By Sienna Lamond, ’26

Staff Writer

Singers and actors dominate pop culture. They are praised for their talents in the music, TV and film industries. What may come as a surprise is that some of our favorite stars actually got their start in theater. While some may consider theater small-time compared to stadium tours, TV shows and movie theaters, it has propelled many performers to stardom. Is your favorite artist or actor among the stars that started as thespians?

Sabrina Carpenter

Carpenter is best known for her pop music career, specifically her 2024 album Short and Sweet, and her acting career, especially her role in the spinoff of Boy Meets World, Girl Meets World. Carpenter’s career was propelled into the stratosphere when she toured with Taylor Swift in the South American leg of the Eras Tour. Since then, Carpenter has become one of the many iconic pop girls of the decade. Carpenter’s talents do not only stop at pop music and film acting, however. In 2020, she made her Broadway debut as Cady in Mean Girls the musical. Unfortunately, her run was cut short due to pandemic lockdowns. Still, our favorite pop girly knows her way around a Broadway stage!

Ryan Gosling

Most recently known for his role as Ken in Barbie, a 2023 movie about the Mattel doll starring Margot Robbie, Gosling went viral with the iconic “I’m Just Ken” musical number. This performance, though, was not the first time Gosling had danced on stage. Circa 1992, Gosling was part of a jazz dance group. This style of dance is the basis for much of the musical theater dance style, making Gosling fully prepared for his future musical number in Barbie.

Hugh Jackman

Jackman is an Australian actor known for his role as Wolverine in Logan and X-Men. Unlike others whose acting career is separate from their theater background, Jackman has tied his theatrical nature into his film work. In 2012, Jackman starred as Jean Valjean in the film adaptation of Broadway show Les Misérables. He is also recognized for his portrayal of P.T. Barnum in the movie musical The Greatest Showman (2018). In 2022, Jackman appeared on Broadway itself in the revival of The Music Man with Sutton Foster, a talented Broadway star, who he is now rumoured to be dating. Seems like even professionals can’t escape ‘showmances’!

Andrew Garfield

Best known for playing Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man films in 2012 and 2014, Garfield has numerous on-stage experiences. His portrayal of Prior Walter in Angels in America earned him a Tony Award, the highest accolade for theater performances. He also notably played Bill Loffman in the revival of Death of a Salesman, which also garnered him a Tony Award. Garfield’s film career reflected his theater roots in the 2021 movie musical, Tick, Tick… Boom!, a film detailing the life of Jonathan Larson, the troubled composer of the Tony-award winning musical Rent. Who knew Spider-Man could sing!?

Anna Kendrick

Most recently recognized for her leading role in Netflix’s original movie Woman of the Hour, Kendrick is not shy about her theater background. At age 12, she made her Tony-nominated Broadway debut in High Society as Dinah Lord. Since then, Kendrick has been in several movie musical adaptations and originals, including Into The Woods (Cinderella), Trolls (Poppy), Pitch Perfect (Beca), and The Last Five Years (Cathy) alongside Broadway superstar Jeremy Jordan who played Jamie.

Nick Jonas

Jonas is best known for his participation in the Jonas Brothers band with his brothers Joe and Kevin. Pop singing isn’t the only trick this Jonas brother has up his sleeve, however. Jonas appeared in the 2010 25th anniversary special of the musical Les Misérables singing as Marius. Now, Jonas is starring on Broadway as Jamie in The Last Five Years. While the musical theater community has attacked Jonas for his vocal abilities not being ‘theater appropriate,’ that hasn’t stopped him from working on musical theater projects thus far.

Reneé Rapp

Rapp is one of the youngest people to star in a Broadway show. While she is widely known for her 2023 pop music album, Snow Angel, she was originally discovered when she won the Jimmy Awards in 2018. The Jimmy Awards is a prestigious nationwide competition and recognition event for high school students in musical theater. Rapp won “Best Performance by an Actress,” granting her a $10,000 scholarship. At just 19 years old, she was cast as Regina George in the Mean Girls musical on Broadway and later reprised the role in the 2024 movie musical adaptation.

Mike Faist

Faist is known to most as Art Donaldson in Challengers, a movie about a tennis love triangle, also starring Zendaya and Josh O’Connor. Faist originated the role of Connor in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway. Before that, Faist worked as a Jack Kelley understudy in the Broadway musical Newsies. He is also recognized as Riff in the West Side Story (2021) remake. Overall, Faist is a talented theater kid at heart, dabbling in the film industry. Movie audiences hope to see more of him in the future!

Olivia Rodrigo

Rodrigo has been performing on stage since she was very young, as you can see in various videos of her belting her heart out circulating on the Internet. She played Gertrude McFuzz in her elementary school’s production of Seussical the musical. She gained popularity for her roles in Disney Channel’s Bizaardvark and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Now, Rodrigo is a world-famous pop star with two studio albums, Sour (2021) and Guts (2023). Through her pop songs, her theater roots shine as much of her music is vocally challenging and requires theatrical technique to sustain vocal health. Another decade-defining pop girly to make theater kids proud!

Ariana Grande

Grande, a pop artist, is not secretive when it comes to her love for theater. As a child, Grande worked with the Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theater, for which she played Annie in Annie, and other roles in Beauty and the Beast and the Wizard of Oz. At 15, she made her Broadway debut in 13: The Musical as Charlotte, earning her a National Youth Theater Association Award. For years, Grande has outwardly expressed her love for the Broadway show Wicked. When she was a little girl, she and her mother won a backstage experience at Wicked on Broadway, allowing her to meet Kristen Chenoweth, the show’s original Glinda. Ever since, Grande has aspired to play Glinda and made fans proud and excited when she portrayed the role in the Wicked movie musical that was released this past fall.

