Everyone knows that before Drake became a popular musician, he was a main cast member on
Degrassi: The Next Generation. But Jimmy Brooks isn't the only character portrayed by a soon-to-be-famous megastar. Lets take a look at some other celebs that had roles on Canadian TV shows before their big breaks.
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Gif Source1.Ryan GoslingMost people think of Ryan Gosling's time on the
Mickey Mouse Club with Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. But Ryan was also featured in a number of Canadian television shows. He played the goofy, annoying comedic relief on
Breaker High and had a number of smaller roles such as a leather jacket clad bad boy in an episode of
The Adventures of Shirley Holmes as well as an appearance in the iconic Canadian kids show
Are You Afraid of the Dark?. Check them out below!
Season 5, Episode 3 - Are You Afraid of the Dark? (Ryan first appears at 3:16)Video SourceSeason 1, Episode 1 - The Adventures of Shirley Holmes (full episode available on youtube)Video SourceSeason 1, Episode 21 - Breaker HighIt always makes me laugh when people are surprised at Ryan Gosling doing comedic roles when this is how he started out:Video SourceRyan also appeared on a few other Canadian shows like
Ready or Not and
Avonlea.Source: Ryan's IMDB2. Jay BaruchelStar of
Man Seeking Woman on HBO,
How to Train Your Dragon,
Goon, and with a number of appearances in Seth Rogan films, Jay Baruchel has been doing quite well for himself lately. But Jay started out on Canadian TV - his very first acting role was on
My Hometown, which ran for 3 seasons. Like other Canadian stars, Jay also appeared in a couple episodes of
Are You Afraid of the Dark? Source: Jay's IMDBSeason 1, Episode 21 - My Hometown - opening and theme songVideo SourceSeason 5, Episode 1 - Are You Afraid of the Dark? Video Source3. Emily VanCampYes, Emily VanCamp is actually Canadian. Before Everwood, before Revenge, before she started dating all her co-stars, she appeared on, you guessed it,
Are You Afraid of the Dark? She also appeared in one episode of the amazing (and one of OP's favs)
Radio Active as a Blair's bully.
Source: Emily VanCamp IMDBSeason 3, Episode 10 - Radio Active - clipVideo SourceSeason 7, Episodes 1-3 - Are You Afraid of the Dark? (Elisha Cuthbert also appears in these episodes)Video Source4. Ryan ReynoldsBefore he was Deadpool, Ryan played a child dictator in the Canadian television gem
The Odyssey.Source: Ryan's IMDBThe show was about a young boy named Jay who hits his head, falls into a coma, and then lives out a fantasy-adventure in his head while the show flips back and forth between the real world, and the world in Jay's mind. It was awesome, OP loved it and thinks it should be remade.
Video Source5. Rachel McAdamsThe Notebook and
Mean Girls were both released in 2004 and were the movies that launched Rachel McAdam's career. But just 1 year earlier in 2003 she appeared in a Canadian TV show called
Slings and Arrows (which OP highly recommends!!). The show follows the bumbling actors and crew of a small-town Shakespeare festival after the sudden death of the festival's long-time artistic director. The show is amazing and more people should see it!
Source: Rachel's IMDBSeason 1 - Slings and ArrowsVideo Source![]()
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