This Oscar-Nominated Star Got Her Big TV Break in ‘That ’70s Show’
With a sequel series now available on Netflix, That ’70s Show has been back under the spotlight in 2023. The TV show produced many notable stars in its main cast, but going back and watching those old episodes has revealed some major guest stars. The kind who was vastly underrated back when the series was still airing.
One of the most famous, Amy Adams, is the perfect example of why no job is too small to take. Her career began with one-off sitcom appearances, and now she has six Academy Award nominations to her name. But was that evident when she appeared on That ’70s Show?
Amy Adams was a guest star on ‘That ’70s Show’ early in her career
The American Hustle actor may have earned a Best Actress nomination for that film. Her performance on That ’70s Show doesn’t quite pack the same gravitas, sure. But as pointed out in this MsMojo YouTube video on the episode, she was already an immensely charming performer even back then.
“I was so nervous,” Adams told Ellen Degeneres and That ’70s Show regular Ashton Kutcher on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2019. She complimented Kutcher and his fellow stars. But he wouldn’t let her put herself down. “You were amazing! What are you talking about?” he replied.
Her episode was the Season 2 episode, “Burning Down the House.” She plays rich girl Kat Peterson, who secretly starts dating the unpopular Steven Hyde (played by the since-disgraced Danny Masterson). She’s into him, but too embarrassed to even hint at the connection to her wealthy friends.
It all falls apart during a hilarious party sequence, where Peterson ignores Hyde and his friends as if she has never met them. Her comedic chops were already primed for the massively popular sitcom. It was such a natural fit, it’s almost shocking that she didn’t find a regular comedic role before transitioning primarily to dramatic films.
Amy Adams went from primetime sitcom guest star to major motion pictures relatively quickly
Adams clearly took comedy seriously enough early on, that she felt compelled to return to the primetime sitcom space years later. She didn’t need The Office on her resume, but she turned in a great performance as handbag saleswoman Katy Moore. Like Jon Hamm’s brilliant appearance on 30 Rock, getting a big name from dramatic acting doesn’t always have to be a pure stunt casting move.
Outside of The Office, though, she has mostly spent her time in film and prestige TV dramas. According to IMDb, her first big movie role was in the 2002 Leonardo DiCaprio vehicle Catch Me if You Can. And her breakout, the one that earned her widespread fame and an Oscar nomination, was 2005 indie drama Junebug.
From then on, she was a go-to for leading roles and key supporting spots, almost all in film. The 2018 atmospheric crime thriller Sharp Objects was her biggest television role outside of her stint on The Office.
Amy Adams is preparing to return to television soon
Following Sharp Objects, Adams went back to focusing squarely on film. That decision paid off, earning her a sixth Oscar nod — her fifth for Best Supporting Actress — for the political satire Vice in 2019. She generally sticks to films helmed by experienced, critically-acclaimed directors, but doesn’t demonstrate a strong preference for genre.
Her latest TV project may premiere this year, Deadline reports. Adams is producing and starring in Love of My Life, based on Rosie Walsh’s best-selling novel. The story involves a marine biologist named Emma, who has spent years lying about her background even to those closest to her. When she is stricken by a serious illness, her husband sets out to write her obituary — and uncovers uncomfortable truths in the process.
