Every actor starts out somewhere. Unless you’re Anna Paquin, no one wins an Oscar right out of the gate. Like the characters they play, our favorite superhero actors had humble origins. For some, that journey began in the fascinating world of soap operas. Let’s take a moment and state right up front, we are not here to make fun of soap operas. Though they don't get a lot of respect, soaps are a proven training ground for superstars. Brad Pitt, Julianne Moore and Nathan Fillion all famously got their start in soaps. Almost any former soap star you talk to will tell you that it is some of the hardest work they’ve ever done. Daytime dramas film at an incredibly fast pace, so actors are often memorizing upwards of 60 pages a day. It’s also hard to find anything in a comic book movie unbelievable once you’ve been kidnapped, trapped in a well and replaced by your evil twin -- yes, that’s an actual thing that happened on All My Children.
Considering how many there have been around the world, it’s no surprise that many of Earth’s most popular heroes were switched at birth, suffered amnesia, came back from the dead or got mired in paternity scandals. Perhaps, the only fandom more devoted and hardcore than nerds, are soap fans. Long before they had to deal with obsessed comic fans, these actors were figuring out how to handle audiences that thought they knew them because they were in their homes everyday. As superheroes continue to take over the small and big screen, let’s take a look at humble soap opera beginnings of our favorite heroes.
15 CHRIS HEMSWORTH - HOME AND AWAY
Home and Away is an extremely popular Australian soap that many Australian actors of note have appeared on. Among the show’s famous alumni is Chris Hemsworth, as for nearly four years he played Kim Hyde.
Though his time on the show was short he went through many of the classic soap storylines including an estranged relationship with his father, paternity scandals, crazy girlfriends, near death and of course having his father turn out to be a killer. His popularity led to him being a contestant on the Australian version of Dancing With the Stars, where he finished in fifth place (Loki would’ve won). Hemsworth actually went back and played an extra in 2014, so he obviously still has respect for everyone who works on the series.
14 RYAN REYNOLDS - FIFTEEN
At this point, we all know Ryan Reynolds can do anything, though even he couldn’t make this ridiculous teen soap watchable. Fifteen was a Canadian series that aired on Nickelodeon in the US in the ‘90s. The secret to every fun teen show is that the characters have to be at least a little interesting. Sadly, Fifteen didn’t quite hit that mark.
Reynolds’ Billy was the dorky kid who desperately wanted to be cool. The show almost plays as a parody to similar series of the time like Saved by the Bell and California Dreams. Knowing Reynolds he’s not the least bit embarrassed by his soap roots and will likely incorporate a Fifteen reference into the next Deadpool movie.
13 LAURENCE FISHBURNE - ONE LIFE TO LIVE
For most of his career Laurence Fishburne has been a groundbreaker. His work in films like Boyz in the Hood and The Matrix still stand the test of time. The actor is among the few who have appeared in various superhero films, across different studios. He voiced the Silver Surfer in Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, is Perry White in the DCEU and will be Bill Foster/Goliath in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
However, in his very first part, Fishburne was making history. The young actor was Josh Hall on One Life to Live and when his parents got married, he was the best man in daytime drama’s first wedding featuring black characters. It’s just proof that he’s always been a game changer.
12 ALEXANDRA SHIPP - DAYS OF OUR LIVES
While most fans know her as the young Ororo Munro/Storm in the X-Men movies, Alexandra Shipp had a very short, weeklong stint on NBC’s Days of Our Lives. She played Mary Beth, a friend of Paige’s who warned her against dating JJ. Every soap heroine has a disapproving best friend. It wasn’t a big part, but it did lead to her being cast in X-Men: Apocalypse and Straight Outta Compton.
To say fans haven’t been accepting of Shipp’s portrayal of Storm would be an understatement. As it turns out, her performance in Apocalypse was much more dramatic than anything she did on Days of Our Lives.
11 LETITIA WRIGHT - HOLBY CITY
Holby City is a weekly medical drama that has been airing in England since 2001. Like many other British actors, Letitia Wright got her start by guest starring on the series. Long before she stole Black Panther and wowed everyone, Wright played Ellie Maynard, a teenage heart patient fighting to not have surgery. Her work on Holby City led to guest roles on Doctor Who and Black Mirror.
Holby City is like a mix of NBC’s One Chicago franchise, because it’s a spinoff of Casualty, and Grey’s Anatomy, since it has all the hospital drama of the ABC hit, only it airs every week, all year.
10 MORGAN FREEMAN - RYAN’S HOPE
We all know that Morgan Freeman has been in the business forever, and we’ve all heard about his first job on The Electric Company. However, shortly after that, he spent two quick episodes on Ryan’s Hope. It wasn’t a big role, but it was important. His character provided another the recording equipment he needed to expose a scandal..
Freeman has received various lifetime achievement awards over the years, and he has never seemed embarrassed about any of his early roles. Ryan’s Hope wasn’t Freeman’s only trip into the soap world. A few years later, he played Dr. Roy Bingham on Another World for two years.
9 JESSE L. MARTIN - ONE LIFE TO LIVE
Before we knew him as one of our favorite TV detectives on Law & Order and The Flash, Jesse L. Martin cut his small screen teeth with a short stint on One Life to Live. Playing Quincy reunited him with close friend and soap vet Roger Howarth. The two had previously worked together on Guiding Light and Howarth eventually came to Central City with a guest starring gig as Iris’ boss.
