Julianne Hough scored her first lead role in 2011’s remake of “Footloose,” playing Ariel Moore, the wild-child daughter of Reverend Shawn Moore (Dennis Quaid), who falls for the new-in-town rebel Ren McCormack. Although it marked her first time at the top of the bill, Hough told Collider she was not intimidated. “Honestly, challenging myself is my favorite thing to do in the world,” she explained. “Starting from scratch somewhere is always a little nerve-wracking, but I feel like when it’s scary, I should probably do it.”
Although it wasn’t a musical, it certainly was a movie with good music. The film grossed $63 million worldwide on a $24 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo, and certainly primed Hough for a successful film career. “Honestly, I think this is the perfect movie that I could have done for breaking into the [acting] world,” she told Collider. “I’m not stepping out of my fans’ comfort zone too much, ’cause you still see me dance, but it does give me room to actually act.” She did have to tone down some of those pro moves for the camera, though. “[The director Craig Brewer] was like, ‘You know, you’re supposed to be 17 from Bomont, and not a professional dancer, right,’” Hough recalled. “I was like, ‘I know! But once the music comes on, I just want to dance!’”