Justin Hartley Talks About His “Ridiculous” Early Roles In Soap Operas

Actor Justin Hartley has become a huge primetime star with his iconic role in This Is Us as Kevin Pearson, not to mention his huge breakout hit this year, playing Colter Shaw on Tracker. Still, he recently had an interview where he talked about his “ridiculous” start on soap operas.

Justin Hartley’s – Early Daytime Drama Days

Before diving into the world of primetime, Hartley started in the land of daytime drama. From 2002-2006, he was in the soap opera (now canceled) called Passions where he played Nicholas Foxworth “Fox” Crane.

Not overly shocking, but the show took advantage of Justin’s chiseled features and ripped physique, showcasing him in plentiful scenes where Hartley walked around without a shirt on.

Justin reflected on his time with the soap, noting that the show had him shirtless around a hospital for three weeks. He adds that it was “ridiculous”, but he loved it.

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Among a variety of other smaller primetime appearances before he “broke out” into the business, Hartley also played Adam Newman on the Young and the Restless (Y&R) from 2014-2016.

While he may not have been shirtless for a majority of the time during that stint, he did have some steamy scenes here and there within the show.

Justin Hartley – Life Imitating Art

Justin would move on from the Y&R later in 2016, with a key role in the series This Is Us.

Interestingly enough, Hartley played an actor who wanted to be taken more seriously. Achieving fame in a fictional show, The Manny, his character in the comedy often went shirtless for extended periods within scenes.

Still, as time wore on, he moved past The Manny and the cast typing he was pigeonholed in to enjoy a successful career in movies.

Much like Kevin Pearson, Hartley, has also moved on from his soapy days on Passions. Not only for his work on This Is Us, but also for his new CBS primetime hit, Tracker, where he plays a survivalist who helps private citizens and law enforcement track missing people down to earn a living through reward money.

Are you a Tracker and Justin Hartley fan? Share your thoughts below. Watch Tracker on CBS Sunday nights and stay tuned to this site for the best television spoilers, news, and updates!

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