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Katharine McPhee in Smash OTHER ROUTES TO Fame M Julianne Hough in Footloose any singers and dancers have found their way to success in acting in film and television through less direct means. The most obvious is stage acting. Some of Glee's cast members got their acting chops on Broadway — Lea Michele performed in Fiddler on the Roof and Spring Awakening, and Matthew Morrison has been in Hairspray and South Pacific. That background has not only served them well on the show, but on the Glee Live! tour, as well. Others, such as Idina Menzel (Rent, Wicked) and Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked, Promises, Promises), who have distinguished themselves in theater, have been cast as guest stars on Glee for that very reason. Stage and film acting require different approaches, but experience emoting through a combination of song, dance and acting gives these performers additional acting tools. Erika Shannon, who performed in the Rock of Ages Broadway musical, made the jump to the big screen version in an unusual fashion. Along with fellow cast members, she recorded a campy video with an original song that begs director Adam Shankman to "please pick me." The video eventually made its way to Shankman and, as a result, she and seven others involved in the video were cast in the upcoming film, Shannon said. Then there is the competition show. For those who have the talent and tenacity to make it through the grueling process, it can be the "big break" they have been waiting for. That route paid off for Katharine McPhee, who rose to fame as a runner-up on American Idol, and is set to star in Smash, a midseason musical SAG production about a group of performers who are putting on a Broadway show about the life of Marilyn Monroe. click here for video Although she didn't win on Idol, the exposure secured her a recording contract and led to acting parts in movies and television. In Smash, which stars Anjelica Huston, Christian Borle and Debra Messing, and counts Steven Spielberg among its executive producers, McPhee plays Karen, one of the actors vying for the role of Monroe. A competition show was also key to the success of Julianne Hough. A professional dancer on Dancing With the Stars, the gig eventually led to a record deal and an acting career. She got starring parts in the remake of Footloose, due to hit theaters in October, and Rock of Ages, scheduled for release next year. On The Glee Project, 12 contenders compete for a guest role Above, Erika Shannon in a video that caught director Adam Shankman's attention. Click here to read two stories about creative ways actors got the part. on Glee. For the 18-22-year-olds hoping for the ultimate prize, the rewards of the journey may be more important than the destination. Casting director Robert Ulrich said he, choreographer Zach Woodlee and Glee creator Ryan Murphy make a concerted effort to mentor the young performers and offer specific, useful feedback. Even those who don't make the cut will be able to take away something from the experience and use what they have learned to further their careers. "Our goal all along was to mentor these kids and to help them get better," Ulrich said. SAG.org Summer 2011 - SCREEN ACTOR 27 K.C. Bailey/Paramount Pictures Will Hart/NBCUniversal