Carrie Underwood is set to play the iconic role of Maria Von Trapp in next year’s live television broadcast of The Sound of Music on NBC.
While this is a major role to play for the star, this won’t be the first time the Grammy winner has put on her acting shoes. The country superstar has previously made a splash on the big and little screens, most recently in the 2011 feature film, Soul Surfer, where she played Sarah Hill, the church leader who helped Bethany Hamilton overcome obstacles after her shark attack.
She made her acting debut a year earlier on a 2010 episode of the CBS sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. On that episode, she played Tiffany, a pharmaceutical rep that dates Ted (Josh Radnor), whose friends try to convince him is stringing him along.
But Underwood is just one of many American Idol alums who have got into the acting game. Many contestants have appeared on shows as themselves, such as Scotty McCreery on The CW’s Hart of Dixie, but there have been quite a group that has gone even further nabbing major roles of their own.
Most notable, of course, is Jennifer Hudson. Though she placed seventh on Season 3 of American Idol, she went on to win an Oscar for her amazing performance as Effie in 2006’s Dreamgirls. She’s also set to star with fellow Idol alum, Katharine McPhee, on Season 2 of NBC’s Smash.
But did you know that original idol Kelly Clarkson has also popped up on a few shows? And the Diana DeGarmo was on CBS’ The Young and The Restless for four months?
Click through our gallery above to see more Idols who turned actors and find out where they’ve appeared on the big and little screens.
Are you excited about Underwood’s new role? Which Idol alum had the best turn at acting? Sound off in the comments below!
