The best Julianne Hough movies and TV shows offer mostly successful musical and dancer performances and a few comedies and thrillers that didn’t quite match up. Hough and her brother Derek Hough got big breaks thanks to their dancing skills. They grew up with dancing in their family as all four of their grandparents were dancers, and the duo achieved worldwide acclaim when they took their dancing to the extremely popular ABC competition series Dancing with the Stars.
Derek Hough won the Mirror Ball Trophy on Dancing with the Stars six times, while Julianne won it twice and they both remain on the show as a judge and a host, respectively. However, unlike Derek, Hough decided to try her hand at acting outside of the world of dance. However, as expected, many of her choices ended up in musical movies like Footloose or movies surrounding dance like Burlesque. She has limited film and TV experience over the past few years but has a nice catalog of work to her name.
10 Curve (2015)
Julianne Hough Played Mallory Rutledge
Curve 0
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A bride second-guessing her wedding takes a detour, where a hitchhiker’s help after her car breaks down leaves her questioning if fate is at play.
Director Iain Softley Release Date August 31, 2015 Cast Julianne Hough , Teddy Sears , Penelope Mitchell , Madalyn Horcher , drew rausch , Kurt Bryant Runtime 86 minutes
One of Julianne Hough’s lesser-known movies is the horror thriller Curve. The film is from Blumhouse, although it never touched the level of the studio’s other films like Sinister, The Purge, and Insidious. Directed by Iain Softley (The Skeleton Key), Julianne Hough stars as Mallory Rutledge, a young bride-to-be who is on her way to her wedding rehearsal when her car breaks down. A hitchhiker helps her fix it, and then when she gives him a ride out of gratitude, the unimaginable happens.
The man threatens her, and she crashes her car to try to kill him to escape, but she ends up trapped in the car while he is still alive and begins torturing her as she is trapped and injured. Despite Blumhouse’s success with horror movies, this one never made it to theaters. After a debut at Fright Fest 2015, Universal released it through VOD. This is one of the rare Hough movies with no critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, although it has one positive and one negative review. It has a 27% audience score.
9 Dirty Grandpa (2016)
Julianne Hough Played Meredith Goldstein
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Written by John M. Phillips and directed by Dan Mazer, Dirty Grandpa is a Comedy starring Robert De Niro and Zac Efron in the lead roles. The premise sees a corporate lawyer taking his Army veteran grandfather through the state of Florida during Spring Break.
Julianne Hough stars in the movie Dirty Grandpa, a 2016 comedy directed by Sasha Baron Cohen’s long-time writing partner, Dan Mazer. The main stars of the film are Robert De Niro and Zac Efron, as a U.S. Army veteran and his grandson, a corporate lawyer, and a road trip they take from Atlanta to Florida. The film is a buddy comedy with the grandfather as the wild man wanting always to party and the grandson being uptight while engaged to a domineering woman back home.
Hough’s role is relatively small but she does a strong job of playing the unlikable girlfriend.
Julianne Hough plays Meredith, the fiancé back home, who has some secrets of her own and isn’t as good of a person as she likes to put on. The movie ended up as a box office success, making $105.1 million on an $11.5 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). It was also a film that had a big discrepancy between the critics and the audience. Hough’s role is relatively small but she does a strong job of playing the unlikable girlfriend.
8 Paradise (2013)
Julianne Hough Played Lamb Mannerhelm
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PG-13Comedy
Paradise is a comedy-drama film directed by Diablo Cody. Released in 2013, it stars Julianne Hough as Lamb Mannerheim, a young woman who re-evaluates her life after surviving a plane crash. Seeking a fresh start, she leaves her conservative hometown for Las Vegas, where she encounters an eclectic group of characters who help her find a new sense of purpose and self-discovery.
Director Diablo Cody Release Date October 17, 2013 Cast Julianne Hough , Russell Brand , Octavia Spencer Runtime 86 Minutes
In 2013, Julianne Hough teamed up with Diablo Cody for the movie Paradise, which was also known as Lamb of God. Cody had made her name as a screenwriter in movies like Juno and Jennifer’s Body, but Paradise was her directorial debut. Paradise, Nevada, is an unincorporated town that is where the Las Vegas strip is located. In the movie, a young woman named Lamb Mannerhelm goes to speak at her family’s church in Montana after surviving a plane crash and denounces God to the church.
Even though reviews weren’t sparkling, it’s a good chance to see Hough in a leading role.
Julianne Hough plays Lamb Mannerhelm, this young woman who then leaves Montana and her family and moves to Las Vegas to live a life of sin that her strict upbringing once objected to. While there, she meets a bartender (Russell Brand) and a singer (Octavia Spencer) and begins to figure out her next step in the world. Even though reviews weren’t sparkling, it’s a good chance to see Hough in a leading role.
