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A pot of gold awaits you at the end of this anniversary.
The Luck of the Irish, the classic Disney Channel Original Movie—a.k.a. DCOM—is turning 25 March 9, appropriately just ahead of St. Patrick’s Day.
The 2001 movie starred frequent DCOM actor Ryan Merriman as Kyle O’Reilly Johnson, a high school basketball player unaware of his Irish heritage—or the accompanying magical curse. Kyle must recover his family’s lucky gold from the evil leprechaun Seamus McTiernen (Timothy Omundson) before he and his family are all transform into leprechauns.
And while the film has a decidedly Irish slant, Merriman couldn’t help but see the similarities between his character and another famous basketball-playing Disney Channel star.
“I’m the OG Troy Bolton,” Merriman told E! News, calling out Zac Efron’s High School Musical character. “There, I said it. There are just too many similarities between The Luck of the Irish and High School Musical.”
“Just hear me out,” he exclaimed. “Both movies star two ridiculously handsome basketball playing popular jocks. These said jocks have deep, dark secrets they don’t want anyone to know about. As well as above average singing and dancing abilities. And each closes out the respective films with a musical number about unity. Really? Really!”
And High School Musical wasn’t the only film presumably inspired by The Luck of the Irish. Admitting he used to “watch that movie like crazy,” director Ryan Coogler confirmed it sparked his interest in the similarities Irish and Black culture share. In other words, his childhood love for the DCOM led to his 2025 horror film Sinners collecting all the nominations for the 2026 Oscars.
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“That was our first introduction to some of the similarities in Irish folk music to, basically, our music,” the Oakland, Calif., native explained to Deadline in November. “There was a small Irish community in The Bay, and we would talk about it.”
“That movie was kind of a touchpoint for us to jump off of, crazy enough,” Ryan added. “We’ve been fascinated with that culture in my family.”
Before you Irish step dance over to Disney+ to watch The Luck of the Irish in honor of its 25th anniversary, keep reading for a look at where all of your favorite stars from the movie are today.
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Ryan Merriman
As Kyle Johnson, Ryan Merriman played a high school junior unaware of the fact that his family is secretly descendants from leprechauns.
Since then, Merriman has stared in many television shows and movies. Perhaps his most notable TV role since The Luck of the Irish was playing Ian Thomas in the hit series Pretty Little Liars, but he has also stared in films such as 42 with Chadwick Bosman, The Congressmen with Treat Williams and most recently alongside Joey Lawrence in Diamond Rose.
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Alexis Lopez
Alexis Lopez, who played Kyle's bestie Bonnie in the film, left the acting world for modeling short after The Luck of the Irish premiered. In 2020 she helped co-found the non profit Compass Empowerment Society, which works to empower women, children and the community through education and volunteer work.
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Marita Geraghty
As Kyle's mom, Marita Geraghty's Kate O'Reilly Johnson was tasked with telling him their family was actually Irish. She went on to appear in multiple films and TV shows after The Luck of the Irish, including Charmed and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
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Timothy Omundson
As the evil leprechaun Seamus McTiernen, Timothy Omundson stole the lucky gold coin that sends Kyle Johnson on an adventure, discovering the truth about his family's Irish roots.
Since then, Omundson has been on his own journey, making appearances on TV shows such as Cold Case, Without a Trace, Supernatural, Psych, Lucifer and Galavant. After recovering from a stroke in 2017, the actor worked that experience into his career, playing a stroke victim on This Is Us.
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Thurl Bailey
The retired basketball star has never truly left the sports world. After playing Mr. Halloway in the film, Thurl Bailey went on to work as a broadcast analyst for the University of Utah and the NBA's Utah Jazz—his former team. He also continues to run his private coaching service, Coach Up and has also been involved with various charities such as Make-A-Wish and D.A.R.E.
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Charles Halford
After starring as McDermott, Charles Halford has remained in the game, making appearances on TV shows such as The Walking Dead, Supergirl, True Detective and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. In 2018 he starred alongside Dakota Johnson and Jon Hamm in Bad Times at the El Royale. Most recently he appeared on episodes of The Righteous Gemstones and Chicago Med.
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