Random Non-Actors Who Got Thrown Into TV Shows (12 items)

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  (#10) Aziz Ansari

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  When Aziz Ansari set about casting the parents of Dev, a protagonist based heavily on himself from the semi-autobiographical series Master of None, he didn’t have to get all that creative - Ansari simply cast his own real-life parents, neither of whom had acted before. Fatima and Shoukath’s sole acting credits are for the roles of Ramesh and Nisha, and though they stepped in with even more natural grace than was expected, both they and Aziz had wholesome ulterior motives when they made the decision to work together.

  As he wrote on Tumblr of all places:

  Tonight after we did Colbert together, [Shoukath] said: "This is all fun and I liked acting in the show, but I really just did it so I could spend more time with you." I almost instantly collapsed into tears at the thought of how much this person cares about me and took care of me and gave me everything to give me the amazing life I have.
  
  I’ve been overwhelmed by the response to the Parents episode of our show. What’s strange is doing that episode and working with my parents has increased the quality of my relationship to my parents IN MY REAL LIFE. In reality, I haven’t always had the best, most open relationship with my parents because we are weirdly closed off emotionally sometimes. But we are getting better.
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  (#6) Felicia Pearson

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  By the time Felicia “Snoop” Pearson was discovered by actor Michael K. Williams, who starred as Omar Little in The Wire, she’d already lived a life worthy of an HBO drama. Born addicted to crack, Pearson was placed into foster care and was out of school and selling drugs by 12. Starting at the age of 14, Pearson was incarcerated on a second-degree murder charge and served five years.

  While in prison, Pearson earned a GED and attempted to turn her life around, but she found it difficult to hold down a job with her offender record. But in 2004, Pearson encountered Williams in a Baltimore bar, grabbed him by the lapels, and told him, “You ain't going to believe this, but I'm a girl.”

  Williams was immediately enamored with the young ruffian and immediately thought she might be a natural fit for The Wire. He arranged for an audition, which Pearson missed due to getting caught up in an stolen car caper. But she made it to the set eventually, and a minor assassin character - also named Felicia “Snoop” Pearson - was created for her to play. The audience response was so strong that Snoop became a recurring character, and the rest is history, with Stephen King once referring to Pearson as “perhaps the most terrifying female villain to ever appear in a television series.”
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  (#4) Kathy C. An Is A Real Surgical Nurse Who Has Appeared On Every Season Of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

  Striving for medical authenticity, the showrunners of Grey’s Anatomy sought to cast real-life surgical nurses in the first season of the series for the purpose of realistically assisting their actors during tough surgery scenes. One such nurse, Kathy C. An, was such a hit with the cast that some began watching her work on actual open-heart surgeries to study for their roles - and, so, she kept being brought back.

  As Bokhee, An has appeared in every single one of Grey’s 17 seasons. Winning fans at home through her expressive reactions, An would eventually be given the odd speaking line, including a handful in her native Korean. And audiences aren’t the only ones enamored with her performances; Sandra Oh once tweeted, “The nurse in that scene, Bokhee, is a real surgical nurse. She’s been with us since the beginning. She’s like my 2nd mom, she’s the best.”
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  (#3) Phyllis Smith

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  Though she had a past as a burlesque dancer and had made a few attempts to get into acting, Phyllis Smith had given up on the dramatic arts by the time the 2000s rolled around - but not the entertainment industry. Working as a casting associate, Smith found herself reading lines with hopefuls auditioning for an NBC adaptation of the British sitcom The Office when opportunity came knocking again.

  As Pam Fischer, who would go on to play Pam Beesly, recalled on her Office Ladies podcast:

  I think this is an interesting tidbit. Phyllis Smith, who plays Phyllis on the show, she was the casting associate for The Office. So when I auditioned for The Office, she read my audition scenes with me. [Director Ken Kwapis] was so taken with how she did her readings with the actors that he said to Greg Daniels, "I want her on the show. Can I give her a part on the show?" And so, Phyllis went from being a casting associate, which she had done for years with Allison Jones, the casting director... to having a part on this pilot.

  The plainspoken character of Phyllis Lapin (later to become Phyllis Vance by marriage) was invented and added to the cast solely for the sake of including the plainspoken Phyllis Smith. In a show built on deadpan, she was a natural. Seven seasons later, she’d appeared in nearly every episode of the series’ landmark run, which in turn has launched her into other acting roles in The OA and the modern Pixar classic Inside Out. 
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  (#9) Joe Walsh

  • 75

  Guitarist, singer, songwriter, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Joe Walsh first appeared as himself on The Drew Carey Show in the musical-themed Season 2 episode “Drewstock,” an episode that also featured Little Richard and long-time Cleveland mayor Michael R. White. It made plenty of sense at the time, given the episode’s plot, but then Walsh just kept showing up.

  Starting with Season 4’s “In Ramada Da Vida,” Walsh began appearing as Ed, a guitarist hired by Drew and his pals to complete their hotel-lobby-playing jam band, the Horndogs - but only after they’d already tried out Slash, Lisa Loeb, Joey Ramone, and a half-dozen other notables. He even got to feature heavily in an emotional scene in which Drew left the band, only to be replaced by Weird Al Yankovic. Walsh continued to make sparing appearances until Season 6, becoming the sort of cult cameo classic that can only really exist in the sitcom format. Even in a show known for its musical guests, “The Clown Prince of Rock” stood out by taking on another role entirely and running with it. 
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  (#12) Maya Erskine

  Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle based Pen15, a series in which they play 13-year-old versions of themselves alongside actual teenage actors, heavily on their own experiences growing up. So, when it came time to cast the mother of Maya Ishii-Peters, Erskine knew there was only one person capable of bringing the required authenticity to the screen: her actual mother, Mutsuko Erskine. Prior to this, Mutsuko had never acted before and considered it strictly outside of her wheelhouse. As she recalled to Vulture:

  They had to make a film so that they can sell the PEN15 [idea] to networks. Maya came to my house one day and said, “Mom, would you like to audition for the role of Mother?” I said, “No, you know I can’t act.” She said, “We need someone who can speak Japanese as well as English.” So I said, “Well, that I can do.” So she filmed me on her iPhone and they thought I was okay. I got involved in a test-case, 15-minute film.
  
  I was really hopeful for their success. They were trying so hard. I’d like to help them out whatever I could. So, yeah, I thought it was just one time and I was really surprised when it was picked up. Maya said, “Well, Mom, you’re going to be in it.” I was really happy for them first, surprised for myself [second]. 

  Mutsuko proved to be a natural, even as her role expanded into a genuinely original character instead of an exaggerated pastiche of herself,  and she’s even used the experience to reflect on Japanese American stereotypes and the part they have played in her own life. Despite the success, she’s stuck to Pen15 thus far and seems to have no desire to act elsewhere. 

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