Stars You Never Realized Got Their Start on Disney Channel

Brie Larson, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling and more have started their acting career by appearing in a Disney Channel project — read more

Looking back at where it all began! Many actors who have found award-winning success were originally connected to a Disney Channel role.

Nicholas Braun, who appeared in Princess Protection Program in 2009, 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 the Succession star did start out on the Disney Channel circuit that proves to build success for many that get the opportunity, for him it 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.

Mischa Barton, who got her start in Disney Channel’s A Ring of Endless Light in 2002, previously opened up about the pressure of being a child actor.

“You just have to be really tough,” she shared in an interview with Daily Mail in July 2016.

Barton broke down the reason why she thought she managed to avoid the “child actor curse,” which leads made child stars to a path of destruction following their initial success.

“You really have to have your wits about you and stay with what you love to do. And you have to work with people you love to work with!” Barton explained at the time.

But for some actors that find success following their Disney Channel run, they still remember the roles they didn’t actually end up booking. Brie Larson got honest about the jobs she didn’t get during her time as a child actor.

“The ones from when I was a kid really, really still sting,” Larson said in video she uploaded to her YouTube channel in August 2020. “Like it was down to me and another girl for Smart House, the Disney Channel Original Movie, and I didn’t get it. That was a big bummer.”

Larson recalled another project that she was hoping to be chosen for at the time.

“Spy Kids!” she revealed. “I mean, did I have any business even auditioning for Spy Kids? Absolutely not. Did I want to be a child spy? Definitely.”

Scroll down for more actors who you may not remember got their start on Disney Channel.