Many people are not aware that
musical theater is a great staple to master if you want to be a well-rounded, mainstream
actor or actress. There are tons of Hollywood
actors that actually started their career on Broadway. Take Sarah Jessica
Parker for example. This Sex and the City star got her big break in 1997 as “Annie”, during the show's original run. However, not
all these actors started out as principle characters. Shirley MacLaine was cast as an understudy on Broadway in the 1945 run of "Pajama Game". She was spotted by a director while taking over the role and the rest is history.
Here are a few famous actors that started out on Broadway;
It’s not a shocker that this “Glee” star launched her career on Broadway. At the age of 9, Lea played the role of Young Cosette in the musical Les Miserables. About 10 years later, she had the opportunity to take the stage again as Wendia in Spring Awakening.
Kristen Bell is known for her sitcom roles on Veronica Mars, Gossip Girl, House of Lies, and Heroes. Very few people know that Kristen has a strong background in theater. She actually attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Just a few credits from graduating, she starred as Becky Thatcher in the musical version of Mark Twain’s The Adventureof Tom Sawyer.
Did you know that Anna Kendricks was nominated for a Tony award at the age of 12? She received this nomination in 1998 for her
role of Dinah in the musical High Society.
She is the third-youngest actor to have ever been nominated for this
award. Anna has starred in Twilight, Pitch Perfect, End of Watch and 50/50. TAYE DIGGS & IDINA MENZEL
Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel have been
happily married for 10 years. Idina has
mastered a happy medium between theater, television, and movies, but she started
on the stage. In 1996, Idina played the
role of Maureen Johnson in the Tony Award winning musical “Rent”. Her husband began his career as an understudy
for the role of Jigger Craigin, a character from “Carousel”. The two have had opportunities to work side-by-side on stage and in movies.
They co-starred together in the hit musical "Wicked" in 2003, and again in 2005 in the film version of "Rent".
Before he was known as "Hannibal Lecter", Anthony Hopkins was understudy for Sir Lawrence Oliver in "The Dance of Death" in 1965. Hopkins' big opportunity came when Sir Lawrence Oliver was struck with appendicitis. He took over the leading role of Edgar.
There are also seasoned Hollywood
actors that
have decided to take their
talents to Broadway. There are a slew of actors, including Matthew
Broderick and Julia Robert, that are making their musical theater debut.
This change helps these stars hone their acting chops. It also is
an opportunity for them to get away from the craziness of Hollywood and work in
a more relaxed atmosphere. The following link has a great list of actors
that have gone from the screen to the stage.
