There are so many incredibly talented (and hot) actors in England, it's no wonder they're all over American TV and movies. A few have even become some of the biggest stars in the world. There's no question that the U.S. is the king of worldwide entertainment, but that doesn't mean that the UK doesn't have it's own slate of excellent TV shows. In fact, plenty of huge American celebrities have taken roles on UK television shows and managed to go pretty much unnoticed, at least by their American fans.
Americans like Maggie Gyllenhaal, Andy Samberg, and Taylor Lautner have all had starring turns in Britain. Gyllenhaalstars on the BBC show The Honourable Woman, and both Lautner and Samberg have in break-out Brit hit Cuckoo. Yes, Samberg was making Brits laugh while starring in his own hit (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) back home! Even Gillian Anderson, an American-Brit who's found plenty of success on American TV (ever heard of The X-Files?), went back to her second home to star in critically acclaimed British thriller, The Fall.
So if you're not keeping up with British TV, now is the time to start. You may just see a few more familiar faces than you expected!
Huge Stars You Didn't Know Were on British TV Shows,
Andy Samberg
Andy Samberg was the original "American" in the BBC3 sitcom Cuckoo, but he had to leave the show because of his commitment to Brooklyn Nine-Nine. As Samberg told BBC in an interview: "Cuckoo’s an American back-packer, faux philosopher type. He’s done a lot of traveling and partying and sees himself as a guru or teacher of sorts by way of his worldly wisdom. And he’s also an idiot. So it’s a fun combination of qualities."
Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller was actually on an episode of Ricky Gervais' sitcom Extras. According to The Journal, "Stiller appeared in the very first episode of Extras as an ego-driven director."
Gillian Anderson
BBC2 thriller The Fall is a "serial killer drama" starring Gillian Anderson (who spend somg of her childhood growing up in the UK) alongside Brit actor Jamie Dornan (AKA Christian Grey from Fifty Shades). According to The Guardian, "More than 3 million viewers watched the second series."
Jeremy Piven
Jeremy Piven, best known for his role as Ari on America's Entourage, played title character Harry Selfridge on the UK show, Mr. Selfridge. The ITV period drama about London department store magnate Harry Selfridge wrapped up last year after four seasons, according to Deadline.
Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp told the Mirror that appearing on The Last Ever Fast Show was one of his favorite acting moments. Depp played a customer that was "subjected to a series of incredibly personal questions from the innuendo-loving tailors Ken and Kenneth." The BBC show ended in 1997.
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Maggie Gyllenhaal nails her British accent in The Honourable Woman on the BBC Two. The show centers on Nessa Stein, played by Gyllenhaal, and her "struggles to right her father's wrongs in a world of conspiracy and espionage."
Matt LeBlanc
Matt LeBlanc plays a fictionalized version of himself on the BBC (and Showtime) sitcom Episodes. The show, according to Inquisitr, is "about a British couple, Sean (Stephen Mangan) and Beverly (Tamsin Greig) who are screenwriters. They move to Hollywood and write a sitcom that Matt LeBlanc stars in."
Robert Vaughn
American actor Robert Vaughn starred in Hustle, a BBC show about a group of London con artists. As he told Daily Mail, "working on the BBC drama Hustle has been 'the most enjoyable eight years of my life as an actor.'" Vaughn starred in big American productions likfour The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Magnificent Seven.
Taylor Lautner
Taylor Lautner took over for Andy Samberg on the BBC show Cuckoo. And according to Decider, "Lautner is amazing" in it. Interestingly enough, the series actually dealt with the actor switch-up in a unique way. They wrote off Samberg's character (Cuckoo) by "having his character go missing while hiking in the Himalayas." Lautner "portrays Dale, Cuckoo’s formerly unknown son."