In the career of every TV actor there comes a time when you have to ask the hard question: am I okay with living in this small pond or should I take a risk and swim into the ocean? Just like that small screen actors can become major players in an instant!
Here are 7 TV stars who outgrew their show.
1. George Clooney “ER” (1994-2009)
Remember the days when young Clooney rocked his ER scrubs and flirted with the nurses? Me either, I was only 7 and didn’t care for all that medical mumbo-jumbo. ER was Clooney’s big break and opened a lot of doors for him, like “From Dusk Till Dawn”, “Ocean’s Eleven”, and, like it or not, “Batman and Robin”.
2. Will Smith “The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air” (1990-96)
Today you know Smith for his music, acting, directing, producing, and probably a line of sneakers… He’s a very busy boy! And, apparently, he’s always been the go-getter, ever since he blew up on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” While doing that show he managed to release three albums! So it’s no surprise that using his charisma and good looks, Will Smith easily entered the top tier with “Hancock”, “Independence Day” and “Men in Black”.
3. Jennifer Aniston “Friends” (1994-2004)
Did you know that if it wasn’t for a couple of romcoms (namely “Office Space” and “The Break-Up”), Rachel from Friends would probably still be a B-list actress? Talk about luck. Out of all 6 friends she’s the only one still actively taking roles in movies. That has to stand for something.
4. Donald Glover “Community” (2009-15)
Throughout the years Don Glover has had many roles, and even written quite a few scripts for “30 Rock”, but you probably know him best as either Troy form “Community”, or Childish Gambino the rapper. He started out as a writer, then got a role of Troy, then produced his own show “Atlanta”, and even won a Grammy for “Redbone”. Bravo, Donny!
5. Steve Carell “The Office” (2005-13)
Now, I’ve personally never watched the Office but Steve Carell is still my spirit animal. People like me who saw Carell “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”, immediately googled him, which drew more attention to the mockumentary. He’s juggled his TV and movie careers for 7 long years, and finally decided to go full in on the movies, like the Academy nominated “Foxcatcher”.
6. Jason Segel “How I Met Your Mother” (2005-14)
Most of TV actors keep it nice and simple, milking their show for as long as possible. “How I met Your Mother” lasted for 9 long years, and aside from Neil Patrick Harris, only Jason Segel has made a name for himself. After a few years on the show Jason wrote and starred in his own movie, which by the way, got an 85% on RT! “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” showed the Hollywood he was quite bankable.
7. Chris Pratt “Parks and Recreation” (2009-15)
Everyone loves Chris Pratt now because of his breakout roles in Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World, but nothing will replace the dorky, lovable Andy Dwyer from “Parks and Recreation”. I’m telling you, his career is only just starting to blossom. Expect no less than a dozen more billion-dollar hits for this bad boy!