7 Safe Haven (2013)
Julianne Hough Played Katie Feldman / Erin Tierney
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Safe Haven is a romantic drama directed by Lasse Hallström and based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks. Julianne Hough stars as Katie, a mysterious young woman who moves to a small North Carolina town, where she forms a romantic relationship with a widowed store owner, played by Josh Duhamel. As Katie’s past catches up with her, she must confront her secrets to build a future in her new community.
Director Lasse Hallström Release Date February 14, 2013 Distributor(s) Relativity Media Cast Josh Duhamel , Julianne Hough , Cobie Smulders , David Runtime 115 Minutes
In 2013, Julianne Hough took on a role in a Nicholas Sparks adaptation. Anyone who is familiar with Sparks knows what to expect, as his stories are all romantic dramas and almost all of them have depressing moments, or satisfying endings despite being mired in tragedy. The movie stars Julianne Hough as a woman who runs from the police while covered in blood and then resurfaces in another town, using a different name. She meets a man (Josh Duhamel) and the two end up falling in love.
Critics hated it, with a 13% rotten score, but the audience score was much higher at 67%, not unusual for Nicholas Sparks films.
However, wanted posters start to go up claiming the Boston police are looking for her in connection with a murder, and things start to get dangerous for the man she has fallen in love with and his children. The movie has fantastical elements, and it is unlike many other Sparks movies as the tragedies all happen before the film starts, and this allows it to remain just a love story. Critics hated it, with a 13% rotten score, but the audience score was much higher at 67%, not unusual for Nicholas Sparks films.
6 Burlesque (2010)
Julianne Hough Played Georgia
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PG-13DramaDocumentaryMusicalRomance Where to Watch
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*Availability in US Director Steve Antin Release Date November 23, 2010 Cast Cher , Christina Aguilera , Stanley Tucci , Kristen Bell , Cam Gigandet , Alan Cumming Runtime 100 minutes
When Burlesque came out in 2010, there were high hopes for the movie. The musical film was sold on the backs of its two stars, Cher and Christina Aguilera. Cher is Tess, a burlesque club owner, and Ali is a young woman new to Los Angeles with dreams of becoming a star. The film is mostly about Tess trying to save her club and Ali navigating life in the big city, both with her job at the club and in her romantic life. As with many of her movies, Julianne Hough is a dancer.
Hough plays Georgia, one of the lead Burlesque dancers in Tess’s club. However, her character becomes pregnant and ends up having to step away, which is what leads to Ali getting her spot on the team. The music from the movie was almost more successful than the film itself. Burlesque ended up making a small profit but its soundtrack ended up certified gold. The film received poor reviews but still won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.
5 Rock Of Ages (2012)
Julianne Hough Played Sherrie Christian
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PG-13ComedyDramaMusicRomance
Rock of Ages is a musical film set in 1987 Los Angeles, focusing on the romance between a small-town girl, Sherrie (Julianne Hough), and a city boy, Drew (Diego Boneta), who meet at the iconic Bourbon Room. Directed by Adam Shankman, the movie features prominent performances from Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, and Russell Brand, weaving a narrative around classic rock songs of the era and the struggles to keep the music alive.
Director Adam Shankman Release Date June 13, 2012 Cast Julianne Hough , Diego Boneta , Alec Baldwin , Tom Cruise , Russell Brand Runtime 123 Minutes
Rock of Ages is an interesting movie. It is based on the rock jukebox Broadway musical by Chris D’Arienzo and features music by some of the biggest hair bands of the 1980s. While the musical was a massive success, sold primarily on the backs of the familiar songs, the movie based on it ended up slightly polarizing. It had the same idea, taking all the great hair metal songs and placing them into a story about a small town girl who moves to Los Angeles from Oklahoma in 1987 with dreams of becoming a star.
The songs were from Poison, Night Ramger, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, and more.
Julianne Hough takes on the lead role of the small-town girl, named Sherrie Christian. When her suitcase is stolen as soon as she arrives, she gets a job as a waitress at the Bourbon Room and tries to reach her musical dreams. The cast was great, with Tom Cruise, Alex Baldwin, Mary J. Blige, Paul Giamatti, and more. The songs were from Poison, Night Ramger, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, and more. Rock of Ages was a box office flop with a 42% Rotten Tomatoes score, but fans awarded it a 55% fresh rating.
4 Dancing With The Stars (2007- )
Julianne Hough Played Herself
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Dancing With the Stars is a popular dancing competition reality TV show airing on ABC and Disney+. The series features various celebrities who pair with professional dancers to compete in front of a panel of judges. The US version of the UK TV show Strictly Come Dancing premiered in 2005 and was originally hosted by Tom Bergeron for its first 28 seasons.
