Many actors who have found award-winning success were originally connected to a Disney Channel role.
Nicholas Braun appeared in the original movie Princess Protection Program in 2009 before snagging a role in HBO’s Succession. Braun revealed that his experience on Disney Channel was hard to handle at the time.
“The opportunities to be the lead of a Disney Channel series felt scary to me,” he said in an interview with British GQ in June 2021. “It felt like a commitment that might come around to bite me in the ass.”
While he saw other actors around him moving up, Braun explained that he was hesitant because it felt fleeting.
“I was looking at the Twilight people and I was like, ‘Man, that must be awesome.’ But then, you know, it dies down and it changes,” he added.
While Braun did start out on the Disney Channel circuit, he noted that the opportunity for him was worth waiting for that next big project.
“I think I’ve just believed in the slow rise and to make sure that I focus on my work and that I remain an artist and not necessarily go towards the thing that would get me the most fame the most quickly,” he concluded.
Scroll down for more actors who you may not remember got their start on Disney Channel.