Michaela McManus

Michaela McManus landed on the set of One Tree Hill in 2008 to play Lindsey Strauss. Her arrival was far from quiet, since her character disrupted the show's central relationship, earning her the instant hatred of a legion of teen fans. That media storm on The CW helped her break into the big leagues of American television in less than a year.

And the gamble paid off.

The Prosecutor's Office and Fangs

Diane Neal's departure from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit left a tough vacancy in season ten. McManus took on the challenge of playing prosecutor Kim Greylek in 2008. It was a sharp change of pace (she went from high school dramas to police interrogations), but the experience didn't last long. The actress left the series in 2009 after appearing in only 22 episodes of Dick Wolf's franchise.

But McManus didn't stop after that professional setback. In 2011, she joined the cast of The Vampire Diaries to bring to life Jules, a werewolf with dark intentions. That same year, she also appeared in Hawaii Five-0 and began landing supporting roles in big-budget productions for network television.

Sometimes success is simply about keeping at it.

Warfare and Alien Makeup

In 2017, she put on the uniform of Alana Hayes in the series SEAL Team. Her role was essential in balancing the war narrative with the emotional weight of the families waiting at home. But the most unexpected turn in her career came with The Orville in 2018. Under heavy layers of prosthetics to play the alien Teleya, McManus proved she could lead a espionage plot in space without audiences ever seeing her real face.

In 2019, she starred in the ensemble drama The Village on NBC. The series tried to capture the audience of the era's big family hits, but the network decided to cancel it after airing its first ten episodes. McManus played Sarah Campbell in every episode produced before the project's final cancellation due to lack of profitability.

In 2022, she returned to her role in season three of The Orville: New Horizons to wrap up her story arc. The production cost of this final installment exceeded 15 million dollars per episode filmed.