Jake Johnson Says There's 'Not Much' That Makes Him Want to Revisit the '90s, but Reveals the One Thing He Misses (Exclusive)
Jake Johnson Says There's 'Not Much' That Makes Him Want to Revisit the '90s, but Reveals the One Thing He Misses (Exclusive)
Tereza Shkurtaj, Kristen O'BrienSat, March 21, 2026 at 10:30 PM UTC
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Jake Johnson.Credit: Erika Goldring/Getty -
On March 13, 2026, Jake Johnson attended the world premiere of The Sun Never Sets in Austin, Texas
Director Joe Swanberg and cast members Dakota Fanning and Cory Michael Smith also made an appearance
During the event, Johnson spoke to PEOPLE about which aspects of the ‘90s he would relive if he could
Jake Johnson isn't sold on the current obsession with ‘90s nostalgia and admits the decade wasn’t necessarily one he’s eager to relive.
Johnson has long been a fan favorite thanks to his easygoing humor and relatable charm on screen, largely due to his role as the sarcastic yet lovable bartender Nick Miller on the hit comedy New Girl — a role that cemented his place in pop culture. Recently, the 47-year-old stepped into a new world for his latest film, The Sun Never Sets, alongside Dakota Fanning and Debby Ryan.
On March 13, 2026, Johnson chatted with PEOPLE at the SXSW world premiere of the Joe Swanberg-directed movie, admitting there is only one thing from his teenage years in the '90s that he'd want to revisit.
“I think it's surprising that people are getting nostalgic about the ‘90s because having lived through them, I thought they were cool, but there's not much that would make me think we got to go back to the '90s,” Johnson tells PEOPLE exclusively.
Jake Johnson.Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty
Nevertheless, Johnson acknowledges that the decade had its highlights, particularly when it came to entertainment.
Looking back, he says the music scene and the movies of the era left a strong impression on him, and he appreciated how the media landscape felt less crowded than it does today.
“The bands were cool. You know what I liked? That there was a lot of great music, movies were really cool…I liked that there weren't so many streamers or different things,” he shares. “It was more streamlined, but I also like now that there's less gatekeepers.”
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While the music and films stand out in his memory, the one thing Johnson says he truly misses from the ‘90s is the spirit of old-school road trips. Traveling back then meant fully disconnecting from everyday life in a way that doesn’t happen as easily now.
“Road trips now aren't road trips if you have a cell phone and GPS and all this,” Johnson emphasizes. “You're driving a lot, but when I was in high school and college and you took a road trip, you would say goodbye to everybody and maybe call them if you got a calling card from a pay phone, but most likely I'll see you in nine days.”
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For the now father of two, the unpredictability of those early trips made them memorable, noting that "getting lost was cool."
Without phones or instant directions, the journey itself became the experience, something he says is hard to replicate today.
“What happens in that car with those people, that becomes your whole world, and I miss that a lot and you wouldn't know where a hotel was or a restaurant,” Johnson recalls. “I found that really exciting, but also I’d feel like a clown not bringing a phone now, because if we broke down I'd be like, what a goober.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