Timotheé Chalamet

Chalamet, the star of A Complete Unknown, made his Broadway debut in 2016 in the play Prodigal Son. Chalamet was destined for the stage as he attended LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, allowing him to participate in theater arts daily. In 2011 he appeared in a stage play called The Talls at Second Stage Uptown. Recently he was featured in the movie musical prequel to Roald Dahl’s fantastical world of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory titled Wonka. In this film, he showcased his triple-threat theater talent, truly bringing his character to life with his own theatrical charm.

Sebastian Stan

SStan is a Romanian-born actor who recently won a Golden Globe for his work in A Different Man. He also notably portrayed Donald Trump in the 2024 film The Apprentice, Bucky Barnes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Captain America franchise, and Tommy Lee in Pam & Tommy. While Stan has had an extensive film career, he’s also had his fair share of time on the stage. In 2007 he was in Talk Radio on Broadway, and he appeared on Broadway again in 2012’s Picnic. Stan went to college at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, and he studied at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater in London for a year.

Jonathan Bailey

Bailey is best known for his portrayal of Anthony Bridgerton in the Netflix series Bridgerton, based on the books by Julia Quinn. He also starred as Fiyero in last fall’s movie musical Wicked. In 2018, Bailey played Jamie in the West End revival of the musical Company. This part was originally written as a female role named Amy, who sings a hysterical song titled “I Am Not Getting Married Today” in which parts of the song require roughly six words to be sung every second. Being a stunning actor, Bailey was selected for the role. Additionally, Bailey made appearances in The York Realist and King Lear. In 2017, he played Jamie in The Last Five Years in London. You can see him live on stage now at the Bridge Theater in London where he’s playing Richard II in William Shakespeare’s Richard II!

Chris Evans

Captain America himself, Evans, is not a stranger to the stage. As a child, Evans participated in productions with the Concord Youth Theater company. Since his professional career took off, he’s been a philanthropist of the company and helped them secure a permanent location in Concord, Mass. In 2017, Evans was persuaded by Mckenna Grace and Ellen Degeneres to show off his tap dancing skills while on the Ellen show during a press tour for the film Gifted. Turns out, Evans grew up tap dancing, a hallmark dance style of musical theater.

Rachel Zegler

How does one become more of a theater kid than Zegler? When she was just a senior in high school, she was cast as Maria in the 2021 remake of the West Side Story movie musical. At the time, Zegler was playing the role of Fiona in her high school’s production of Shrek: The Musical. Supposedly, she asked West Side Story director Steven Spielberg if she could delay filming so she could finish her senior musical — now that is commitment! Zegler is also known for playing Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Recently, Zegler played Snow White in the movie musical reimagining of the 1937 classic fairytale, Snow White. Though the film did not receive good reviews, it is certainly not for Zegler’s lack of trying or talent. She made her Broadway debut in Romeo and Juliet in 2024 at the Circle in the Square Theater, which shares a building with the famous Wicked theater, the Gershwin. In this revival of William Shakespeare’s timeless play, Jack Antonoff wrote music specifically for Zegler to sing as an addition to the original story. Romeo + Juliet received glowing reviews from critics and is nominated for “Best Revival of a Play” by the Outer Critics Circle.

Kristen Bell

Bell, known by the younger generation as the voice of Anna in Frozen (2013) is recognized by others for The Good Place (2016-2020), When in Rome (2010), and Nobody Wants This (since 2024). She began her theater career as Dorothy in her high school’s production of The Wizard of Oz. After graduating from high school, Bell went on to study at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. In 2001, Bell made her Broadway debut in the musical The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The following year she appeared in The Crucible on Broadway. Later, she starred in an off-Broadway musical called Reefer Madness in 2003.

Amanda Seyfried

Seyfried became a household name after her hilarious performance as Karen Smith in Mean Girls (2004). In 2015, she made her off-Broadway debut in The Way We Get By by Neil LaBute. Through her film career, Seyfried has showcased her theater talent. She first sang on-camera in Mamma Mia!, a film adaptation of the ABBA jukebox musical. She also appeared in the Mamma Mia! film sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again in 2018. In 2012, she played the role of adult Cosette in the movie musical Les Miserables with costars Hugh Jackman, Eddie Redmayne, and others.

Eddie Redmayne

The Oscar-winning actor from The Theory of Everything, Redmayne has had an extensive stage career. Most recently, he played Emcee in the Broadway revival of the musical Cabaret. Also on stage, he won an Olivier Award for his performance in the play Red at the Donmar Warehouse. He was also in Richard II in 2011-2012 and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? in 2004. Bringing his theater roots to the screen, Redmayne portrayed Marius in the 2012 Les Miserables movie musical along with two others on this list: Amanda Seyfried and Hugh Jackman.

Christian Slater

The star of Heathers (1988), Slater has built up his career with theater credits on and off-Broadway. Slater originated the character Clifford in the 1998 Broadway play Side Man. Later, in 2005, he played Tom Wingfield in the Broadway revival of The Glass Menagerie. This past winter, Slater debuted in his first off-Broadway play called The Curse of the Starving Class as the character Weston.

Taylor Swift

The world-famous pop star is most recently known for her theatrical interpretation of her musical discography in the Eras Tour. As a child, it is known that Swift wrote music, but she also participated in local theater. She played Maria in The Sound of Music at the Berks Youth Theater Company. At that company, she was also in productions of Grease, Annie, and Bye Bye Birdie. While on the Graham Norton show, Swift admitted to auditioning for the Les Miserables movie, but she did not get a role in the film. However, she did get a role in the 2019 movie musical of the Andrew-Lloyd Webber musical Cats as Bombalurina. Fans thought this role suited her, considering the love she’s expressed for her pet cats. Swift is a prime example of how participating in theater can hone the skills necessary for a successful career!