The Cast Of Shameless What They Looked Like In Their First Episode And Now
Shameless has been one of the most binge-worthy, guilty pleasure TV shows of the past decade. Developed by John Wells, the show is based on a successful British series of the same name, although the American version has surpassed in ratings. Following the life and times of the highly dysfunctional Gallagher family, we have found humor in very serious issues like underage drinking, teen pregnancy, unfit parents and drug abuse.
The cast of Shameless is the reason behind the show's continued success. With a stellar group of performers, including William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum, the show has maintained a cult-like following of fans. Running from 2011, Season 8 is wrapping up at the end of the month, and Showtime has confirmed that the popular show has been renewed for a ninth season.
With plots that keep thickening and unexpected cliffhangers, Shameless has managed to keep our interest for close to a decade. We feel like we know the Gallagher's personally, and don't want to see a day where the show comes to an end. Join us as we take a journey into the past, and see how much our favorite cast members have changed over the years. Here are The Cast Of Shameless: What They Looked Like In Their First Episode And Now
15 Ethan Cutkowsky Grew Up Fast and Hard
Ethan Cutkowsky was just twelve years old when he was cast as little brother Carl on Shameless. As his first real acting gig, Ethan jumped into the world of fame and fortune before he was out of high school. Playing a Gallagher, he had to deal with some pretty heavy subject matter, and thus, grew up pretty quickly! In real life, he has mirrored some of the behavior that troublemaker Carl is famous for. Underage drinking, smoking and partying have been the norm for a recently-turned-18 Ethan. In fact, he got busted for a DUI in the fall, which was the result of some pretty bad judgment following a night of partying and indulgence. Sometimes what we see on the screen isn't too far off from the truth!
14 Emma Kenney Will Be In A New Sitcom This Fall
Emma Kenney is best known for her role as boy-crazy little sister Debbie on Shameless. Like her costar Ethan, Emma was just 12 years old when she got her breakthrough role, one that would define her as a very capable actress. In fact, Emma was hand-picked to star in a Roseanne revival, that will air later this year. The hit sitcom has been on hiatus for twenty years and will come back for one season of eight episodes with some old, and some new cast mates. Emma will play Harris, David and Darlene's daughter, which is quite fitting because she totally looks like a young Sara Gilbert! It will definitely be interesting to see little Debbie in a new role, but we also can't wait to see her character's development in season nine of Shameless, this November.
13 Emmy Rossum Hasn't Aged A Bit
Emmy Rossum, who plays our beloved protagonist Fiona, seems to have barely changed from her first appearance in Season 1. The youthful actress joined the cast when she was 25 years old, and is barely much older now, at 31! She looks great and has recently tied the knot with her writer and director hubby, Sam Esmail. Emmy owes her youthful glow to a super healthy eating and exercise routine. Before her wedding, she dramatically changed her diet to include more whole foods and vegan options, increased her water intake and kept active with dancing and cardio. She has said that these little shifts made a huge difference in her overall energy levels, and she has continued to prioritize a healthy lifestyle to keep feeling (and looking!) her best.
12 Cameron Monaghan Turned Into A Handsome Ginger
Cameron Monaghan, who plays Ian Gallagher, also started on the show at a young age. Joining the cast from the onset of Season 1, Cameron was just 18 years old when filming began. His youthful, ginger looks made him seem much younger than that, however. His character has dealt with some of the most complex and poignant issues that the show has covered, to date. His portrayal of the life and experiences of a gay, bipolar teen with extreme family issues earned him phenomenal critical reviews. The LGBTQ community praised him (and the show's creators) for bringing to light some otherwise closeted facts and realities about the struggles faced by queer youth. Further, Monaghan is straight in real life, making his performance that much more impressive.
11 Brenden + Brandon Sims Grew Up On Set
Twins Brenden and Brandon Sims were cast after Season 1 to play the youngest Gallagher, Liam. Originally, another set of twins who were cast was Brennan Kane and Blake Alexander Johnson, but they only appeared in a few episodes during Season 1. The twins, who were born in June 2010, were literally infants when they joined on. These tots grew up on set, quickly becoming regular cast members and joining in the Gallagher dysfunction. Despite officially sharing the role of Liam, as the twins grew up, Brenden became the primary actor and his brother was used mainly when Brenden was sick and unable to make it to the set. The brothers have acquired quite a fan following; their mother runs their Instagram account, which currently has over 72,000 followers!
10 Jeremy Allen White's Real Life Is A Lot Like Lip's
Jeremy Allen White, who plays teen heartthrob brother, Lip, has a personal life that is eerily similar to that of his on-screen persona. The first similarity is that Jeremy is dating actress Emma Greenwell, the "second Mandy" who was his on-screen on-again/off-again girlfriend for several seasons. The pair have been dating for over six years, and have plans to marry once they are a little bit older. Jeremy also shares some of the bad habits that Lip has acquired over the seasons: smoking and drinking. He has been spotted many a time at clubs, after-hours lounges, and bars, usually accompanied by his pretty girlfriend. The pair are still young, 26 and 29, and have managed to pack in quite a few experiences in their 20's! The fame and fortune haven't gotten to their heads though, they still seem very much focused on their relationship and professional goals.
9 Steve Howey Embraced The Man-Bun
Steve Howey has portrayed one of our all-time favorite characters, Kevin Ball, since the debut of Season 1. As the bad boy with a big heart, Kevin had no trouble drawing in a large number of(mostly female) fans. His scruffy, unpolished look, complete with his signature man-bun and sweet heart have made us swoon since the beginning. Funny enough, Steve Howey also has twins in real life, just like on TV. His wife, actress Sarah Shari, gave birth to the twins, a boy, and a girl, in March 2015. The couple also has a son who was born in July 2009. They were at the center of a strange lawsuit with a former nanny a few years ago. The woman alleged that she was made uncomfortable by being subject to "inappropriate" conversations between the couple and that they had been suggestive towards her. Sounds kind of like something Kevin and Veronica would do!
