BWW Column: TV Actors Take Advantage of Second Chance at Stardom

By: Jan. 26, 2016
Enter Your Email to Unlock This Article

Plus, get the best of BroadwayWorld delivered to your inbox, and unlimited access to our editorial content across the globe.




Existing user? Just click login.

Every actor wants his or her big break. There are many stars who achieve success with their first role, but for many in the business, it takes years of supporting roles to find the part that makes their career. Sometimes a role on a popular show can seem like "the one," but the name-making role is just around the corner, as is the case of the actors below.

TARAJI P. HENSON

Taraji P. Henson is a prolific television actress, and she's guest starred on many television shows, such as HOUSE, BOSTON LEGAL, and CSI. In 2011, she was cast in the CBS drama PERSON OF INTEREST as NYPD officer Jocelyn "Joss" Carter. PERSON OF INTEREST won it's time slot with 13.2 million viewers, and received very positive reviews from critics. However, in 2013 Henson's character was killed off the show after over two years of co-starring, due to the shows new storyline direction. To most people, being killed off of a hugely successful CBS drama would be devastating, but not for Henson. Only three months later, Henson was cast at Cookie Lyon on FOX's new TV pilot, EMPIRE. The show is much more than a pilot now, garnering huge ratings every week and positive reviews from critics. Henson was nominated for an Emmy in 2015, and just a few weeks ago she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress - Television Series Drama for her role, an award only two other African American actresses have received in the history of the Globes.

Photo Credit: Chuck Hodes | FOX

JARED PADALECKI AND JENSEN ACKLES

The stars of SUPERNATURAL are so popular and loved by millions that it's easy to forget that they had identities before they were Sam and Dean Winchester. Padalecki had a guest starring role on GILMORE GIRLS, as Dean Forester, Rory Gilmore's first boyfriend and complicated love interest throughout a good portion of the series. Dean was a main cast member throughout the first three seasons, and then continued on as a recurring member until the end of Season 5. Dean was loved by many GILMORE GIRLS fans, and he's even a part of an ongoing discussion about how Rory should have ended up with in the end. Many were sad when Padalecki left the show in 2005, but no one could've guessed that he'd be the co-star in a show so popular that it's on it's 11th season and counting! SUPERNATURAL is a cult phenomenon on The CW that is so loved it was one of the first big shows to have a "fandom."

Jensen Ackles is the other star of SUPERNATURAL, but before he was Dean Winchester, he was Jason Teague on SMALLVILLE. Jason was introduced in Season 4 as a love interest for Lana Lang, much to the dismay of fans who loved Lana and Clark together. However, Jason ended up being a very likable character, and it was sad to see him leave after only one season on the show. Thankfully, both Ackles and Padalecki have been on our television screens for over 11 years as the Winchester brothers, and I wouldn't be surprised if a 12th season was around the corner.

Photo Credit: The CW

COLTON HAYNES

Colton Haynes is a superhero. Well let me clarify, he plays the superhero Arsenal (also known as Roy Harper) on The CW series ARROW, which is a very popular show that was just renewed for it's 4th season and has already had two spin-offs. This is a great gig for Haynes, who is an up-and-coming star in the industry. However, Haynes was actually one of the stars of MTV's hugely successful show, TEEN WOLF, as Jackson Whittemore. After two years on the show, Haynes tweeted:

"These past few years have been the best of my life. I'm sad that this chapter has ended, but excited for a new one to begin. Thx for the love."

The next day it was announced that he'd be leaving TEEN WOLF to become a member of the show ARROW. The move paid off, however, because a only a year of being a recurring cast member on ARROW, he was upgraded to a series regular in Season 2.

Photo Credit: The CW

IAN SOMERHOLDER

Everyone knows Ian Somerholder as Damon Salvatore, the handsome and charming vampire on THE VAMPIRE DIARIES. This show brought him widespread attention and love, winning him multiple Teen Choice and PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS thanks to his role, and his chemistry with co-star Nina Dobrev. However, most casually viewers THE VAMPIRE DIARIES may not know that Somerholder was a cast member of the show LOST before being killed off at the end of Season 1 (way too early, if you ask me). He played Boone Carlyle, a SURVIVOR of the plane crash. He dies at the end of the 1st season from injuries after being crushed by a falling plane, ironically. I personally loved Boone and was incredibly sad to see him die so soon on a show that had six seasons, but Somerholder found much more success and receives an insane amount of attention thanks to his role as the antagonist and then protagonist Damon.

Photo Credit: Blake Tyers | The CW

NOEL WELLS

Noel Wells is one of the breakout stars of Netflix's MASTER OF NONE. She plays Rachel, the love interest of Dev, played by co-creator and star Aziz Ansari. Rachel is lovable and a very realistic portrayal of a 20-something in this society. Wells shined in the first season of MASTER OF NONE, and fans are anxiously awaiting a second season to drop on Netflix. Wells fits perfectly in this show, and will be remembered for her role as Rachel, but most people won't remember her as a cast member on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE's 2013-2014 season. She wasn't a stand-out new cast member, and NBC decided not to keep her on for a 2nd season. However, in Wells' case, I think this was a good thing, because unlike on SNL, she is a star on MASTER OF NONE, and this show will be a huge tipping point in her career.

Photo Credit: Netflix

AARON PAUL

Aaron Paul stole everyone's hearts and received universal acclaim for his role as Jesse Pinkman on one of the greatest dramas of all time, BREAKING BAD. It's crazy to think that this was the first time anyone really saw Paul's star talent before. He now has three Emmy Awards and is regarded as one of the best characters on TV. Before playing the drug-addled Jesse Pinkman, Paul was a recurring character on the HBO drama, BIG LOVE, a show that ran for five seasons, and had a lot of success on HBO. Paul played Scott Quittman, the husband to Sarah Henrickson, played by Amanda Seyfried. Paul was only on the show for 14 of the 53 episodes, but thankfully BREAKING BAD came along so that his talent could be seen on a even bigger scale. Paul now is a star and executive producer of the Netflix show, BOJACK HORSEMAN, and will soon be seen on the Hulu show, THE PATH.

Photo Credit: AMC

From Henson to Somerholder to Paul, these actors are just a small example of stars who found their success after years of being on other shows or leaving a show too soon. Did I miss anyone you think should've been mentioned on this list? Leave your comments below, or tweet me at @kaitmilligan!



Videos