Larisa Oleynik: What the 'Secret World of Alex Mack' and '10 Things I Hate About You' Actress Has Been Doing Since Her Teen Star Days

If you grew up during the '90s, chances are good that you were a devoted viewer of Nickelodeon shows. One of the most popular shows on the channel during this era was The Secret World of Alex Mack, which followed the likable teen title character as she dealt with the ups and downs of having shapeshifting and telekinetic powers (you know, normal teen stuff!).

The Secret World of Alex Mack ran from 1994 to 1998 and made the young actress who played Alex, Larisa Oleynik, a star. Now 43, Oleynik is still acting, and even briefly returned to Nickelodeon in 2023. Here’s a look at what she’s been up to since the '90s.

Larisa Oleynik’s teen star days

Oleynik got her start at just 8 years old, when she was cast in a San Francisco production of Les Misérables. In 1993, she had first TV appearance on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. She was then cast as Alex Mack, winning the part over 400 other actresses. Even though Alex Mack had supernatural powers, Oleynik made her relatable, and the show became a major hit with young viewers who looked up to her character.

Oleynik still has fond feelings for her signature character, and told an interviewer, “As I’ve gotten older, people seem to have a relationship with me, or a relationship with a certain character I played as if we’ve grown up together. And that’s something I really appreciate more and more. I think there’s a lot of value in that.”

While on the show, Oleynik acted in the 1995 Baby-Sitters Club movie, and after the show, she played Julia Stiles’ more popular and outgoing younger sister in the 1999 teen rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You. She then went to college, and during this time, she realized, “What I thought was me wanting to leave the business was actually just me saying, no, I’m ready to be a different kind of actor.”

Becoming “a different kind of actor”

Oleynik’s first big TV role after playing Alex was in 3rd Rock From the Sun from 1998 to 2000, where she played Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s girlfriend (they also played love interests in 10 Things I Hate About You). She then appeared in movies including An American Rhapsody (2001), Atlas Shrugged II: The Strike (2012), Jessabelle (2014) and Animal Among Us (2019).

Oleynik continued to be best known for her TV parts, and had multi-episode roles in Mad Men (2010-2015), Pretty Little Liars (2012-2014) and Trinkets (2019-2020). She also starred in the 2015 Lifetime movie Wish Upon a Christmas and was in the cast of the short-lived 2020 Netflix show The Healing Powers of Dude. 

Since playing Alex, the actress has returned to the channel that launched her career not once but twice. From 2011 to 2015, she voiced a character in the animated Nickelodeon series Winx Club, and most recently, in 2023, she played the mom of one of the main characters in Nickelodeon’s teen comedy Erin & Aaron. While the show was canceled after a single season, it marked a full-circle moment for Oleynik, as she went from being a teen on the channel to a mom of a teen.

While on Erin & Aaron, Oleynik said, “I keep thinking that I'm one with the teenagers, and while I am spiritually, I am not actually. That part is really funny to me — that I have to keep going, ‘Larisa, you're an adult. Did you know that?’”

While she’ll forever be a teen to those of us who grew up with The Secret World of Alex Mack, we’re glad to see that Larisa Oleynik is still keeping busy as an adult.

Read on for more '90s teen favorites!

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