You could say that ’90s nostalgia is at an all-time high right now. Nickelodeon is rebooting a ton of its classic shows, All That is getting a reunion special, and Melissa Joan Hart is playing coy at the potential return of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Clarissa Explains It All. While it may have been a tragic fashion era, there is no denying that it was a culturally rich time that many look back on with rose-colored glasses. How else could Fuller House have become a thing?
The reboot possibilities are especially intriguing with regards to Clarissa Explains It All. As the show turns 25 today (exactly how ancient do you feel right now?), it remains a gold standard of children’s television. Clarissa Darling is one of the most relatable heroines from the ’90s, dealing with normal teen stuff like friendship, puberty, video games, and her irritating little brother, Ferguson. That ginger nerd was the bane of her existence, as little brothers often are. Ferguson may have been in elementary school, but he had much higher aspirations than the average kid. However, despite making a strong impression on viewers of Clarissa Explains It All, actor Jason Zimbler left the business when the show ended in 1994.
What happened to him? He basically grew up to become Ferguson. Zimbler now lives in New York and works as a software designer for HBO. After a show (and character) that was so awesomely nerd-centric, this seems like the perfect fit.
Remember the red-headed nerdy little brother on 'Clarissa Explains It All'? This is him now. http://t.co/hn2KTvQT4i pic.twitter.com/Ey2j0omS27
— Mashable (@mashable) September 18, 2014
In an interview with Mashable, Zimbler explains that he does kind of see himself as an older, wiser version of Ferguson these days.
I totally jived with Ferguson. He was more politically nerdy than I was, I was more tech nerdy. But he was unrepentantly nerdy and proud of learning, and he made being bookish cool — or cool for being uncool. I really dug that.
Now, I’m still working with computers and in the past few years, my political awareness has really heightened. So, yeah, I’m totally the older version of how Ferguson would have turned out.
While I like to think that Ferg Face really will make it to the White House someday, it’s honestly pretty refreshing to see a child actor come away from the whole Hollywood madness with a sense of normality. Classic Ferguson.
(Via Mashable)