Shortly after his stint on One Life to Live he headed back to Broadway for his star making turn as Tom Collins in the original production of Rent. There’s no doubt that his soap roots prepared him for the endless amount of drama he faces each week as The Flash’s Joe West.
8 MARK HAMILL - GENERAL HOSPITAL
From 1972-73, one of Mark Hamill’s earliest roles was as Kent Murray on General Hospital. After their parents died, Kent and his sister Carolyn were forced to live with their aunt, the venerable nurse Jessie Brewer. It was the Star Wars star’s first major role and he still speaks about it with fondness.
When JJ Abrams made a few jokes about his soap origins during an awards dinner, the show’s official Twitter account recommended that Kent should get some closure. For his part, Hamill responded tweeting, “Absolutely! I spent some of the happiest months of my career on General Hospital. Thanks for the memories.” To celebrate its 55th anniversary some old favorites have been returning, so it’s possible we could see Kent again.
7 ANGELA BASSETT - SEARCH FOR TOMORROW
Angela Bassett is a bonafide legend. From Malcolm X to What’s Love Got to Do With It to Waiting to Exhale and yes, even Green Lantern, she has made a career out of playing strong black queens. With this in mind, it made complete sense that she was cast as T’Challa’s mother Queen Ramonda in Black Panther. However, before she helped rule Wakanda she was Salina McCulla on the ‘80s soap Search for Tomorrow.
Bassett was able to make her mark on one of television’s original daytime dramas right before it was cancelled. Her role was a small one that only lasted for about a week, but like other African-American actors of her time, it was groundbreaking to see a black actor on a soap.
6 MARISA TOMEI - AS THE WORLD TURNS
Just before the world discovered her as Denise’s college roommate in the first season of A Different World, Marisa Tomei got her big break on the CBS series As the World Turns. As ditzy Marcy Thompson, Tomei got to hone her troublemaker skills. Her biggest storyline came when Marcy falsely accused her best friend’s father, Dr. Bob Hughes, of assault. She had made the story up and was being manipulated by Bob’s rival at the hospital.
As the World Turns was quite the proving ground for future stars as Meg Ryan, Parker Posey, Tala Ashe and Julianne Moore, who won an Emmy for playing Frannie/Sabrina, all got their start on the show.
5 ROBIN WRIGHT - SANTA BARBARA
Movie fans around the world fell in love with Robin Wright as The Princess Bride’s Buttercup, however, soap viewers probably recognized her as Santa Barbara’s Kelly Capwell. As one of the show’s original characters and a member of the town’s richest family, Kelly was the center of nonstop drama.
She was the quintessential soap heroine: Her husband was murdered by a crazy ex-lover, she killed an ex and was sent to an asylum, and her jealous mother tried to kill her. Thankfully, she did get a happy ending before the series went off the air. Wright originated the role and only played her for four years, but remains the most memorable version of the character.
4 BRANDON ROUTH - ONE LIFE TO LIVE
It seems crazy that there was a character that Brandon Routh couldn’t charm audiences into liking, but that’s exactly what happened when he showed up on One Life to Live as Seth Anderson. He was supposed to help Natalie worm her way into the Buchanan family by making Jessica Buchanan fall in love with him. However, when he actually fell for Jessica, all Natalie’s plans were ruined. Once the truth came out, his and Jessica’s relationship never recovered.
As Superman and Legends of Tomorrow’s Ray Palmer, Routh excels at portraying unapologetically optimistic characters, so the role of a shady liar didn’t really fit. He left the show and the character only stayed around for another year.
3 ROSE BYRNE - HEARTBREAK HIGH
As she was establishing herself in the Australian acting scene, Rose Byrne, like many others, appeared on a teen drama. Byrne showed up in three episodes of Heartbreak High’s final season as Gemma Whitely’s wheelchair bound sister Carly. She blames Gemma for her accident so their relationship is very strained. Everything that goes wrong in Carly’s life is Gem’s fault. It’s a deeply unhealthy relationship that, thankfully, ends when Carly leaves the city and the show.
Byrne has become known for her comedy roles lately, and for good or for bad, these type of shows can be unexpectedly funny at times. Perhaps, this is where those interests started.
2 FRANK GRILLO - GUIDING LIGHT
Frank Grillo has made a name for himself as an action star in The Purge franchise and as Brock Rumlow in The Winter Soldier and Civil War, however one of his first tough guy roles was as Hart Jessup on Guiding Light. Hart came to town when he found out that his father was actually Roger Thorpe and ended up in a romantic battle between Dinah and Cassie. It was ex-wife Dinah who killed him when she was trying to shoot Cassie.
In a 2014 interview with Backstage, Grillo said, “It was a great learning curve,” he admits. “Instead of taking acting classes, I was learning what not to do. There was a script a day, so I really had to learn to be disciplined.”
1 MICHAEL B. JORDAN - ALL MY CHILDREN
Everyone’s favorite long lost cousin, Michael B. Jordan got his start on ABC’s All My Children. He played Reggie Montgomery, adopted son of Jackson Montgomery, Erica Kane’s true love. This meant that he was consistently in the middle of all the action and had a lot of scenes with the legendary Susan Lucci. In a weird twist of fate, Chadwick Boseman was the first actor to play Reggie.
The character started out as a poor kid involved with gangs, but once he was adopted by Jack, he turned his life around and ended leaving the show when he went off to college. Jordan has repeatedly stated that he learned some of the best acting lessons of his life while on the show.