The “Shameless” cast has been charming American audiences since 2011,
following a working class family, the Gallaghers,
on Chicago's South Side and the often illegal shenanigans they get into. And over the years,
the Shameless cast has transformed in front of our eyes. Here's how they've changed.
Acting veteran William H. Macy was no less captivating as the Gallagher
patriarch in the "Shameless" cast in its final season than
he was when the show first aired in 2011. He told Parade in 2019,
"I take great pride in being the worst father on television. [...] At the end of the day,
Frank is an optimist. [...] He thinks things are going to get
better. He's got a wicked sense of humor. He sees the irony in life."
In his personal life, Macy faced a shameless moment of his own in 2019 when his wife,
fellow actress Felicity Huffman, was implicated in a college admissions
scandal in which it was revealed that several well-off parents had committed
crimes in order to get their children into top colleges. While Macy himself wasn't charged,
he and Huffman were said to have allegedly met with the key figure in the scandal,
in order to explore options to ensure their daughter received a high SAT score. The couple
reportedly made a $15,000 donation to a fake charity set up by Singer to ensure his assistance.
Emmy Rossum was one of the biggest names in the "Shameless" cast when it debuted in 2011.
The actress told Entertainment Weekly that she knew that this character and world was special
after reading the script and that she wanted the part, quote “so bad.” Rossum's character, Fiona,
remained one the most compelling characters on "Shameless" through its ninth season.
“Patty and I are separated”
“Didn’t look separated to me.”
“We’re getting a divorce.”
“Why wouldn’t you just tell me that you’re married?”
The actress made headlines in 2016 when she demanded to be paid as much
as male co-star William H. Macy, something she's still, quote, "extremely proud" of.
Rossum finally made the decision to leave the show in 2019. she told Shape,
"I made 110 episodes playing the character of Fiona, and it's been an incredible journey.
I've learned a lot about myself as a person and as an actor. I want to leave the show
while I still love it, and I know the door is open to come back if that feels right."
Rossum explained she left the show in order to explore other roles.
"I couldn't be more thrilled to spend time writing, directing,
and seeing what other characters I want to play [...] It's both scary and wonderful."
Jeremy Allen White auditioned for both Phillip "Lip" Gallagher and Ian Gallagher,
eventually joining the "Shameless" cast as Lip. Only 19 when the first season aired,
White went from teenager to young adult on the show. He also branched out from his
"Shameless" role with parts on shows like "Homecoming" and films like "Movie 43,"
but White's biggest transformation took place behind the scenes.
The actor became a father in October 2018, and, the following April, he proposed to the mother
of his child, actress Addison Timlin. As he was adjusting to fatherhood in real life,
he was also becoming a parent on the show — a plot element he told
the Chicago Tribune was deliberately inserted by creator John Wells who he
says likes to sprinkle things in the show that reflect the actors' lives, saying,
"I have mixed feelings about it [...] Sometimes I think it runs the risk of
being a little exploitative. And other times I want to dive in completely
because I'd love to find out something about myself while playing a character."
When "Shameless" debuted in 2011, Cameron Monaghan already had quite a few acting roles under his
belt, but "Shameless" really gave him a chance to show off his skills as an actor. In 2011, the
then-17-year-old actor told the Los Angeles Times what he thought of his character, Ian. He shared,
"He goes up against the negative stereotypes typical of gay characters out on TV right now.
He's smart and he's tough and he's brave and he's really caring and
responsible — and I think that's not always shown in one character."
Monaghan went on to star on "Gotham" while continuing to
play Ian. He told the Chicago Tribune of "Shameless" in 2019,
"It's a show that I deeply enjoy working on, not only because of my co-workers but
also because of the challenge of the material itself, which combines this level of comedy and
drama and absurdity but also this real-world commentary on what it means to be a person.”
While Ethan Cutkosky's "Shameless" character, Carl Gallagher, saw quite a transformation,
so has Cutkosky himself. Cutkosky told Entertainment Weekly about his
life before joining the "Shameless" cast, saying,
"I was 10 years old, living in Chicago. [...] My mom and I flew out,
not expecting much. By the second audition, we got a contract."
Cutkosky pretty much grew up on the "Shameless" set,
and he was eventually ready to branch out. He told Live for Live Music in 2018,
"I'm 18 now, so growing up on the show and going back in forth through high school and then turning
18 and realizing there's a career to be done if I want to, but also, I'm not necessarily somebody
that lives and breathes acting. [...] Like that's not the only thing that I can see myself doing.
I love it, I'd love to keep acting, but there's other stuff I'm going to do."
"Shameless" cast member Emma Kenney plays one of the youngest of the Gallagher clan,
Debbie. The precocious pre-teen was 11 years old when the first season
of "Shameless" aired. She told Michigan Avenue,
"I got to grow and learn everything I know on this set, and continue to do so.”
In addition to playing Debbie, Kenney also joined the cast of
the 2018 "Roseanne" revival and its spin-off, "The Conners."
