The Classic Soap Where Julianne Moore Got Her Showbiz Start

Julianne Moore's career boasts highlights such as the films "The Fugitive," "Nine Months," and "Boogie Nights," but when she was a young actress looking to make her mark, she started off on television. One of her first projects came in 1984 when she was cast on the TV show "The Edge of Night." The following year, she landed a small part on the soap opera "Another World," where she played an unnamed flight attendant. However, that same year she was hired to play the role of Frannie Hughes on the classic sudser "As The World Turns."

During her time on the show, Moore played the role of Frannie as well as the character's evil identical half-sister/cousin Sabrina Hughes. The role earned the actor a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Ingenue in a Drama Series in 1988 and helped to catapult her career in the following years.

While some stars may want to forget their early years working on soap operas, Moore isn't one of them. In fact, the actor has appeared to be rather proud of the work that she did on the show, and even surprised fans when she opened up about her role on the soap opera during a very public moment.

Julianne Moore isn't hiding her soap opera roots. The actor has embraced her history in "As The World Turns," and when she won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in the film "Still Alice" in 2015, she even gave the soap a major shout-out.

"When I was on As The World Turns," she told the audience during her acceptance speech (via Bustle), "I was so excited when they wrote two parts for me. You know, the classic twin sister role, the good and the evil one, and I couldn't wait to do it and I was so excited. And I realized it was super boring to act by myself," Moore continued. "What I really loved, and what I really craved, and what was most exciting for me was being with another actor and feeling that intimacy and that excitement and that thrill of getting to know somebody in that way. And that's what keeps me coming back to acting again and again and again," she concluded.

Not only did Moore give credit to her soap opera beginnings, but she also revealed what she learned about her time on the sudser, and how it helped her become the successful actress she is today.

After leaving "As The World Turns" in 1988, Julianne Moore went on to star in movies like "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle," "The Big Lebowski," "The Hours," "Laws of Attraction," "The Kids Are All Right," and "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay" Parts 1 and 2. In 2010, Moore even opted to reprise her role as Frannie Hughes on "As The World Turns" to celebrate the soap opera's final year on the air. Moore made a quick appearance to celebrate the wedding anniversary of beloved characters Bob and Kim.

Moore was also honored to become the president of the Venice Film Festival jury in 2022, where she gave the soap opera another quick mention. "The first time I was in Venice, I was an actress on an American soap opera, it was 1986. If I had known then I would be here as the president of the jury, I would have fallen in the canal!" she said (via Variety).

Moore has had a stunning transformation since her days on "As The World Turns." She has been in several big movies, earned Oscar nominations, and cemented her place in Hollywood. However, she's never turned her back on the soap opera that served as a major building block for her career.