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Anna Kendrick & Other Actors Who Started On Broadway

For celebs, getting started on Broadway is kind of a big deal! Some actors worked their whole life to land on Broadway with it being the end goal. For other actors, it is simply a stepping stone on their way to landing movie roles and TV roles. Broadway is typically the place to go for actors who are incredibly talented when it comes to performing live theater.

RELATED: 10 Hollywood Stars Who Prefer Working On Broadway

When it comes to filming TV and movies, actors have room to make mistakes because there is a team of editors who can work around messed-up lines or forgotten dialogue. With live performances, you have to know exactly what you were doing and be spot on every single time.

10 Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande got her acting start on Broadway which is surprising because a lot of people think that she got started on nickelodeon with shows like Victorious and Sam & Cat. She actually started in a musical called Thirteen when she was only 15 years old. At the time, Elizabeth Gillies starred in the Broadway musical with her as well. The two ended up landing on Nickelodeon together not too long after.

9 John Travolta

John Travolta made a big name for himself in the 70s, 80s, and 90s in movies like Grease and Pulp Fiction. Those are some unforgettable classics that will forever be respected! Before all that, he starred in the Broadway show called Over Here! It is where he honed in on his performing skills and proved that he really knew what he was doing in front of an audience.

8 Nick Jonas

Nick Jonas and his brothers, Kevin and Joe Jonas, formed the popular boy band the Jonas Brothers and made a big name for themselves on the Disney Channel. With his brothers, he appeared in the Camp Rock movie franchise alongside Demi Lovato as well as their own TV show called Jonas. Before that, when he was only seven years old he was in Broadway plays called Annie Get Your Gun, Beauty & the Beast, and Les Miserables. He was doing big things at such a young age.

7 Taye Diggs

These days, Taye Diggs has been killing the game in All American, a CW TV show about teenage football players. Before that, he was starring in awesome movies and TV shows including The Best Man, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and The Best Man Holiday. Back in the 1960s, he landed a role in Rent on Broadway. In 2002, he also played the role of Billy Flynn on Broadway once again.

6 Meryl Streep

As talented as she is, it should come as no surprise at all that Meryl Streep was once a Broadway actress. The movies that she has landed since her Broadway days are epic and memorable. Her skills as an actress are undeniable! She made her Broadway debut in a play called Trelawney of the Wells back in 1975 as the character of Miss Imogen Parrot.

RELATED: Meryl Streep's 10 Highest-Earning Films Ranked

She's won awards including the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.

5 Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Modern Family is seriously one of the best it comes over and fans are still so sad that the show came to an end. It is a great show that sheds light on what modern family is really looks like these days in northern America. Jesse Tyler Ferguson was a huge asset to the show and he was once a Broadway actor. Back in the 90s, he starred in a play called On the Town. He even returned to Broadway in 2013 for The Comedy of Errors.

4 Josh Gad

Josh Gad is one of the funniest comedic actors out there. Instead of getting started with his first role being in a movie or TV show, he actually got started and Broadway like the rest of the actors on this list. One of his biggest roles today would have to be his voice acting for the movie Frozen as the character of Olaf the snowman. Before all that, he starred in the book of Mormon on Broadway.

3 Lea Michele

Lea Michele played the character of Rachel Berry, a high school student with dreams of ending up on Broadway someday, in Glee. It looks like Art imitating life with this one which is contrary to how things typically go!

RELATED: Lea Michele: The Highs And Lows Of Her Personal Life & Career In 2020

In real life, Lea Michele was already a Broadway actress before landing her role as Rachel Berry. She ended up reenacting the struggle of making it on Broadway even though it is something she already accomplished in real life.

2 Anna Kendrick

Anna Kendrick is such a talented actress who knows how to be serious and funny Across multiple movie roles. She has worked alongside some top-notch actors over the years and her fan base is super dedicated. Her time starting in the Pitch Perfect movie franchise has solidified her career! She was once a Broadway starlet when she was only 12 years old. She appeared in a musical called High Society in 1998.

1 Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker played the role of Annie back in 1979 on Broadway. She did such a great job that she must’ve known at a young age that acting was going to be the perfect career path for her. She ended up snagging the leading role in Sex and the City and to this day, she is one of the most well-known and highly paid TV actresses ever. Broadway definitely got her started in the right direction.

NEXT: From Broadway Lights To His Fight For Life, Nick Cordero Undergoes Amputation Due To COVID-19

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Martina Birk

Update: 2024-09-07