When it comes to 90s movie crushes, my people know all too well that JTT, Devon Sawa, Christina Ricci, and Brandy were the go-to crushes, but they were ‘Tiger Beat’ residents. It was totally normal to crush on a teen actor, or possibly even the grown-ass people who played teens on shows like ‘90210,’ but throughout our childhood, many of our hearts also belonged to the same movie stars our parents were eyeing as well. So that’s where we are today, since James Flynn’s 90s movie crush was someone in a movie that wasn’t all that kid-friendly, I decided to focus on the crushes – wait, have you not listened to the James Flynn episode yet? Okay, you can do so here or if you like a visual component, go here.
Okay, you’re back. Now, where were we? Oh, yeah…90s movie crushes that were too old for us growing up, but we didn’t care one bit because when you’re no more than five and watch Brad Pitt jump up and down on that bed in ‘Thelma & Louise,’ you’re going to fall – hard. So let’s take a look at all those too old for you 90s movie crushes…
Brad Pitt
Let’s not act shocked he’s on this list. I just mentioned him and well – when it comes to the ‘90s, ‘00s, and today…this man is fine. However, it was upsetting to see that when he was in ‘Thelma & Louise,’ he was six years younger than I am now. Yeah, that’s where we are millennials, we old but he WAS a hot older man in 1991 because I was only four, so there!
Halle Berry
Another star who was making our young hearts burst, who was also only 28 when they did so like the aforementioned Brad Pitt, was Halle Berry in a movie I will go to the grave defending, and that is ‘The Flintstones.’
Johnny Depp
We could go into a whole thing about how Johnny Depp laid the groundwork for so many emo hearts as children thanks to his appearances in ‘Edward Scissorhands,’ but that’s a whole ass essay right there. I’ll just say, if you crushed on Depp’s Edward (he was only 27, but again…still old to an elementary school student!), chances are you tried to make your own skinny jeans before they became the norm in the mid-00s, wore a lot of eyeliner, and thought My Chemical Romance was IT.
Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan was to RomComs in the 90s what Reese Witherspoon was to them in the 00s, and many took notice by wanting nothing more than to marry her after watching movies like ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ and ‘You’ve Got Mail.’ If you want to feel old, Meg Ryan was only 32 when ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ came out. Okay…writing this list is starting to feel like an attack…but I will push on.
Tom Hanks
Um, you cannot mention Meg Ryan without mentioning Tom Hanks. I think we all had a collective crush on this man because I mean…it’s Tom freaking Hanks and ‘Forrest Gump’ is quite possibly one of the best movies of all time. I know, I know I said what I said about ‘The Flintstones,’ but that’s a good movie based on how well they did the sets. ‘Forrest Gump’ is perfection all-around. Also, Hanks was 38 the year ‘Gump’ came out. I feel a little better knowing I’m younger than that…at this moment.
Angela Bassett
If you’re around my age, chances are you got caught up in that long-ass movie about the Jackson family on Vh1 at least once during your childhood. You know the one that was like five hours and sort of pissed you off because you just wanted to see a Matchbox Twenty music video? Anyways, Angela Bassett may’ve made you calm a bit in that, or perhaps it was a mere year later when she stepped into one of her most celebrated roles to date as Tina Turner in ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It’ when she was only 37.
Jeff Goldblum
One of the oldest to capture the hearts of 90s kids back in the day, Jeff Goldblum did just that by somehow bringing way an insane amount of sex appeal to a movie about a dinosaur theme park’s demise.
Julia Roberts
In case you haven’t read about my ‘Pretty Woman’ obsession, click here. Now I will say that as much as I love Richard Gere in that movie, I loved Julia Roberts just as much. I mean, she’s undeniable in that role…and just about every other role she had in the 90s. This is why so many young hearts couldn’t help but be enamored then.
Denzel Washington
In the ‘90s Denzel Washington made a lot of super-serious movies and looked great in every one of them, but something tells me that our hearts all burst when he appeared alongside the late, great Whitney Houston in the holiday-must, ‘The Preacher’s Wife.’ I mean, just one smile and our hearts were his, right?
Sandra Bullock
‘Speed.’ Need I say more?
Crushgasm 