# Characters hiding under our noses... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 30, 2010, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278 "2010-05-30T10:26:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/1 "2010-05-30T10:26:08Z")
Right now, like every morning, I’m watching episodes of one of the greatest television sitcoms ever. Yes, of course, I’m talking about _Roseanne_. At 3:00 AM this morning, about 20 minutes ago, the great episode _Bed and Bored_ came on. About midway through the episode I found myself no longer sitting on my couch. Instead I was crouched on the other end of the living room, squinting at the fuzzy image on the screen. Next I was at my computer, hastily Wikipedia-ing my hunch. ! My hunch was confirmed! Sarah Chalke, Elliot from _Scrubs_, has been Becky Conner all this time and I never noticed! I am ashamed. And no, not because I love _Roseanne_. Have you ever been surprised to discover actors hiding right under _your_ noses? ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/2 "2010-05-30T10:37:35Z")
Someone mentioned the other day (when we saw a poster for the re-make) that the original _Karate Kid_ had Elizabeth Shue as the girlfriend. I paused for a moment as I rewound the movie in my head, then a cartoon light bulb probably lit up over my noggin, before I said, “Oh yeah! That _is_ her!” I really liked that movie–have seen it a bunch of times–but I guess Elizabeth Shue didn’t register in my memory. That role was just played by “generic ingenue.” ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/3 "2010-05-30T12:03:17Z")
Well, it’s not as if she was Becky all the time… ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/4 "2010-05-30T12:47:38Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Well, it’s not as if she was Becky all the time… True. But I’ve seen most episodes of _Roseanne_, enough that I should have known! ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/5 "2010-05-30T12:53:13Z")
Sarah Chalke’s nickname among the cast and crew of Scrubs was “Second Becky.” ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/6 "2010-05-30T13:11:29Z")
Yesterday I was watching a 2007 rerun of Two and Half Men. Chelsea shows up with Charlie, but he refers to her as a “one night stand I picked up in a bar”. After looking at imbd, I see she had 4 characters on the show before she got the Chelsea role. I’ve seen people have two roles in a show, usually one small part and then getting a main role, but I’ve never seen someone have 5 roles in one show. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/7 "2010-05-30T14:00:38Z")
It messed with me when I figured it out, too. My brain always substituted the original Becky. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus\_alba](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quercus_alba/32/4061_2.png) [@Quercus\_alba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus_alba)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/8 "2010-05-30T20:06:59Z")
My wife had a near-breakdown when she realized “Ducky” from NCIS was David McCallum, her teen heart-throb Illya Kuryakin from U.N.C.L.E. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/9 "2010-05-30T21:42:12Z")
1. Discovering that Adam Baldwin in **Firefly** was the title character in **My Bodyguard.** 2. Discovering that Titus’s brother in **Titus** used to be Scut Farkus. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/10 "2010-05-30T21:55:24Z")
A couple from the 90s defining **Twin Peaks** : Cooper’s girlfriend turned out to be the luscious Heather Graham, and the tranny FBI agent Cooper calls in for help was none other than Agent Mulder (David Duchovny) in drag (he made a cute girl!) ---
**Author:** ![luv2draw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@luv2draw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luv2draw)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/11 "2010-05-30T22:20:46Z")
> [@Quercus\_alba](#): > > My wife had a near-breakdown when she realized “Ducky” from NCIS was David McCallum, her teen heart-throb Illya Kuryakin from U.N.C.L.E. Then your wife will like the episode where some chick on NCIS (I don’t remember who) says “I wonder what Ducky looked like when he was younger”. Mark Harmon’s character doesn’t miss a beat and answers straight-faced, “Illya Kuryakin” (the name of McCallum’s character in U.N.C.L.E.). I laughed out loud!!! 😃 Oh, and Sarah Chalke was the 2nd Becky. There was another actress for the first few years who left to go to college (I think) and Sarah Chalke took the role. It’s been years since Roseanne; I think the original Becky came back for the Series Finale… ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/12 "2010-05-31T00:08:30Z")
They make reference to the new Becky on Roseanne when they are watching Bewitched and Roseanne said can you believe they switched Darrens on us and didn’t think we’d notice? Sarah Chalke says, “I like the new Darren.” ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/13 "2010-05-31T00:59:48Z")
> [@luv2draw](#): > > Oh, and Sarah Chalke was the 2nd Becky. There was another actress for the first few years who left to go to college (I think) and Sarah Chalke took the role. It’s been years since Roseanne; I think the original Becky came back for the Series Finale… The original Becky actually returned for the last several seasons. ---
**Author:** ![Zoinks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zoinks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoinks)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/14 "2010-05-31T01:11:08Z")
Jerry Orbach was on Law & Order once as a defence attorney before he was Lenny Briscoe, his cameo freaked me out when I saw it on syndication. I can’t seem to find corroborating info on IMDB but I know this happened, I still remember how weird the whole episode was. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/15 "2010-05-31T01:22:38Z")
> [@luv2draw](#): > > Oh, and Sarah Chalke was the 2nd Becky. There was another actress for the first few years who left to go to college (I think) and Sarah Chalke took the role. It’s been years since Roseanne; I think the original Becky came back for the Series Finale… The first Becky was fired along with the producer she had an affair with. The second Becky eventually left to go to college and at that time they rehired the original Becky. ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/16 "2010-05-31T02:28:33Z")
Harry Morgan played a batshit crazy general in an episode of M_A_S\*H long before he joined the cast as Col. Potter. It bugs the hell out of me when I see that episode! ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/17 "2010-05-31T02:38:42Z")
This goes a way back, but it freaked me out none the less. I was about the same age as the Stand by Me kids, so thought the main character was pretty great. I thought one of the greatest lines in TNG was “shut-up Wesley!” I had no idea they were the same actor. A few years later I found Wil Weaton’s blog/writings on the net and now happily idolize him. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/18 "2010-05-31T03:01:51Z")
Lukas “The Kid from ‘Witness’” Haas keeps showing up in various places as a rether poorly kept bad guy. It freaks me out, and I never realize why until a couple of days later. . . ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/19 "2010-05-31T03:09:34Z")
> [@Cheez\_Whia](#): > > Harry Morgan played a batshit crazy general in an episode of M_A_S\*H long before he joined the cast as Col. Potter. It bugs the hell out of me when I see that episode! He played Maj. Gen. Bartford Hamilton Steele in [“The General Flipped at Dawn”](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0638431/) ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/20 "2010-05-31T03:13:22Z")
Oh, there’s also that Waldo character that’s always _right there_ yet so hard to find. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278.md?page=2)