Everyone has to get their start somewhere, and for some actors, a good way to get their foot in the door of the acting world is to get a recurring role on a soap opera. Some of the biggest stars today got their start on a soap opera, and many of us have forgotten that when they’re starring in some of the biggest movies and winning prestigious awards. Who are some of these huge celebrities who got their big break on a soap opera?
Demi Moore
Demi Moore’s first big break came as her character Jackie Templeton on General Hospital. She played an investigative reporter in search of her sister, and got roped into investigating the kidnapping of Laura Spencer. Demi was on the show for two years from 1982 to 2984. Being on a soap opera was what really helped kick off Demi’s career. Afterward, she was cast in movies like Ghost, A Few Good Men, and Charlie’s Angels.
Josh Duhamel
Like any other actor, Josh Duhamel’s big break came in the form of playing Leo du Pres on the ABC soap opera, All My Children. He was cast in the role in 1999 and played Leo until 2002. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2001, 2002, and 2003, and took home the title in 2002. In 2011, despite being the big actor that he is today, Josh went back to All My Children, where he reprised his role as Leo for two episodes.
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan has been a star since she was a child. While she starred in some of our favorite movies, she got her start on a soap opera. When she was only ten years old, she took the role of Alli Fowler in the hit soap opera Another World. Her stint on the show didn’t last very long, as she didn’t even make a full year. She left the show for a good reason, though, as she was cast in the remake of Disney’s The Parent Trap.
Ricky Martin
We might know Ricky Martin for his music, but before he was a big star in the music world, he was acting on quite a few soap operas. He’s most known for playing bartender-singer Miguel Morez on General Hospital, where he got the crime boss’ daughter pregnant. When a hit was put on him, he was forced to flee from 1994 to 1996. He was also on two different telenovelas when he was just 15 years old back in 1987.
Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt might be one of the biggest actors on the planet, but he had to get his start somewhere, and that was on a soap opera. In 1987, Brad was on a few episodes of the hit soap Another World. The few episodes that he was on helped him gain experience, and in 1991, he was cast in Thelma and Louise, where his film career began to take off. Brad Pitt became one of the most famous people to come out of daytime television.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Just like Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio is another huge name to come out of daytime television. When he was a child, his mother would take him from audition to audition when he finally got his big break as a young Mason Capwell on Santa Barbara. He was on the show for five episodes, where he portrayed the origin story of the older character. This small role on the soap opera helped Leo get his foot in the door of the acting world.
Meg Ryan
Actress Meg Ryan got her foot in the door of the acting world when she played the role of Betsy Montgomery on As the World Turns from 1982 to 1984. Before she was cast in the soap opera, she was only booking small gigs like commercials. Being in As the World Turns opened some doors for the actress, as she went on to book the role of Carole Bradshaw, Goose’s wife, in Top Gun. Things only went up from there as she continued to book roles after that.
Mark Hamill
Before he could be Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, Mark Hamill had to get his start somewhere. While he had a couple of small guest roles here and there, his first real role was on a soap opera. Mark Hamill played the role of Kent Murray, the nephew of Nurse Jessie Brewer, on General Hospital. He was on the show for about a year before he left to move on to some serious, bigger, and better things.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar is another actress who got her start on a soap opera. During the early 90s, she scored the role of Kendall Hart on All My Children, where she played the character for three seasons total. Bigger and better things were ahead for Sarah Michelle Gellar as she went on to book the starring role of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It took a lot of work and three seasons, but she definitely made it worth it.
Michael B. Jordan
These days, when you hear the name Michael B. Jordan, you think of the superstar who’s worked hard to get to the top and book the roles that he wants. He was cast on All My Children for three seasons, where he played the character Reggie Montgomery, a troubled teenager. He took on the role in 2003 and played Reggie until 2006. Before he played Reggie, Chadwick Boseman played the teen. The two would go on to be superstars.