8 William H. Macy Isn't Actually A Boozehound
William H. Macy, who plays deranged patriarch Frank on Shameless, definitely plays a convincing alcoholic. But in real life, the actor has given up the booze. The 67-year-old has admitted to having a pretty low tolerance for alcohol, and a penchant for some pretty severe hangovers. At his age, he decided that the partying was not worth the after-effects, so he decided to live a sober lifestyle. Playing a drunk on TV has been "easy" he has said, and he was actually really excited about Frank's sobriety in Season 8, which gave the character a little more depth, and William had an opportunity to ditch the slurry speech and show his acting range a little bit more! It's definitely nice to see a different side of the usually offensive Frank!
7 Justin Chatwin Fizzled Out Fast
Justin Chatwin, who played Jimmy/Steve for the first 3 seasons of Shameless was one of our favorite characters. Despite his shocking double life confession, we enjoyed watching him interact with the Gallagher clan; few boyfriends had the ability to jump into that dysfunctional family the way that he did, we must say! He officially was written out of the show at the end of Season 3, but he did make a few other appearances, to wrap up his storyline, in Season 4 and 5. He moved on to a regular role in the TV series American Gothic, and landed quite a few minor film roles, as well. The Canadian native has kept his private life quite under wraps, there doesn't seem to be much information about his dating life, other than the fact that he went out with model Molly Sims from 2005 to 2009!
6 Laura Slade Wiggins Is Shamelessly Working On Her Music Career
You might remember Laura Slade Wiggins, who played Karen, Sheila's daughter, in seasons 1,2 and 3. Her oddball, agoraphobic mother led her to rebel as a young teenager. Her manipulative relationship towards Lip was a big focus in Season 2. So, what became of Laura Slade Wiggins after her days on Shameless came to an end? She continued to act in small television roles, CSI and Law and Order among others. She also starred in the supernatural horror film Rings, which is part of The Ring trilogy. But, acting is not Laura's main passion. She is actively working on establishing herself as a singer, songwriter, and performer. She released a 4 song EP in 2012, called Laura Slade Wiggins Is Clementine, using the stage name, Clementine.
5 Shanola Hampton Has Been A Favorite From The Beginning
Shanola Hampton, who plays sassy next-door-neighbor, bar manager and momma extraordinaire Veronica, has been a fan favorite since her first introduction in Season 1. As Fiona's go-to voice of reason friend, we have completely fallen in love with her character's wittiness and ability to keep everyone in line, including her sometimes erratic hubby, Kevin. Shanola has acted in several films over the years and has had some cameos in other TV shows, but Shameless has really been her career-making role. Her popularity has definitely paid off; she has managed to accumulate a net worth that is close to hitting the $7 million USD mark! That's a nice little bit of change for her to enjoy with hubby, Daren Dukes, and their two children, Cai and Daren.
4 Noel Fisher Ditched His Dark Locks When He Left The Show
Noel Fisher, who played Ian's tortured lover Mickey Milkovich for many years, officially left the show towards the end of Season 7. Noel ditched his signature dark locks for a lighter look and didn't waste any time before taking on new film and TV roles. He was the voice of Klarion The Witch Boy in the series Justice League Action, and then landed a main role in the mini-series The Long Road Home. The 33-year-old Canadian actor had a big year in 2017, not only was it his first full year away from his former Shameless family, he also got married to his longtime girlfriend, Layla Alizada. Fun fact: Noel has done quite a bit of voice acting, and was also the voice of Michaelangelo in the 2016 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles remake.
3 Joan Cusack Walked Away From Shameless With Several Awards
Joan Cusack has had a very colorful acting career and was one of the most recognized faces amongst the Shameless cast. She first debuted her role as Sheila in Season 1 and quickly won us over with her neurotic, agoraphobic ways. Never have mental health issues been so endearing! Joan might've left the show in 2015, but not before she walked away with an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in A Comedy Series that same year. She was also nominated in 2011 and 2014, so clearly, her performance was pretty incredible! The 55-year-old actress- who is John Cusack's sister- has seen no slow down in her workload since leaving Shameless. She has been working on movie after movie, and still appears in small television roles from time to time.
2 Emma Greenwell Cleans Up Nicely
Emma Greenwell, who was affectionately referred to as 'second Mandy' by fans and followers, played Lip's obsessive and codependent girlfriend for several seasons. In 2015 and 2016, her character would only make one or two guest appearances, and she is pretty well written off the show at this point. But, not to worry, she still gets lots of Lip time, as she has been dating Jeremy Allen White in real life for over six years. The actress and model look starkly different with her blonde locks. She definitely personified that dark-locked, pierced bad girl in Shameless, but her everyday look is really polished and runway ready! Since leaving the show, she has been working on The Path as lead character Mary Cox. Although she was born in America, she grew up in London and has spent more of her life in the United Kingdom.
1 Isidora Goreshter Is A California Girl
Isidora Goreshter, who plays Russian prostitute turned business partner Svetlana, was actually born and raised in sunny California. The first member of her family to be born in America, she comes from a long line of Soviets who fled Russia in the late 70's. Her thick Russian accent on set is fake, but she definitely has been around enough Russian accents to have perfected it! Svetlana was originally written into the show as a temporary character, but the positive reviews she received once her first few episodes aired gained her a spot as a lead character in 2016. She has been featured in over 50 episodes since her first appearances, and she will continue to play a big role in upcoming Season 9.