‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ Actress Nancy Travis Praises Movie’s Cast (Exclusive)

Nancy Travis loves seeing the cast of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants thriving.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE to discuss her recent guest appearance on the ABC sitcom Shifting Gears, Travis, 63, reflected on appearing in the 2005 film ahead of its 20th anniversary in May. The Last Man Standing alumna played Lydia Rodman, Carmen’s (America Ferrera) WASP-y stepmother, who didn’t make the teen feel welcome in her family.

However, off-screen, Travis has nothing but praise for Ferrera, 40, and the rest of the film’s cast, including Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel and Amber Tamblyn.

“The women in Sisterhood were fantastic,” she tells PEOPLE, adding, “It’s also great to watch how their careers have exploded and moved on and changed.”

Since the film’s release, each of the actresses has gone on to have impressive careers, with Ferrera earning an Oscar nomination in 2024 for her role in Barbie, Lively starring in films like It Ends with Us and A Simple Favor, Bledel winning an Emmy for The Handmaid’s Tale and Tamblyn working as an activist and writer, while also starring in projects like Y: The Last Man and Two and a Half Men.

Travis went on to add that she recalls the experience of making the film being a “warm one,” which she noted is not always the case in Hollywood. “It really is great to be able to say that because we are in a business that has a dark side,” she says. “It’s good to be able to have more [good] experiences.”

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants had a lasting impact on its young cast as well. Ferrera, Lively, Bledel and Tamblyn remain close friends, and often share their reunions and support for one another online. In January 2024, Ferrera told PEOPLE that the foursome have a group chat that’s as old as their friendship.

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“We have a Sisterhood text that’s been going for 20 years now,” Ferrera said at the time. “I just turned 20 when we shot Sisterhood, and I’m going to be 40 next year.”

She continued, “We’ve all had kids. We’ve all gotten married. We were at each other’s weddings. We’ve been through a lot of life together.”

Shifting Gears airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.