried about her was at the funeral.
"I don’t think crying or tears always necessarily express your pain or your thoughts for someone.
"For me, I do a lot of things eternally, you know what I mean? I process things differently because honestly I’ve seen a lot of death in my family."
Most recently Mario, now 36, was cast in Fox's production of Rent, and TV series Empire.
Drew Sidora - Lucille 'Lucy' Avila
Drew, 37, has had a varied career, making a name for herself through her music and acting roles, including playing Nora's best friend Lucy in Step Up.
She also had a recurring part in Disney’s That’s So Raven as Chantel, and has appeared in over 20 films.
In 2013 Drew founded charity Dream Makers, advocating for young girls and women.
She now stars in The Real Housewives of Atlanta and is married to Ralph Pittman, with whom she shares two children.
The couple came close to splitting when she reportedly discovered messages on Ralph's phone in which his female assistant said she could "come over" and give him "a massage".
Rachel Griffiths - Director Gordan
Aussie actress Rachel Griffiths, now 54, had already earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress when she starred as Director Gordan in Step Up, as well as a Golden Globe.
Afterwards she starred in TV show Brothers & Sisters, earning another two Emmy nominations, and last year she starred in The King's Daughter.
The actress has been married to Andrew Taylor since 2002, and they share children Banjo, 19, Adelaide, 17, and 13-year-old Clem.
In 2020 she was blasted for a "tone deaf" post about getting a manicure amid the George Floyd riots in the US.
She wrote the violent street protests were "easier on the soul to watch" with "beautiful nails".
The post has since been deleted and she issued an apology.
Damaine Radcliff - Marcus 'Mac' Carter
Although Damaine Radcliff also starred in sports drama Glory Road in 2006, you're now more likely to find him behind the camera.
In 2019 he was executive producer on Rambo: Last Blood, and the year after on Tesla, starring Ethan Hawke.
Now 43, the next film he'll be working on is called Cali, which is currently in pre-production.
Josh Henderson - Brett Dolan
After playing Nora’s ex-boyfriend in Step Up, Josh was cast in the hit TV show Desperate Housewives as Austin McCann.
He was also cast in 90210, among other teen films and TV shows, but his personal life overshadowed his acting.
Josh has had a string of glamorous girlfriends, including Ashlee Simpson from 2002 to 2003, MTV's Kendal Sheppard, Brittany Snow, Survivor star Andrea Boehlke, and now Audrina Patridge from The Hills.
Kendal maintains that Josh is the father of her first born son and claimed in 2008 that he was denying paternity or responsibility.
In December 2018, Josh was arrested on suspicion of breaking into his neighbour’s Los Angeles home, but the charges were dropped later that month due to insufficient evidence.
Alyson Stoner - Camille
Formerly a backup dancer for the likes of Missy Elliot and Eminem, and appearing as one of the 12 children in Cheaper By The Dozen, Alyson Stoner was already pretty well-known when she was in Step Up.
She continued to bring her amazing dance skills to Disney's Camp Rock, alongside the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato, and reprised her role as Tyler’s younger sister in Step Up 3D and Step Up: All In.
Alyson, 29, is also known as the voice of Isabella on Disney's Phineas and Ferb.
In March 2018, Alyson came out as pansexual in a Teen Vogue article, revealing she’s “attracted to men, women and people who identify in other ways”.
She admitted she sought conversion therapy before coming out.
Heavy D - Omar
Jamaican-born rapper Heavy D - not to be confused with the late Storage Hunters star, who had the same name - was one of the founding members of Heavy D & the Boyz in the late 1980s before branching off as a solo artist.
Other than Step Up, he appeared in many films and TV shows, including Tower Heist and Law & Order.
His final record, Love Opus, was released shortly before he died in November 2011, aged 44, after collapsing outside his California home.
His cause of death was later revealed as a pulmonary embolism due to deep vein thrombosis in his leg.
Deirdre Lovejoy - Katherine Clark
Before starring as Nora's mum in Step Up, Deirdre was already known for her roles in The West Wing and The Wire.
She's still acting today, with her most recent role being last year in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
In 2019, Deirdre, 60, starred in an autobiographical one-person play she wrote, Bird Elephant China.
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It dealt with the unexplained seizures she experienced in 2009, which affected her memory and ability to walk and talk for almost a year.
She also experienced hallucinations during this time.