How You Already Know the Cast of ‘The Big Leap’
It’s lucky for us that Fox ordered its pilot The Big Leap to series, because the cast of the ballet dramedy is “on pointe.”
Fox describes the show as a “big-hearted, rowdy dramedy” featuring down-on-their-luck characters trying to mount a production of Swan Lake as they participate in a potentially disastrous reality dance show.
“What this group of underdogs lack in dance training, they make up for with their edge, wit, and desire to reimagine an iconic story to fit their own mold,” Fox’s logline teases.
The network adds that The Big Leap, which was inspired by the British reality series Big Ballet, is “an innovative show-within-a-show that takes viewers on a journey of self-acceptance, body-positivity and empowerment at any age” and “a modern tale about second chances and chasing your dreams and taking back what’s yours.”
The Big Leap has long been in the works: ABC picked up a version of the idea for the 2015–16 development season, and then Fox pursued the current incarnation for the 2020–21 season before the pandemic paused production on the pilot, according to Deadline.
Now the show is finally making it to airwaves for the 2021–22 season, and except for newcomer Simone Recasner (Gabby Lewis), the cast boasts actors TV fans will find familiar. Here are their bona fides…
Scott Foley (Nick Smart)
Foley is best known for starring as Noel Crane on the WB college drama Felicity, Bob Brown on the CBS military drama The Unit, and Jake Ballard on the ABC political drama Scandal. He also starred as Will Chase on the one-season ABC action comedy Whiskey Cavalier. Fun fact: Foley was previously married to Jennifer Garner, and now he’s married to Marika Domińczyk, a fellow guest star of the ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.
Piper Perabo (Paula Clark)
TV fans know this Coyote Ugly star from her lead role as Annie Walker in the USA spy drama Covert Affairs, after which she starred in the short-lived ABC legal drama Notorious and the shorter-lived Netflix comedy Turn Up Charlie. More recently, Perabo recurred as Linda Craft in the Showtime fantasy series Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.
Teri Polo (Julia Perkins)
Polo co-headlined The Fosters, playing Stef Adams Foster across all five seasons of the Freeform drama, and she’s reprising the part on the channel’s Fosters spinoff, Good Trouble. Polo also played future First Lady Helen Santos on the NBC political drama The West Wing, and she starred as Pam Byrnes in the Meet the Parents movies.
Mallory Jansen (Monica Sullivan)
Janse is a rising TV talent, having starred as Queen Madalena on ABC’s medieval comedy Galavant and recurred as Aida a.k.a. Madame Hydra on the the same network’s superhero show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Her other television gigs include recurring parts on the Freeform comedy Baby Daddy, the ABC sitcom American Housewife, and the USA thriller Shooter.
Ser’Darius Blain (Reggie Sadler)
You might have been Charmed to meet Blain in the fantasy drama of that name: He starred as Galvin Burdette in the CW reboot’s first season. Blain is also known for playing Woody in the 2011 film adaptation of Footloose and Anthony “Fridge” Johnson in the Jumanji film series. His TV roles, meanwhile, include recurring parts on the ABC Family dramedy Jane by Design and the Starz comedy Survivor’s Remorse.
Jon Rudnitsky (Mike Devries)
Saturday Night Live buffs might recognize Rudnitsky: He was a featured player for the NBC sketch comedy show’s 41st season, during which he gave an Anderson Cooper impression that the real-life Cooper didn’t appreciate. (“I got a little Truman Capote vibe, which I thought was odd,” the CNN host said on Watch What Happens Live.) Rudnitsky also appeared in the big-screen rom-coms Home Again and Nobody’s Fool, and he played McWatt in Hulu’s Catch-22 miniseries.
Kevin Daniels (Wayne Fontaine)
Daniels’ most prominent role so far is probably his recurring character Longinus in the ABC comedy Modern Family, though he also starred as Hank St. Clare in the USA comedy Sirens. His other TV credits include recurring roles on the Disney Channel sitcom Coop & Cami Ask the World, the Starz comedy Now Apocalypse, and the NBC drama Council of Dads.
Raymond Cham Jr. (Justin Reyes)
Cham has starred as Mark Walker in the Disney XD sci-fi series Mech-X4 and as Cameron “CJ” Jin the Facebook Watch teen drama Five Points. And this actor’s guest-starring spots include appearances on Grey’s Anatomy and the Amazon crime drama Sneaky Pete.
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