They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but we wonder what good is a picture when you can’t recognize the subject? Above is a snapshot of a future star of soaps, but can you guess who this mustard loving, messy little eater grew up to be?
Star Of The Soaps
Obviously, this young man (now all grown up) is either currently starring in, or is an alum of, one of the four remaining daytime dramas – The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of our Lives, General Hospital, and The Young and the Restless – but that’s probably not enough of a hint.
So try these on for size. He was born and raised in Illinois. He is a soap hopper. He is a Daytime Emmy Award nominee. His film debut came courtesy of a romantic drama released in 2005. He is a writer/director. And he has portrayed not one, but two DC Comics action heroes.
But just who can he be? Is this a photograph of Jacob Young (ex-Rick Forrester, BB), Lucas Adams (Tripp Dalton, DAYS), Ryan Carnes (Lucas Jones, GH), or Justin Hartley (ex-Adam Newman, YR)?
Jacob Young
Though Young is, without question, a prolific soap hopper – having had roles on BB and YR (as Rick), GH (ex-Lucky Spencer), All My Children/One Life to Live (ex-J.R. Chandler), and DAYS (ex-Kinsey) – he was born in Renton, Washington and hasn’t portrayed a superhero. So he’s not today’s featured actor.
Lucas Adams
Adams was twice nominated for a Daytime Emmy in the Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series category and he has two soaps on his resume – DAYS and YR (ex-Wesley). However, his first film role was family drama Closer to God: Jessica’s Journey and though he appeared in a sitcom about superheroes, Adams played a mere mortal. Another swing and a miss.
Ryan Carnes
Born in Illinois? Check! Portrayed a comic book hero? Check! But Carnes only brought one crime buster to the screen. And his first film was the romantic comedy Eating Out. So he isn’t the answer to our identity query.
Justin Hartley
Hartley spent his formative years in Orlando Park, Illinois, and it was at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he honed his acting skills. His professional debut was on NBC’s daytime serial Passions and he would subsequently return to the soap opera genre via his two-year stint on YR.
Hartley’s other credits include the film Race You to the Bottom (2005), the pilot film Aquaman (in which he starred as the eponymous do-gooder), and Smallville where he played Oliver Queen AKA Green Arrow. Since 2016, Hartley has starred on This Is Us – a series which he has also directed.
So, if you guessed that the future star of soaps seen in the image above was Justin Hartley – who both co-wrote and directed an episode of Smallville – then you were absolutely correct!
