Did You Know These Celebrities Were Disney Cast Members?

Disneyland and Walt Disney World employ more than 100,000 cast members.

The law of averages dictates that some of them will go on to greater fame.

That’s particularly true for Disney workers, many of whom are exceptional performers.

Here are ten famous celebrities who have worked as cast members at the parks and on Disney cruises.

Wayne Brady

Managers at Disney parks put plenty of thought into the casting for costumed cast members. They’re the most in-demand jobs at the parks.

Management wants the most talented people in these roles, which often leads to several rounds of auditions.

Eventually, Disney settles on the perfect performer for each role. And in one tremendous example, park officials hit a grand slam.

Those of you who visited Walt Disney World during the 20^th century may have encountered multi-hyphenate superstar Wayne Brady and not even known it!

Disney cast Wayne Brady in the role of Tigger, one of Winnie the Pooh’s adorable friends.

Imagine the shenanigans that Brady must have pulled off in that role!

Sarah Butler

When you think Disney, I strongly doubt that the I Want to Spit on Your Grave franchise comes to mind…no matter how you may feel about Bob Chapek.

That’s why I’m so amused to tell you that Sarah Butler, best known as Jennifer Hills in the I Want to Spit on Your Grave horror series, started her career…at Disney.

That’s not even the funniest part. SHE PLAYED BELLE!

This sounds like some sort of dystopian ending to Beauty and the Beast. What did Gaston do to cause Belle to spit on his grave???

Kevin Costner

I’ve loved Kevin Costner movies for as long as I can remember. Field of Dreams, Bull Durham, and The Untouchables are all among my all-time favorites.

Still, I’ve never really thought of the Yellowstone actor as Mr. Personality, at least in terms of effusive charisma. He’s more of a laid-back star.

That’s why I’m amazed to say that Kevin Costner worked in a dream role at Disneyland. He was a Cruise Skipper for Jungle Cruise!

Costner must have had something going for him in the role, too. He met his first wife, Cindy, who was playing Snow White at Disneyland at the time!

Taye Diggs

Sometimes, celebrities reveal the most unexpected anecdotes while performing interviews.

Take Taye Diggs as an example. The revered Broadway actor first earned acclaim for his role in 1996’s Rent.

However, Diggs had previously worked on Broadway in 1994 as part of an ensemble cast in a Carousel revival.

Nobody quite knows what happened to sour him on Broadway, but the gifted actor took a job as a Disney performer in 1995. That wasn’t the strange part, either.

Diggs didn’t work at Disneyland or Walt Disney World. Instead, he accepted a gig in Sebastian’s Caribbean Carnival at Tokyo Disneyland!

His time as a cast member lasted less than a year, but all the accumulated pixie dust paid off. Upon his return, Diggs snagged the role of Benny the Landlord in Rent.

The former cast member has worked non-stop in movies, television, and plays since then.

Meanwhile, this is pretty much the only YouTube video you can find from Sebastian’s Caribbean Carnival in 1995:

Jennifer Hudson

Like Diggs, Jennifer Hudson participated in an international casting call for a good gig during this era.

Hudson auditioned for a recurring role on Disney Cruise Line. To the surprise of absolutely no one, she got the gig. Did I mention it involved singing? Yeah.

The singer-turned-actress sang as a soloist on the performance of Circle of Life. She also sang as Calliope in Hercules: The Muse-ical.

There are probably people from Disney cruises who are probably still talking about the first time they heard Hudson’s melodious voice…and it wasn’t on American Idol!

Kathryn Joosten

This is my favorite anecdote on this list.

During the 1990s, would-be actress Kathryn Joosten experienced the epiphany that with her kids grown, she could do anything she wanted.

So, Joosten auditioned for a gig at Walt Disney World, a role she quickly earned.

Before Joosten portrayed Mrs. Landingham on The West Wing and Karen McCluskey on Desperate Housewives, she worked as a Streetmosphere player at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

The two-time Emmy Award winner confessed that she gained the confidence to become a full-time actress after spending a year at Disney as Annie Hannigan, Cleaning Lady to the Stars!

Steve Martin

Here’s the one on the list you may know.

Unlike many of the people we’re discussing today, Steve Martin frequently references his time working at Disneyland.

I’d argue that he sounds reverential when he discusses Disneyland icons like Betty Taylor.

Martin credits his time at Disney as helping him become a magician and learning other skills.

The comedian indicates that he worked at Disneyland as soon as he could, taking several odd jobs so that he could spend more time at the parks.

When you think about the opportunity, it’s a genius move for a young kid in Inglewood, California, to work at Disneyland!

Martin took full advantage and still uses rose-colored glasses when he describes his days as a cast member.

Michelle Pfeiffer

I consider this one an opportunity missed.

Michelle Pfeiffer recently returned to Disney as a co-star in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

You could argue that she’s the most important character in that she encounters Kang the Conqueror before anyone else.

However, in a perfect world, Pfeiffer would have starred in a different Disney movie during the height of her celebrity in the 1980s and 1990s.

Pfeiffer worked at Disneyland as Alice in Wonderland in the Main Street Electrical Parade.

Imagine how great she would have been in a movie version of that role!

PS: Watch Into the Night. Future Disney+ star Jeff Goldblum and Pfeiffer are terrific together! As an FYI, it’s a pretty hard R, though.

Kevin Richardson

I largely sidestepped the grim 1990s era when boy bands roamed the Earth and dominated pop culture.

However, I’m told that the Backstreet Boys were among the most famous members of this ilk.

In fact, Wikipedia, admittedly a shaky source, believes the band has sold more than 100 million albums, making them the most popular boy band ever.

I’d confirm this with my wife, but she won’t look me in the eye when the Backstreet Boys come up in conversation. I’ve seen the posters she really should have thrown away.

Anyway, Kevin Richardson was apparently a cast member before then. He had a sweet gig, too. He worked at the MGM Studios Backlot Tour.

Richardson owes a great deal to Disney on a personal level. He met his wife there in 1992 when she also worked as a cast member, Snow White.

Since Richardson also performed as Aladdin at times, you can say that Aladdin and Snow White fell in love at the Most Magical Place on Earth.

Taboo

The Black Eyed Peas have sold more than 80 million records, establishing them as one of the most successful bands ever.

In the 1990s, one member, Taboo, chased his dream of becoming famous while working at Disney as his day job.

During the 2022 Disney Parks Magical Christmas Parade, the artist excitedly named all the ways Disney helped his career.

According to Taboo, “Thanks to Disney, I learned work ethic, I learned persistence, holding on to my dreams and my aspirations.

Because during the day, I was working at Disneyland. At night, I was pursuing my dreams with the Black Eye Peas.”

These comments are truly remarkable because, if ever any current Disney celebrity had reason to speak ill of Disney, it’s Taboo.

As a cast member, Taboo worked as a custodian and one of his job was cleaning up after the horses in the parades.

The fact that he remembers these days so fondly speaks volumes about the pride Disney cast members take in their jobs.

Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!

Feature Photo: D23