Easily, the most notable role that Julianne Hough ever portrayed on television was as herself in the reality competitions series Dancing with the Stars. This ABC series brings in celebrities from movies, TV shows, reality TV, the sports world, and more and has them learn how to do different dances where they then compete for the audience to vote the winners through. Hough worked as a pro on the show for five seasons and is now one of the hosts, alongside Alfonso Ribeiro.
In her first two seasons as a
Dancing with the Stars
pro, she won the Mirror Ball Trophy.
In her first two seasons as a Dancing with the Stars pro, she won the Mirror Ball Trophy, the first time with Olympian Apolo Ohno and the second with race car driver Hélio Castroneves. In her next three seasons, she finished in 9th, 4th, and 6th place. Since then, she has served as a guest judge for several seasons before taking on the role of co-host. She also won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography, an award she shares with her brother Derek Hough and Tessandra Chavez.
3 Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings (2019)
Julianne Hough Played Jolene
Heartstrings is an anthology series that tells the stories behind many of Dolly Parton’s most iconic songs. Each episode tells a different story, with a new cast, and they all focus individually on both beloved songs and some that are not as famous. The episodes include These Old Bones, J.J. Sneed, Sugar Hill, Down from Dover, Cracker Jack, If I Had Wings, Two Doors Down, and Jolene. Easily the most famous song on the list is Jolene, and that is the episode Julianne Hough appears in.
“Jolene” is the first episode of the anthology series and Julianne Hough plays the title character, an attractive young bartender/singer-songwriter who becomes friends with a woman named Emily (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), but when she sets her eyes on Emily’s husband, Aaron (Dallas Roberts), Emily starts to become insecure. The Rotten Tomatoes score is only an average of 54%, but this is a show that the fans loved, with an extremely high 94% fresh Popcornmeter score.
2 Footloose (2011)
Julianne Hough Played Ariel Moore
The most notable movie appearance for Julianne Hough is likely the 2011 remake of Footloose. The original movie stars Keven Bacon as a young man who moves to a new town that forbids dancing for religious reasons. However, soon he sweeps the high school community off its fee with his moves and when a preacher’s daughter falls for him, things spiral out of control. The remake stars Kenny Wornald in the Bacon role, with Hough starring as the preacher’s daughter.
Related 10 Best Uses Of Songs In Footloose, Ranked
Using songs in films is a widely known practice, but no movie accomplished this with a hit soundtrack as perfectly as the infamous Footloose.
The film has some deeper issues, as the town’s Draconian laws were created when the preacher’s son died in an accident after a night of partying, so he wanted to protect his daughter and her classmates. However, the draw of the movie is still the dance scenes, which made Hough a great choice for the female lead role. The film has a 68% fresh Rotten Tomatoes score and ended up as a small financial success.
1 Grease Live! (2016)
Julianne Hough Played Sandy
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The Grease franchise is a beloved musical and romantic comedy series that began with the 1978 film Grease, based on the 1971 stage musical of the same name. The story follows greaser Danny Zuko and new girl Sandy Olsson as they navigate their romance amidst the cliques and social pressures of Rydell High. The film became a massive success and a cultural touchstone, known for its hit songs and performances by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Over time, the franchise has expanded with sequels, a prequel series, and television specials.
Created by Jim Jacobs , Warren Casey , Allan Carr Cast John Travolta , Olivia Newton-John , Stockard Channing , Jeff Conaway , Barry Pearl , Michael Tucci , Didi Conn , Maxwell Caulfield , Michelle Pfeiffer
Summary
The Grease franchise is a beloved musical and romantic comedy series that began with the 1978 film Grease, based on the 1971 stage musical of the same name. The story follows greaser Danny Zuko and new girl Sandy Olsson as they navigate their romance amidst the cliques and social pressures of Rydell High. The film became a massive success and a cultural touchstone, known for its hit songs and performances by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Over time, the franchise has expanded with sequels, a prequel series, and television specials.
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In 2016, NBC put on a huge special called Grease Live! This was a remake of the classic 1978 musical movie which itself became a Broadway play. What made it special was that the cast performed the play live on TV, directed by Tony-winning stage play director Thomas Kail. Julianne Hough took on the role that Olivia Newton-John made famous in the original movie, the female lead Sandy Young. Sandy is a conservative young woman who meets the greaser Danny Zuko and transforms herself over the course of the story.
Grease Live!
also earned nine Emmy nominations, winning for Outstanding Special Class Program.
Aaron Tveit (who later won a Tony for the Broadway version of Moulin Rogue!) stars as Danny while several familiar faces also appear, including Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo, Carly Rae Jepsen as Frenchy, and Keke Palmer as Marty. Boyz II Men, DNCE, and Jessie J also appear as musical guests. Critics praised the TV special, awarding it a 92% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Grease Live! also earned nine Emmy nominations, winning for Outstanding Special Class Program.