Time makes fools of us all, doesn’t it? But it’s nice, from time to time, to look back at the non-fools we once were.
What I’m trying to torturously get across here is that we’re going to look at celebrities in their first TV role vs. their latest.
Check out the differences!
Ellen Pompeo: “Law & Order” (1999, 2000) – “Grey’s Anatomy” (2020)
Well, had she seen that in a mere five years she would be playing the role she would play for the rest of her career, would she have even bothered with Law & Order ?
Mindy Kaling: “The Office” (2005) – “The Morning Show” (2019)
Wow! Imagine having your first role be The Office .
If I was Mindy Kaling, I would be thanking Ricky Gervais’ lucky British stars that his show got off the ground.
Jensen Ackles: “Wishbone” (1996) – “Supernatural” (2020)
Yet another actor who could have just held out for a couple more years before he was given the biggest performance of his life.
Then again, maybe his time on Wishbone helped him secure the role of Dean Winchester.
Jennifer Aniston: “Molloy” (1990) – “The Morning Show” (2020)
She went from a seven-episode “series regular” to the executive producer on her most recent show.
Although Friends was not her first show, it was definitely the show that launched her into stardom.
Jared Padalecki: “Silent Witness” (2000) – “Supernatural” (2020)
The other Winchester brother also got his start pretty early.
Heck, he was even Dean on Gilmore Girls for a while before he landed Supernatural ! His legacy was already cemented!
Mark Harmon: “Ozzie’s Girls” (1973) – “NCIS” (2020)
One has to wonder if he knew he was going to be huge in the year 2003.
Or that he would be a part of a crime drama that would last 15+ years.
Stephen Amell: “Queer as Folk” (2004) – “Arrow” (2020)
If this superhero craze hadn’t come along, maybe Stephen Amell would still be doing little comedic two-episode bits on shows like Queen As Folk .
How times they change. Strange, isn’t it?
Lauren Cohan: “The Bold and the Beautiful” (2007) – “Whiskey Cavalier” (2019)
Before anyone can call us out, yes the photo on the left is from Supernatural .
But she got that role the same year she got her Bold and the Beautiful cameo (to which there is no photo for).
Cohan’s career has mostly been about being important, integral, but mostly “reoccurring” roles in series.
John Krasinski: “Ed” (2003) – “Jack Ryan” (2020)
This photo from a 2003 commercial for Pepsi should give you an idea on how Krasinski looked in Ed .
John Krasinski has made a huge transition throughout his career.
He went from the goofy, rom-com type to an action hero in the span of 10 or so years. Good for you, John.
Andrew Lincoln: “Drop the Dead Donkey” (1994) – “Fear the Walking Dead” (2018)
Another actor who got their career because of a craze.
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But this time, instead of superheroes being the career starter, it was zombies. Thank goodness for the late 2000s and early 2010s!
Ian Somerhalder: “The Big Easy” (1997) – “V Wars” (2019)
It’s been a pretty decent ride for Ian Somerhalder over the years.
He’s been in two shows that went pretty big, specifically The Vampire Diaries and Lost . Seems like an alright time.
Manu Bennett: “Paradise Beach” (1993) – “Arrow” (2020)
Manu Bennett has a pretty decent start to his career.
He began his life as an actor in Paradise Beach , where he was not only the main role but they did 254 episodes.
Kaley Cuoco: “My So-Called Life” (1994) – “The Big Bang Theory” (2019)
Here we have a celebrity whose most defining role actually ended rather recently.
One has to wonder what’s next on the docket for this super celeb? We’ll have to wait and see.
Sarah Hyland: “Another World” (1997) – “Veronica Mars” (2019)
Wow, going from a small role in Another World (where she is credited to have been in “unknown episodes”, for real ) to being in one of the biggest shows on TV.