Now a young woman, Kenney has plans to see how far acting can take her, and she has expressed
interest in film work. For Kenney, it's all about expanding her horizons. She shared,
"I tend to get bored easily, so I'm always looking for something new and exciting.’
In 2018, Kenney revealed that the life of a child star had taken its toll on her.
She said that she had fallen into a bad crowd and began experimenting with illegal things,
but that she was seeking help. She told In Touch,
"I'm going to be seeking treatment for my battles [...] I'm going to
work through it. I'm going to get help and make better choices."
It might seem like Christian Isaiah has changed a lot since he joined the "Shameless" cast,
but that's actually because the character he plays, Liam Gallagher, hasn't always
been played by him. He's the fifth Liam. Twins Blake and Brennan Johnson played Liam as a baby,
and twins Brenden and Brandon Sims played him from Season 3 to Season 7.
Isaiah told Vulture after he debuted on the show in Season 8,
"I am bringing the character to life my way."
Isaiah quickly transformed the character of Liam, and he counts the role as one of his
favorites as well as one that has challenged him as an actor. He told YAYOMG! in 2018,
"This role has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone,
and say and do things I normally wouldn't say or do [...] Also,
I don't know what the writers will have me saying or doing from one episode to the next!"
Playing the lovable bartender Kevin Ball is Steve Howey. Playing Kev was a challenge for Ball,
and it's one that he thinks has helped him grow as an actor over the years.
While many of Kev's comedic moments rely on his naiveté, Ball wants you to know
that he's different from his character in real life. He told the Chicago Tribune,
"The rhythm of naiveté is fun to play. [...] There's more humor in
that for me. I'm not as naïve as Kev. He's an uneducated fellow — dyslexic,
illiterate, borderline bipolar, grew up without parents — but his heart is there."
“That’s not funny is it?”
In order to maintain his physique and his status as the resident beefcake in the "Shameless" cast
Ball spent much of his spare time working out. He told The Manual,
"I like to run outside in general for a workout [...] For a more extreme activity,
I definitely love snowboarding. [And] I like playing baseball with friends and my son."
Shanola Hampton has come a long way since she landed her big break joining the "Shameless" cast,
playing one half of one of the show's most enduring couples:
Kevin and Veronica. She was part of some of the show's wildest storylines.
With several seasons of "Shameless" under her belt, it's safe to call Hampton a seasoned
actress these days, but her most important role is as a mother. She gave birth to her son
and daughter over the course of the show and is focused on raising them. She told Issue
"I always tell people that being a parent plays to all of my strengths:
I'm a control freak, and I like things to be organized [..] I can tell them what to do,
make a schedule for them and try, God willing, to create good, responsible,
loving human beings. I just hope they listen. If you don't listen to Mom, you're dumb."
When she auditioned for Svetlana,
Isidora Goreshter was convinced she wouldn't get the part. She told Entertainment Weekly,
"It was one of the worst auditions of my life."
She was then hesitant when she actually did get the part because the role was
small and involved a lot of nudity. Her manager convinced her to stick it out,
and the character eventually grew into one of the show's most unforgettable.
Goreshter said the show was, quote, "life changing." The "Shameless" cast member added,
"Knowing that I've been able to be a part of just a minor breadcrumb of the whole loaf
is just really special and something that I'll never forget for the rest of my life."
Goreshter proved to be as hardworking as her character,
filming a sex scene just nine days after giving birth. She later told Gotham,
"It was one of the most ridiculous moments of my life [...] I was just like,
'This is what my life is going to be like now. As a working mom.'"
Fans of "Shameless" could never get enough of "Gallavich," the
name given to the now-iconic coupling of Ian Gallagher and Mickey Milkovich.
Theirs is a love story for the ages, albeit one that unfolded slowly over the course of the show.
The gay couple resonated with audiences, but the character who played Mickey, Noel Fisher,
said there's more to Gallavich than their sexuality. He told BuzzFeed,
"As happy as I am that the gay community has really embraced this storyline,
to me, it is much bigger than that, and that's why it's very relatable [...] I
think anyone can find a way into this story and understand obstacles that a couple faces
as they try to make things work, whether that's their own beliefs about themselves
or bipolar disorder or what have you. Everyone faces obstacles in relationships,
and we root for both these guys for different reasons — and we root for them to be together."
The early seasons of "Shameless" featured a delightfully neurotic Joan Cusack as
the agoraphobic Sheila Jackson who had a relationship with Frank Gallagher. In 2011,
Cusack shared with GoldDerby that playing Sheila was outside of her comfort zone,
but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy the challenge. She explained,
"I'm just going to accept everything and no judgments. [...] It's a great feeling,
and I highly recommend it."
Working with William H. Macy seem to help. Cusack said of her co-star:
"It's great to work with someone who's so competent and generous and is a good person."
Cusack left the "Shameless" cast at the beginning of Season 5, and she added a slew of impressive
credits to her already outstanding resume. Among the many roles she took on were parts on
"A Series of Unfortunate Events," "Let It Snow," and reprising her role as Jessie in "Toy Story 4."
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