Now and Then / Characters

Samantha "Sam" Albertson

Portrayed in youth by Gaby Hoffmann and in adulthood by Demi Moore.

Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Sam is brunette and becomes this as an adult, more independent and out of touch with her former best friends.
Brainy Brunette: Sam is the nerdy one, full of ideas and interested in the supernatural.
Bookworm: Sam loves to read science-fiction and is shown secrely reading an Edgar Allen Poe book when she's supposed to be asleep.
Character Development: Learns as a cynical adult what Crazy Pete said was true; you can't let the bad things in life stop you from enjoying the good.
Deadpan Snarker: The snarkiest of all the girls.
Determinator: Sam is fixated on solving the mystery around Dear Johnny's death.
Four-Philosophy Ensemble: The cynic. Changes her worldview in the end, though.

Tomboy and Girly Girl: Tomboy to best friend Teeny's Girly Girl. Sam has no girly interests at all and gets in a fight with a boy, while Teeny is more interested in flirting with guys and loves fashion.

Portrayed in youth by Christina Ricci and in adulthood by Rosie O'Donnell.

D-Cup Distress: Is seen bounding her developing breasts while dressing, though she gets rid of the bandages later.
Four-Philosophy Ensemble: The apathetic initially, then the conflicted when she finds the truth about her mother's death.

Girliness Upgrade: Is seen in a much more feminine outfit in the last scene of the girls as kids, after her first kiss with Scott, though still in pants.
The Lad-ette: Roberta is a sporty tomboy Raised by Dudes. She dislikes all the answers in Teeny's Cosmo dating quiz and Chrissy, exasperated, asks her why she can't just "act like a girl".
Lovable Jock: Roberta loves sports and gets along pretty well with everyone but the Wormers.
Raised by Dudes: Why she's so tomboyish.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: Tomboy to Chrissy's Girly Girl. Roberta is a jock, doesn't mind getting dirty, and fights with boys. Chrissy hates sports, is very neat, and reminds Roberta to "be a lady".

Portrayed in youth by Thora Birch and in adulthood by Melanie Griffith.

A-Cup Angst: Stuffs her bra with pudding filled balloons and has gotten a boob job by the time she's an adult.

Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Interest in developing breasts aside, she's a very sweet girl.
Lonely Rich Kid: She is the most well-off of her friends, but since her parents are most interested in their active social life which includes numerous parties, she's often left alone.

Secret-Keeper: Keeps the divorce of Sam's parents a secret from Chrissy and Roberta.

Portrayed in youth by Ashleigh Aston Moore and in adulthood by Rita Wilson.

Beware the Nice Ones: Do not fake your death around Chrissy!
ButtMonkey: Often the butt of jokes due to her naivete, even by her friends.
Etiquette Nazi: Somewhat. Gets on the girls' cases for swearing, especially in the original script.
Fat Best Friend: Though more chubby than outright fat. However, as an adult she's the skinniest and Roberta is the biggest, ironically.
Fiery Redhead: Averted as auburn-haired Chrissy is the calmest and most proper of the group; however, as one of her friends can attest, you do not test her.
Formerly Fat: She was a chubby child, who despite a pregnancy, became a slender adult.

Girlish Pigtails: Her auburn hair is tied into two separate curly ringlets by pink hair ribbons.
Happily Married: ...to the nerdy kid she detested as a kid, no less.
Housewife: She has a rather domestic ambition in life and by the '90s, she is a proud stay-at-home mom and the comfortable wife of a dentist.

Naive Every Girl: Has shades of this.
Nice Girl: She's a sweetheart who shows concern for her friends.
Only Sane Woman: She's the only one with common sense who tries to reign in the others when their adventures get a little too risky.
Pink Means Feminine: And how! Chrissy's entire room is decorated in pink and her outfits, even into adulthood, always have it on them. Even her bike is pink.
Silk Hiding Steel: See Beware the Nice Ones, as she appears to be a proper, passive, docile child but she shows a strong will for reminding her friends to be proper and isn't afraid to call them out.

The Reliable One: Chrissy is the one who keeps count and hold of the treehouse money, keeps the group together, and reunites them as adults after they've gone their separate ways.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: The passive and very feminine (and pink) Girly Girl to Roberta's Tomboy.